PARKOUR BAILS: 8 Years of Falls, Recoveries and Lessons - Dylan Baker
This is a compilation of every bail and recovery I could find spanning my 8+ years of training. I made some big mistakes early on, but at the end of the day I don't have any regrets. I wouldn't be the person or the athlete I am today without processing and learning from these experiences. That being said, although there are admittedly some really intense moments in here that are somewhat current (like the big height drop at the beginning), my few injuries and bad falling mechanics were concentrated in my early years. 75% of this video is made up of mistakes and subtle corrections that result in something that hardly looks like a bail, which I credit partially to 8+ years of moving around, but mostly to three main elements that I changed about my training
....
1) A more refined approach to which challenges I attempt.
2) An emphasis on perfecting basic techniques and building strength instead of constantly seeking the next cool move.
3) Actively practicing safe falling (ukemi) to avoid common errors that could cause injury.
I go a lot more in depth into these elements on my blog and in my newsletter, which you can subscribe to here...
http://dylanbakerparkour.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=5a8c140711ddd129e7dd3206f&id;=d2fefe098e
I have watched other high profile people in the community take a very reserved approach to their failures in an effort to protect their public image; sometimes going so far as to delete their falls from any camera in the vicinity. I think this gives a false impression of infallibility/invincibility to the viewer and leads to unhealthy idolization and a skewed perception of what the athlete's training actually looks like. That being said, I think the opposite is likely to occur from a bail compilation, which can give the viewer a sense that parkour is dangerous and dissuade people from trying it.
For that reason, I want to emphasize that, while I think my training has become quite safe in recent years due to the changes mentioned above, my approach to parkour (which emphasizes the mental side) shares more similarities to back country skiers, big wave surfers, etc. This is just one way to approach parkour. Just like in skiing, there are backcountry skiers, freestyle skiers, speed skiers, average enthusiasts that like to do some runs at a resort, etc. there are just as many approaches to parkour (if not more). Parkour is actually one of the safest activities, due to the fact that the only variables are you and your environment. I encourage you to check out this article from
APEX Movement if you are curious about starting out.... http://apexmovement.com/blog/too-old-too-fat-too-weak-for-parkour-no-you-are-not-start-with-these-5-basic-exercises/
As for the bail from the old "manhood" video, I have decided to give up on the idea of protecting it. The clip is already out there and shows up in various places all the time (without my permission). If it's going to be out there, it might as well be on my own channel. Bring on da haterz :p I'm probably going to readdress the issue soon in my blog or an interview, since the only explanation is in an interview when I was still a teenager :)
If you have any questions or concerns, you can follow me on
Facebook in the link below and send me a message, but the best way is actually through email... Just
sign up for my newsletter above and reply to the first email I send you. I'm more than happy to help anyone that has a desire to learn and wants to do so safely.
https://www.facebook.com/DylanBakerParkour
https://instagram.com/dylanbakerpk
https://www.facebook.com/MYRMlife
https://www.facebook.com/ApexMovement
Much love,
Dylan