Spotters...

[hillexallen]

Something came up at the Sunday Beginners' Training today that I think needs to be addressed: the use of spotters in parkour.

I will be giving you all my full and honest opinion about this issue, and if you decide to post, I expect that you will give me yours.

I believe that spotters have no place in parkour besides when dealing with movements that cannot be easily worked up to. I have been taught to never try anything that I am not sure I am capable of doing safely, and I think that the use of spotters causes people to try things that they are not capable of. Obviously, it is better to take the time to get comfortable with a movement and only try it when you are ready for it than to try something that you are not ready for, even if there is a spotter, and risk injuring yourself. Remember, the first motto of parkour was "to be and to last." I also think that using a spotter interferes with learning proper technique. If you are convinced that you are not going to get hurt, what is the point of learning proper technique? Of course spotters can be useful when dealing with movements like catleaps and backflips, but they are definitely no substitute for progression and the ability to build real confidence.

Anyway, I have given you my opinion. Please give me yours.

If you believe that it is pointless to address this issue, tell me.

I just think that it is important to talk about things like this so we can all see how others are thinking, and get an overall better understanding of parkour.

Thank you, Alex

[Kirill]

yup. Some of Parkour is mental!

[hillexallen]

Totally agree. Train mentally!

[orem]

i agree with jodie. often the body progresses much quicker than the mind. there was quite a good quote posted on pkcali i'm going to post here:
"Something I learned many years ago while going through the worlds toughest and most extreme 26 week military training program (BUD/S), is that as long as you are in decent aerobic shape and are flexible, it is your mind that requires training. Most of us only push ourselves to maybe 12-15% of our physical limitations and potential.

It is one's mind that needs to be adjusted. Once you can discipline yourself to over come a tad bit of "suffering" and can learn to put the mental agony and pain to the side, focus on the goal at hand and put forward the energy and enthusiasm required to accomplish the task, we will truly be amazed at what we really are capable of. Piecing each evolution together, we create engrams, mental and physical, that will take control of our body when it is tasked with the next evolution, not thinking about any of the discomforts that may arise. Only the positive end result.

Mental training my friends, is the KEY! This whole thing is 75% MENTAL and 25% PHYSICAL.... trust me!"

[monk]

parkour has a lot to do with the mind. movements that you can do easily psyche you out, and you just have to prove to yourself that you can do it. let's say i have a teacher who knows my abilities well. he/she says i can do it, and i trust that my teacher won't suggest something outside of my capabilities. he/she can spot me, i'll do it with ease, and will never doubt that i can do that move. then i get to move on. i like to have that mental spot sometimes.

[hillexallen]

I think that spotters give you fake confidence. They trick you into doing something that you are not ready for.

[Kirill]

ONE OF THE SOLUTIONS. if you think you need a spotter to gain confidence, you should not do the movement because you never had confidence in the first place. The "I can probably do it" should scare you shitless of a fall.

[hillexallen]

It seems like spotters are a way of tricking yourself into thinking that you are ready for a movement when really you are not, in order to learn it more quickly. I think that goes against the principle of "the hard work of slow progression", which our community is based on.