Sunday, March 25, 2012
(My introduction and first post to a Parkour community forum called 3RUN)

Hey guys, I'm Ecilefed as the title suggests. Tonight I was interested, and soon inspired.

Here's my story, about just what lead me here to you, step by step, link by link, enjoy.

I've always been intrigued with the idea of manipulating your body into the many different maneuvers that could be possible, and as I'm in shape and without hobby, and feeling in quite the right state of mind to pursue such an idea... I thought I'd hop on Youtube and see what happens.

This, I'm not quite sure what this is, what you would call this. But what this is, is me explaining just how an idea can get hold of you and not let go till you make something of it. How it's possible to be inspired, and how it happens too. That is what this is.

0.) *What I was looking for at the time, and not quite sure it's name, was "martial arts tricking", primarily this is what I'm most interested in mastering.*

1.) Youtube, "tricking" would lead me to this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGtn68dX-iw

2.) Further motivated now I push on, I Youtube "wallflip" and come up with a 3RUN video (which I had no idea what 3RUN was at the time, and bare to mind this is my first post here on 3RUN too): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh6MlDoqQRs

3.) This is where the inspiration first starts, seeing the tricks done in slow motion it now seemed that much more possible that I might be able to do this. I watch another wallflip tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrg2V2ho6ME

4.) 48 seconds into the video I'm given the recommendation that I first watch his "ticktack" or "back flip" tutorial before attempting such a stunt. I do so. Now guided here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwbAZ...967&feature=iv

5.) After surviving watching the man ask for donations for the majority of the first minute, I'm explained to how I'm to do a backflip properly. What to do, what not to do, how to do it, etc. At this point I'm REALLY getting into it. But still, I'm not up to the point where I feel confident enough to give it a go myself. I remembered the "3RUN" "wallflip" tutorial video, and how much more possible it seemed for me seeing the trick done in slowmotion.

6.) Youtube, "back flip slow motion" leads me to a video by "the slow mo guys", a video showing both a front and backflip done, in of course slow motion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuVB8YpQlYQ

7.) Now I'm getting itchy, I want to try it, more now than ever before. It's dark out, the grass is damp, my folks are sitting in the living room, I'm sitting on my bed. And I dare myself, as I have only a few times before. I grab from the kitchen table my empty cereal box I'd intended on later taking out to the recycling, deciding now is as good a time as any, suspicious enough to my folks in the other room my departure to the outdoors as dark and late as it is. Throw the box in the recycling, and walk off the patio deck out onto the cold moist overgrown grass, I take a few steps getting a feel for what might have to break my impact from fall...

8.) This is where I run into that wall, the mental barrier, the one I hadn't realized would be so hard to overcome. I'm bouncing, swinging my arms, preparing, looking up to the dark sky and tree limbs above. 5 minutes later, and I'm still preparing. What's going on? What is this? I can't understand. Why am I unable to just DO IT? I know there's much to be learned from even just trying and not quite succeeding. But I can't push myself to do it. I grow more and more tense, it's chilly so I blame that on the shakiness in my legs.

9.) 10 minutes? How long have I been out here? What marks of progress have been made? It's just a back flip, a simple backflip. I'm in fit enough, I'm 18... I've watched kids younger than me do it... So what is it? I tell myself I won't allow myself to reenter the house till I at least try. I in my mind see no way it go wrong, and then countless ways it could. I've watched the steps, memorized them, rewatched again... I can do it...

10.) Finally, it must have been at least 15 minutes, after a few more test jumps/bounces, making sure I remember to tell myself to tuck as quickly as my feet leave the ground, and baring to mind my instructions on what not to do, pushing straight back wards... I too remind myself that I'm jumping up, going for height, and that with the tucking of my legs, naturally will follow the spin, just as when you spin and pull together your arms together excels your speed. I tell myself all I have to do is clear my head (literally and non literally), I can land on my knees and that's a good enough start...

11.) After all of that! I go. ___________ Nope. I didn't land on my feet, nor did I land on my knees. My teeth clamp down hard and quick on the tip of my tongue, a shock sent through my spine. I lay there a moment in the damp cold grass, recollecting, I let out a sigh. So angry with myself, so not pleased. I stand up dazed a little, and stomp back up the stairs of the deck, into the side door of the house, I don't care what the folks think in the other room, trudging loudly down the steps to the basement.

12.) I examine my tongue in the mirror, surely enough bit the very tip off, quickly I yank at the excess flap of skin. Then I reach for the ceiling stretching my back. Feeling depressed now, I walk quietly back on up the stairs to my bedroom and sit once again with my laptop. I look back now, reflect, trying to tell just what went wrong, why it didn't go how I expected not one bit...

