Overcoming Fear
Overcoming fear is fundamental to the practice of Parkour/Streetstunts and the degree to which this skill is mastered determines how rapidly one is able to progress. Despite this factor being so crucial to success, many people struggle when it comes to learning new techniques, especially when these moves are very different to what they have learnt already.
While there is always the small minority who exhibit characteristics of being naturally fearless, the rest of us have to spend a substantial amount of time un-learning fears that we have gained throughout life, often without even realising why these fears came to manifest themselves in the first place.
So how do you overcome fear in the context of parkour and streetstunts ?
The first thing to do is to identify the fear. Many people suffer from slow progression because fear is holding them back and they are not even aware of it. From my own experience I remember people asking me “How long have you been trying to learn back flips” and I would reply “about a year”, though it was only after I had succeeded in learning to back flip that I realized the errors of my judgment.
Although I had *wanted* to back flip for about a year, during that time I took no significant action which lead to the result I wanted. Each weekend when we met up in town I would want to back flip and would even mention this in conversation to other people present, but when it came down to actually doing it, I had an underlying fear holding me back which I was unable to identify that prevented me from going any further.
Twelve months down the line when I did finally identify the root of my fear I was able to learn back flips to a high standard within just four weeks which made me realize how much more I could have learnt during that time If I had managed to identify the cause of my fears earlier on.
The cause of the fear you are encountering will be a personal thing, possibly related to past experiences and is unlikely to be the same for all the different techniques you are trying to learn. There is no right or wrong answer as such; it is just something you have to spend some time thinking about.
Some common examples include fear of heights, fear of failure, fear of the embarrassment caused by failure, fear of injury, the fear of lack of control or something more specific like the fear of clipping your legs or landing on your head. It could be any one of these types of things or a combination of several factors.
Once you have identified the fear that is holding you back you can set about working towards a solution. Here we will examine some generic solutions which should help you to reach your goals and progress faster.
Knowledge is Power
Learn as much as you can about the movement you are trying to achieve. Read tutorials, watch videos, speak to people and know what you are trying to do so well that you can visualize it in your head and imagine yourself doing every part of it in the minutest detail. Knowing you can land a move is not enough on its own, you have to BELIEVE you can land it. If you don’t believe you can then you wont, even if you are more than physically capable.
Start With Your Strengths
Can you build upon a technique you have already learnt? If you have no prior knowledge to start from then can you build up to it in smaller stages? With the exception of a lot of flips, most other techniques can be broken down in this way.
For example if you are trying to learn a kong/monkey vault and worry about clipping your feet, find a wall that is two or three times wider than the kind of wall you would normally encounter and practice monkey plants landing on top of the wall, aiming to get further forward each time. Once you can monkey vault easily on top of the wide wall, if you go back to a thinner wall you will know you are capable of clearing it.
Change of Surface
If it is a fear of injury holding you back then a simple change of surfaces might be all you need to gain the confidence to progress. Find a place to practice where you have a softer landing. Grass, sand pits and beaches are all much more forgiving than concrete when you don’t land on your feet. If you have access to a trampoline, crash mats or a gym then all the better.
Distractions
If it is a fear of embarrassment holding you back this can be tackled in two ways. Find a group of people to train with who will support you; you wont be so aware about the presence and opinions of strangers if there is a group of you all doing the same thing. Alternatively just find somewhere quiet to practice. Try more rural areas or early mornings/ late evenings.
Learn to Roll – Properly!
If you cannot do so already learn to roll on any surface at any speed from any angle. For me, learning to roll on concrete gave me a tremendous all round confidence boost. I no longer feared over rotating or falling once I knew I had the ability to land safely regardless of the situation. It’s worth noting that your roll should become instinctive; a subconscious action. If you have to consciously think about rolling it will already be too late.
Get a Spotter
A spotter is one or more people who support you whilst you attempt to land a new technique. Whilst this is usually associated with tricking and street stunts, it works just as well in parkour for large precisions and cat leaps. The purpose of a spotter is not to do the move for you, but to minimise you chances of injury should you fail.
This is particularly relevant when learning backflips. Most people have a huge fear of landing on their head but if you have two people holding on to you as you rotate the chances of a head on collision with the ground is greatly reduced.
Relaxation
Once you have done everything else you can do to prepare, just relax! If your muscles are tense you will be fighting against your own strength and will not perform at your best. Don’t worry about the potential consequences of what you are about to do. If you have already decided to go through with it then worrying will not yield any benefits. Free yourself from distractions and focus on what you want to achieve. Try to visualize the movement in your head; if it is a jump or vault, visualize what you are about to do from the perspective of your feet. ‘See’ your feet contacting the area in which you intend to land. When you are ready, know that you can do it and go.