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I am a beginner at Parkour. I was trying out the Basic Landing.
I had read that when doing it, your thighs and your lower legs must be at an angle of 90 degrees (not less than that). But I am unable to maintain that angle.
Every time I try to do so, my legs touch the ground quicker and my hands aren't able to touch the ground in time to support my fall.
Am I doing it right? Please help.
The basic landing has no 90 degree restriction. I have a feeling that this myth started out as one guy just making it up on the fly, and people just ran with it.
When doing the basic landing, the most important part is that both feet and hands cushion the fall.
Preferably, the first thing to hit the ground, should be the balls of your feet (near the toes), while your legs are still stretched out, but not locked. This way, the ankle is the first joint to take the pressure, then when your heels hit, your knees will start to bend, shortly followed by your waist.
At this point, you should be bent forward (because of the bend at the waist) with your arms outstretched, ready to cushion the landing even more.
As a side note, the basic landing is often followed by a run. The 90 degree "rule" will help you start running quicker, as you'll spend less time getting back up. The slowest part of squatting back up, is at the lowest point. But this is something that will come naturally as you practice. And your hands can also help you accelerate, as they are also touching the ground.
I am not an expert, but I've pretty consistently heard that the 90 degree landing is less a matter of "don't go beyond 90 degrees you fool!" and more a matter of reminding the traceur (or traceuse) to begin absorbing the landing immediately rather then letting their legs sink further, then beginning to flex their leg muscles to slow the fall.
Also, under practical aspects, you may be keeping your weight too far back, part of the slap landing is changing your vertical movement into horizontal, much like with the roll, so you should be leaning forward a bit on your landing, ready to run.
Ah, and Parkour Science specifically pointed out that 90 degrees is a myth in their video series, so if you believe them (and they seem to have science on their side), you're fine doing less than 90 degrees for the slap landing. If you plan on rolling, you'll want 90 degrees or so to prevent having to add impulse to your roll.
