Topic: Landing height.

[Eric Kropp]

Sometimes the drop is to high to handle normally, so a roll would be a better idea.

[colin jensen]

sometimes i roll off of the ground. for example when i was working on jumping over the long jumo box at a middle school. i landed with such momentum that i had to roll. every situation has a different reaction. you just gotta decide when to do what you gotta do.

[gmpianoman]

Yes, I know, but that wasn't the situation we were discussing(unless I misunderstood someone.)

[hardcoretraceur]

id also like to note that most of our movements are done in training.

people do things that are too big for them to be doing. ive seen a lot of people get injured doing parkour, whether through landing wrong for years or doing something stupid once.

[colin jensen]

Yes, I know, but that wasn't the situation we were discussing(unless I misunderstood someone.)

i was just stating that there are instances that you would need to roll from any height wether its 3 feet or 3 inches. different people feel like they should roll at that moment. in which case you would roll.

[Rickety]

So (gmpianoman & Cyanide, particularly), what height would you recommend for *training* drop & roll? I'm not taking any significant drops right now--honestly, little over 3 feet right now, with more or less forward motion. I want to learn how to use a roll, and practice a lot. Presumably I should practice this at a lower height than I would need it for. Is it pointless to even practice from a low height?

[colin jensen]

i usually practice at about 6-8 feet no more then 10 but thats cause i dont jump off anything more then 10 feet part of my 1 year rule.

[CyanideSoda]

Its hard for me to roll off of anything lower then 5 feet. Id advise to jump off of whatever is comfortable to you. And do it with lots of foward momentum. The faster your moving forward the more natural it is. (At least in my opinion). Remember not to bend your legs to much.

[gmpianoman]

Well I've heard the number 2.5 - 3 meters thrown around a bit.  That meaning you should not do ANY drops over those heights in your first year(or more.)  3 feet is less than one meter, so there is no case that you should be rolling on a drop like that.(unless you have TONS of forward momentum....not sure how that would work, but if you jump quickly 10 feet than you should probably roll just to be able to run along smoothly.)

[colin jensen]

ok my challenge to you is to run as fast as you possibly can faster than that and jump as far as you can. like you would to do a long jump. hit the ground and try not you roll. you will fall. when you parkour your trying not to fall because that would slow you down. way down. so inorder for you not to fall you roll. it saves time and your legs from the forward momentum to no momentum. just try it and then tell us if you could do it. and if you can, good for you, if not then you will at least see my point.

[gmpianoman]

Yeah that's exactly what I said.  I'm not arguing that.  Reread my post.

[colin jensen]

i guess im not understanding this part.*** not sure how that would work, but if you jump quickly 10 feet than you should probably roll just to be able to run along smoothly.)***

[gmpianoman]

You're right, it was a bit confusing.  Whatever, the important thing is I agree with the roll from long jump momentum part.

[colin jensen]

alright well leave it at that then.

[mmuir]

ok i can take around a 6 foot hieght drop with no roll and land correctly, but it is more comfortable to roll...if you are going to roll try and jump out instead of drop...makes the roll more fluid and easy going...also it helps carry you momentum b/c if you run off of a wall and try to do a basic PK landing..you are gonna eat some dirt...so rolls help carry you momentum and make it more managable.

[pkevo]

what is a safe height to jump from without rolling because i want to play it on the safe side

[Steven Low]

what is a safe height to jump from without rolling because i want to play it on the safe side

I'd say less than 3 feet for beginners.

[Hunter Neiblum]

alwase start small and move up! that is the tippical way to start thing for almost evry thing. I learned how to land without rolling by using a scale, 2ft, 31/2ft, 4ft, 51/2ft, 7ft etc.

[Jamie Crosby]

i disagree with the 3 ft. jump for beginners rule, but maybe its just me. If you really think about it, 3 feet is nothing, i go to the local park and i see 12 year old jumping 3 feet and being completely fine with it. I would just say start out at whatever you are comfortable with and work from that till you have a perfect technique then build from that. Im in no way saying start jumping from 20 ft. when you start off, but use your common sense and good judgement

[Jon Hurst]

I've just started parkour and I haven't done any drops yet. But I have done rolls... from a standing position where the only forward momentum is from falling forward. I've been working on technique: what angle to fall, whether to roll diagonally, across, or along my body, how to face the direction I want when I get up, etc. This way whether I take a 3ft. or a 20ft. drop, I'll be better off 'cause I'm used to it. In "Jump Westminster" somebody does a roll on a parkbench. I couldn't do that yet. I'd roll right off the side 'cause I don't have the "body consciousness" or whatever you call it yet to be able to know where my body is and position and stuff without thinking about it. So point being, you can roll from any height (including no height), and IMHO I agree that beginners should start small and work up gradually over a long period of time. Patience will pay off.