Reflections on breaking a jump

Last night, I broke The Hospital Arm Jump.

I then proceeded to post it on facebook: "Hospital arm jump = broken" which Julia read as "Hospital. Arm broken." Hilarity ensued.

For the non-traceurs out there, "breaking" an obstacle means you successfully pass it for the first time. It's a big deal, especially if the obstacle has been a part of one's Break List (like a bucket list but for obstacles). The Hospital Arm Jump has been on my break list for quite a long time.

Breaking a jump ranks pretty high up on the "things that make you feel good" list. I could write for hours and not fully capture what it feels like. Maybe a more skilled poet could pull it off... I dunno. I'll do my best:

All jumps begin with a "looking" phase - you size up the obstacle... get a sense of it. Sometimes this phase lasts a fraction of a second and sometimes it lasts years, but looking is critical. It's not a passive thing - far from it. Looking is a wrestling match against yourself. The demons of your fears and doubts scrabble to take over - they try to convince you that not only is this move you're about to do hard, it's impossible. And dumb. You should probably step back, go home, and sit down quietly somewhere.

(This is not to be confused with the quick and absolute knowledge that a particular obstacle is beyond you. That should be listened to - keep training and come back in a month. Or a year. Gravity will still be working the same when you're ready.)

We all have our way of dealing with this struggle. I take slow deep breaths and stomp my feet. Everyone has their little routine. We try to visualize success. I try to not just know I can make it, but that I already have made it. Very Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

There is nothing more maddening then staring at a jump for 2 hours and then finally losing this struggle. It can crush you for weeks. But it absolutely happens to everyone. If it happens to you, forgive yourself quickly, then get back to work. All setbacks are temporary unless you choose to make them permanent.

The magic moment we all wait for is when we switch from "looking" to "feeling." Feeling means you've overcome your doubts and, even if it's just for a moment, you know in the very core of your being that you can break the jump. "Feeling" is Missile Lock. All you need to do at that point is pull the trigger, and you'd better do it quickly before the opportunity is gone.

How to describe the actual jump? For me, it's a diamond calm - rigidly formed in my mind and held in place by force of will. The movement is always over so quickly. So quickly. It's a blur.

Exhale.

Then the jublilation. I imagine this is different for everyone, but for me it's a fierce sort of feeling. It starts in my chest and quickly spreads out to my limbs. And then everything feels warm and relaxed and supremely good.

Of course, you still have to make the jump 4 more times for it to count. But those 4 jumps are suddenly easy. And fun.

I have absolutely no studies to back up this claim, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that this process is probably profoundly good for your health. Try to do something new every time you go out. It doesn't have to be big (it absolutely shouldn't be in the beginning) - just new.

Let me know how you feel when you break a jump? Similar? Different?

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If you missed it, our first Parkour Office Hours was yesterday afternoon (archived here). I had a blast doing it - thanks to everyone who joined in live! We got some good technical feedback and I've been experimenting with a few tweaks. I'll be going live again tonight around 8:15-8:30PM EST to test out some stuff.  I would be thrilled if you could tune in and let me know how everything is looking and sounding. We won't be on for too long. You can tune in on our dedicated Live page or directly from our Justin.tv channel.  Please leave feedback - we want this to be a valuable resource for everyone.