13.) Google. "why can't i do a backflip?" Desperately seeking comfort in knowing maybe I'm not the only one that might have gone through a similar situation as I. What do you know? Brings me back here, to "3RUN", to this topic a recently new parkour man posted: http://forum.3run.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=17285

14.) Again after reading that, and knowing I'm not alone, I feel motivated enough to Google "how to do a backflip", I watch a few more videos I was directed to on Youtube. Till one of the sidelinks caught my eye "backflip slow mo fail", it was just a motorcycle stunt, but now curious, I searched "how not to do a back flip". I was brought to this video, the kid knocks himself out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRF9FbnOBjo

15.) Probably not the best thing to watch when you're trying to overcome a fear... But it helped me to see where he went wrong, rewatching a few times, piecing it together, it's actually quite obvious. He went straight back, and to the best my knowledge I must have done something similar in my earlier attempt, although I landed more on my neck, so I know I got further over than he did.

16.) I watch a few more slow mo backflip videos, then I Youtube search "first backflip". Brings me to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCEO0t8Nv5Q

17.) That video, although not the finest piece of work I'd ever seen, helped more than any other. A whole 9 minute length, and over 3/4 the video is the guy trying to overcome the fear, the mental wall, he even goes as far as to go into a bit of detail of what he was going through. I knew the feeling he was describing all to well. Finally he caves in and has his camera woman sister come in and spot him, he doesn't land at all the first time, but right after gets right back up and tries again. He get's it the second time, barely though.

18.) To my amazement, unbelievable to even me, I was filled with some new energy once more... Without a thought of hesitation I hastily make my way back outside, even later now, still the cold dew on the grass, did I mention I'm barefoot? I know something is different this time, I pushed myself to come back out. That wall though... It's still there, and I prepare, test hops, even jump and tuck just for a moment to land quite hard on my back. I can feel the inertia, I understand it a little more, what makes the backflip possible... I don't know why I have to make the physics of the trick make complete sense to myself before I attempt it... I'm sure other first timers were able to JUST DO IT without so much extra unnecessary unneeded thought.

19.) Without further adieu, I'm sure I've been dragging your eyes, I'm sorry but I'm not, because me writing this is as much for me as anyone else, if not more so. Definitely more so.

I bend my knees and jump, swinging my fists up, reaching high, pulling my legs to my chest, grabbing for my knees now, all of this in the air, eyes open, I see the sky whisk by, a rooftop, the grass my feet once were, then impact. My feet planted firmly in the grass. Not perfect, barely in fact. My knees then meet the grass, then hands. I managed to keep my head from impact catching myself.

20.) Exhilaration. Adrenaline. A rush. While that's still all I feel, I do another before I completely recollect. This one a little better than the last, easier too. I land, this time keeping my knees from hitting the grass, still catching myself with my hands though. AGAIN. I'm not sure how many times I did it, but there had never been anything like it. I was not longer thinking, I was finally just doing. Flip Flip Flip! Over and over again my knees would meet the grass, I didn't care, the hardest part was just getting over, keep going, that's all I wanted to do.

21.) Now I guess the same rules apply, no matter if it's spinning in circles or doing flips, I got dizzy. I tried to catch myself, but the grass was slick and my left hand kept on sliding forward, trying desperately to catch myself, I stretched some sort of muscle in my arm. I come down from my high, the high aroused from the flips! Pain in my arm. Stand up, walk up to the sidewalk in front my house, walking just to do something other than focus on the pain in my shoulder. It subsides a little but not much.

22.) I'm curious, so inspired, I did it. Can I do it once more before I head on inside? The video I watched earlier, the one with the guy who had to break his wall down too, he mentioned that he'd done a backflip before, and still it was that hard for him to push himself to do it again. For me, it lasted only a moment, rebreaking down the wall that is. Probably just because it was only a moment ago that I'd succeeded the first time ever, over and over. Prepare, and GO. Not quite as amazing as a moment ago, but still amazing. 4-5 more times. I'm worn out, I'm beat, but I'm complete. Complete tonight, surely.

~
I did what I set out to do, I'll remember this night, and writing this more than ensures that. This is what I'll leave behind tonight, to wake up tomorrow to, to know that I was serious about this. As often things with me go, after a nights rest I don't wake up with priorities quite the exact same order I put them the night before.

Thanks for toughing out the read.
~Ecilefed