Topic: How to Land

[Sync]

Hey guys,
  I've seen tons of threads on this forum about rolls.  The only problem is, your roll isn't everything.  There ARE going to be times where you don't have the room to roll, and must absorb the impact.  This thread can also help with rolls, but I'll get into that later.

Shortened Version: The more quiet your landing is, the better.

Long Version:  Well as all of us have probably found out by now, your knees take quit ethe pounding whilst training in PK/FR.  The main point of this topic is to explain to you why quiet landings are better, and how to avoid knee injuries from improper landings.

- Now the force taken by your knees can be explained by the equation (F)orce = (M)ass X (V)elocity
                                                                                                                          (T)ime

So the only ways to decrease the force taken by your knees is to A) Reduce mass (Impossible)  B) Reduce Velocity (Not always an option [Gravity])   or C) Increase the Time taken to complete the landing (Most Practicle)

Now you may be wondering, "How do I increase the Time of my landing?  This is confusing."   Well really, it's not that confusing.  What you want is for you legs to be fully extended just before your feet make contact with the ground.  Now as you feet start to make contact with the ground, you need to start to crouch.  Absorb as much shock as you can with your knees.  After a bunch of times using this method, you should be able to tell when it's okay to stand back up and run again.

This method will also make your landings more quiet.

Remember: The entire landing shouldn't take more that like 1.5 seconds.  Don't just sit there for an eternity crouching down!  That's totally inefficient!

[Jerald Donald Konkel, aka JDK]

Yo man.... I'm really proud of you and this is a great thread... and imma let you finnish.... but..... Beyonce Had one of the greatest videos of all time!!
 


hahahhahaa......... no, just joking, but really. there are a few points you have wrong, and that you fail to mention. When one lands, on must land on the balls of his/her feet. that is very important and I don't see it here.

 and the thing about the Decreasing the time of the landing? that is confusing.... I look at that and I am confused. so imagine a beginner just starting off looking at this for the first time. to have a safe landing you need to decrease the amount of impact, or force, absorbed.... and that is where the roll comes into play. but like you said there will be times where a roll won't be possible. so a good landing is a must... in that case there are a few points to remember.....

1. land on the Balls of your feet. (always)
2. resist the impact by collapsing to the ground absorbing the landing with your legs. (not your knees)
3. the softer the landing the better. (you have this right)

you don't want to be tense, but you don't want to be loose. this reminds me of a good Bruce Lee Quote:
"Not being tense but ready. Not thinking but not dreaming. Not being set but flexible. Liberation from the uneasy sense of confinement. It is being wholly and quietly alive, aware and alert, ready for whatever may come."     

maybe he wasn't talking about parkour or landings, but it seems to apply.... haha. and one more thing.....

4. the entire landing will take as long as it takes..... some landings have so much force and momentum, that it can take minutes, to days, to weeks, to even years to just recover from... er.. I mean absorb the impact.....lol..... so make sure if you are in a position where a roll is not possible..... try to climb down a little before dropping. or don't drop, unless you know how to land with softness.   

And forget about that equation you have.....  the way you decrease the impact is simple..... you can't, there will always be impact, and you can't decrease it unless you decrease the height at which you drop from.

[Sync]

Thanks for the input!

I just wanna add a few things altogether the finish off this whole thing, and make it easier to understand.

A) Increasing the time = Absorbing the shock.  Begin the landing with your legs straight, then collapse

This is demonstrated very well in this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhJ90doKqRs  at 24 seconds

[GoldenSlumbers]

http://www.americanparkour.com/content/view/3421/386/
Really good exercise that works on the muscles you will need for an effective landing, as well as a way to gauge your progress.  As you already said the quieter the better,  when standing tuck jumps get too easy try adding a little bit of height to it.

[ZacharyCohn]

The entire landing will take as long as it takes.....

Not true. I can land straight legged, knees locked, and the landing will be instantaneous. I can also land relaxed, bend the knees as I go, resist as I bend the knees, and the landing can take .5-1 second!

And forget about that equation you have.....  the way you decrease the impact is simple..... you can't, there will always be impact, and you can't decrease it unless you decrease the height at which you drop from.

Same problem. Not true! You can decrease the force of a landing. Ryan Ford did some testing with someone at his university with a platform that measures force. He found that different "styles" of landings had DRASTICALLY different effects on the amount of force created.

Careful with what you say, Jerald!

[Jerald Donald Konkel, aka JDK]

I'm sorry... but to be fair that first quote was a Joke.... haha, I don't think people got it though... and yes I have to be careful what I say... maybe I should let everyone know That, what i said was what I thought was true... until you told me otherwise... sorry

[Sync]

Not true. I can land straight legged, knees locked, and the landing will be instantaneous. I can also land relaxed, bend the knees as I go, resist as I bend the knees, and the landing can take .5-1 second!

Same problem. Not true! You can decrease the force of a landing. Ryan Ford did some testing with someone at his university with a platform that measures force. He found that different "styles" of landings had DRASTICALLY different effects on the amount of force created.

Careful with what you say, Jerald!

Woo!  At least I know I was right.

oh wait.  I already did.

[GreyGear]

Jerald, you should take a physics class it is really cool information to know.  Also, I'm not trying to be condescending.