CORE TRAINING - BIPEDAL MOVEMENT

PHYSICAL TRAINING IS OF SOME VALUE, BUT GODLINESS HAS VALUE FOR ALL THINGS, HOLDING PROMISE FOR BOTH THE PRESENT LIFE AND THE LIFE TO COME

- 1 TIMOTHY 4:8

Most of our skills are developed on the ground. When you begin working on apparatuses such as swing sets and hand rails, check your environment before you work. Stress test them for strength. If the bars are bending under your weight, then don't use them. Also, early morning dew and left over rain moisture will prevent good traction. I've also found playground mulch dust prevents good traction on poles. Some playground paints seem to discourage traction in certain temperatures. Be careful, be safe. There's nothing more frustrating than sitting out, waiting for your body to heal because you attempted something before testing your surfaces.


Bipedal Movement
We'll start on the ground to develop our balance so that we're ready to safely traverse height and don't break ourselves.
 
  1. Forward Inline - Use a playground mulch retaining wall (usually an 8x8) or a lightly trafficked street curb to develop your walking balance. Start by holding your arms at horizontal (like a tightrope artist) and walk in normal heal-to-toe fashion. Work toward lowering your arms and walking on toes only. This will develop your lower legs and balance well. Caution: this looks a little weird.
  1. Backward Inline - Use a similar retaining wall or street curb and work backwards. Use similar techniques as the forward inline bipedal movement. As you progress, try to keep your head up and trust your feet for your next step.

 

  1. Forward Inline on Guardrail - This is a way to reduce the surface area contact while keeping training height low. Try to walk on the top flat, approximately 2 inches wide.
  1. Forward Inline on Rail - Start with larger diameter bars. I'm fortunate enough to have several swing sets of varying diameter piping near my home. Work toward smaller diameter bars, including handrails. Be sure to stress test the bars first. Don't bend the kids' playground railings.
  1. Forward Inline Running - Use the same environment as your forward inline training. Start slow, but know that a little bit of speed will allow you to keep your balance better. It's like riding a bike. Watch your feet placement carefully as it will be easy to twist an ankle here. Dry concrete/wood only! Jersey walls are great for this as they are wider than a typical street curb, but unfortunately, I haven't found any away from traffic.

  1. Forward Inline Bar Running - When you have a good level of confidence, you can begin running across the tops of bars. Larger diameter bars will be easier.
  1. Forward Inline Pole Running - When you have a good level of confidence, you can begin running across the tops of poles. I've got a great set of poles here which are used to prevent cars from driving up onto the sidewalk and through storefronts. Larger diameter poles will be easier. The spacing between poles will determine your stride and speed. Be careful and be very aware of your balance. Don't try to get that one last pole or you just may end up wrapped around it. If you feel your vector drifting, land a precision jump to a sidewalk crack.

 


Recommendations:

Urban Evolution - Salil Maniktahla, Owner
...specializing in Parkour/Free Running, UrbanFit, Aerial Acrobatics, Gymnastics, Break Dancing, and Capoeira
 
Primal Fitness - Mark Toorock, Owner
...specializing in Parkour/Free Running, CrossFit, and Gymnastics
 
American Parkour
...excellent tutorials and a huge forum of practitioners
 
Urban Freeflow
...videos of isolated moves and white papers on techniques