Topic: Drop to cat

[Bog.D.]

I've searched the forum, didn't find another topic on this, so here goes:

How does one do a drop to cat ?
For example, you're on the outside of a building, pretty high up, don't want to jump from that height; there are ledges below on each floor, how do you drop to cat on them from above ? Kinda like here (7:35), but without the backflip.

[NOS - from Parkour Mumbai]

Yeah, I get what you're trying to say.
A better example would be the jump Jet Li does down an entire building, floor by floor, in Cradle 2 The Grave.

I guess the first thing you would want to train for this would be to stand on a ledge/thick wall, with your back facing the drop, and then from that standing position, drop down into a cat on the SAME ledge/wall. Your legs will let go off the edge of the ledge first, and you will be airborne momentarily before your hands touch the wall. If your hands touch the wall before your legs leave it, it will be the same as a dismount. Even this seemingly simple move is VERY DIFFICULT to perform, especially when the skin on your hands isn't tough enough to take that impact, it can come off easily. You can work your way up to this by trying the same thing, but by crouching on the wall instead of standing.

Once you can comfortably do this standing on the edge of the wall, then you may be ready to progress onto doing it by dropping down a storey and then cat-grabbing the ledge below. It's a long journey ahead.

[Bog.D.]

Thanks ! 

Once you can comfortably do this standing on the edge of the wall, then you may be ready to progress onto doing it by dropping down a storey and then cat-grabbing the ledge below. It's a long journey ahead.

I was thinking, before dropping down from a building I might try these ropes. Ropes like those are in almost every park here, some go higher (~11 ft) and have only metal bars on the sides and on top.

BTW, those ropes have quite some slack - but underneath it's only sand, so if I slip and fall (although I know the Ukemi-Waza from karate), I won't hurt myself too much.

[NOS - from Parkour Mumbai]

I can't visualize what you're trying to say here.
Do you mean you will stand on a horizontal rope a level or two above, and then drop down into a cat-grab onto another rope below?

was thinking, before dropping down from a building....

BTW, you need a lot of conditioning and drilling before you even think of going anywhere up any building or really dropping down from one storey to another, and not just with this technique. Measure that in years, ideally 5-8 years.

[FrostySTL]

BTW, you need a lot of conditioning and drilling before you even think of going anywhere up any building or really dropping down from one storey to another, and not just with this technique. Measure that in years, ideally 5-8 years.

Try to think of the physics this way, you are letting go of a railing with your hands, and dropping to another railing 10 feet below, and catching it with your hands. Meaning a fall of 10 feet. This force would be exactly the same as if you were to step off a 10 foot ledge, and precision on the ground. Not rolling and absorbing the impact. I'm talking about "sticking" the landing. Even for the large muscles in your legs, that's a lot of force to absorb. Many years of training would probably be a good estimate.

[Bog.D.]

I can't visualize what you're trying to say here.
Do you mean you will stand on a horizontal rope a level or two above, and then drop down into a cat-grab onto another rope below?

I meant I'll stand (crouch actually) on a metal bar (or wooden square bar) about 3-4 inches thick, then dropping and trying to catch any of the horizontal ropes below that are parallel to the bar. That's on the short thingies. On the high ones, I think I'll just climb a bit more than my height, cat grab a rope and drop.
I don't intend to drop too much, just to grab on to a rope and hang on. No need to be too high, just enough not to touch the ground with my legs if I grab a rope. From there, I'll try to land with my feet on a lower rope - into a cat grab position. But that's after I manage to do it from crouching / standing on a (small) wall first.

I just came from the park, where I tried several drops to cat on a thick, chest-high marble wall, crouching on the ledge and jumping backwards... my feet and hands slipped on the surface, cracked two nails trying to grab the ledge on the drop. Not so much a cat, more of a vertical slide. Yeah, I need to find a wall with better grip. Wait, there are two concrete structures about chest high, with good grip on the sides, at a hypermarket nearby (in the parking lot) ! 

After I cracked my nails on the drop-to-cat-attempts, I ended up doing core and upper body conditioning, some cat balance on an inclined railing, precisions, basic vaults and underbars.