Topic: Please follow and read the link posted.

[Ryan Sannar]

Exactly my point kidzymarvel.
Thanks Nick.

[Grip]

I just think that if you are doing a kong, your take off foot should be pre-determined, because if you are indecisive when you take off, you are going to take a wall to the knee.

[Nick Fernandez]

I already changed my mind on this. I'm just going to forget my left foot for takeoffs and just focus completely on my right foot when it comes to stride training, because what's the point of stride training both of your legs if you only practice konging off one of those legs anyway? It clicked to me that it has no effect if you try to, say walk to the curb 10 feet ahead of me and hit it with my right leg, then hit the next one with my left leg. I take everything off with my right leg in front anyway.

[tibo]

you can have a favourite side, but also have the other side trained and ready incase the situation presents itself where you need the bad side

[kidzymarvel]

Hmmm, perhaps one day we should have a precision and tic tac-ing session (one sided versus ambidextrous) what do you say?

[Jason C. Astor]

We have a favorite side simply because we've been programed to. Da Vinci could write with one hand while drawing with the left. Animals in the wild are right handed or left handed.

 Parkour is about efficiency of life, now we all use it as exercises or fun or a means to impress chicks. However, if some shi* goes down and I gotta really use it to survive I don't want to have to only punch off my right foot or only speed onto my left arm. Say I get cut, just bad enough that I cant put all my weight on that leg or arm. If I haven't trained to addapt to either side of my body then all this training is for not. Just because of one little cut.
Watch any action or horror movie, the "Tough Guy" gets killed or hurt because he was taking just a little out of his comforte zone. 

Learn to be Balanced my friends

[Belhade]

I agree with both parts. Most people do have a "strong" side, by preference or by upbringing, but you should still be at least familiar if not comfortable with moves on both sides. I would rather be 75% proficient with one side and 25% with the other, than 100% with one side and completely incapable of the other.

[Dallas Oeder]

I agree with both parts. Most people do have a "strong" side, by preference or by upbringing, but you should still be at least familiar if not comfortable with moves on both sides. I would rather be 75% proficient with one side and 25% with the other, than 100% with one side and completely incapable of the other.

Agreed. I think that learning to lazy or tic tac (for arguments sake) with your "dark side" is important, maybe even learning how to speed or kong vault. But, at that same time, I'd much rather be MORE proficient with my dominant side than the other, as that's where my comfort zone is, and that's where I will perform most admirably.

And to further the argument, "if" is a pretty big two letter word. If I came into a situation where I needed to use my left side, I would, even if I knew I was terrible with it. But I'd make the best of it, because that's what I needed to do. For now, this newbie is gonna focus on his right side. Once I get everything down fairly good, then maybe I'll start doing some simple stuff on my left side. Until then, It's just another thing to think about training for.

[Jason C. Astor]

I guess my entire training mentality comes from years of martial arts training. When we practiced kicks or punches or forms we practiced equally if not more with the weak side to help it "Catch up". The same is true for cops with shooting. They're made to shoot "Strong side" Weak side".

If is a big word, kinda, but if something really did require me to use my weak side I would already want atleast a base to work with. The whole point of drilling moves low to the ground or no far apart is so you can ingrain the actions into your muscles. So when we are high up or in need of this skill we can use it with-out thinking or having to "try".

But that's just how I feel about it

[Belhade]

Oddly enough (or maybe not?) my "strong side" is not my primary side. Meaning, I'm primarily right-handed except I move more naturally to my left. The left side of my body is also stronger, whereas my right side is more dextrous.

[Nick Fernandez]

Same for me, actually. I think that's how it may be for most people anyway. I'm left-handed but I can really only lazy vault effectively to my right.

[Grip]

Yea, thats how it is for most people, it's probably more about taking off on your strong leg and swinging your weaker leg, you're probably more flexible lifting this leg as well, adding to the effortlessness to the move. 

[Belhade]

Ah, okay, I didn't understand it but makes sense now.