Precisions are one of the core movements within parkour – a jump from one point to another, with a controlled landing. Although quite simple in idea, they have many subtleties that you must explore, for example the angle at which you push away at in the initial jump. Obviously, muscular strength in your legs will improve your precision distance (but not the control of your landing) – such schemes as ‘air alert’ work very well to improve your standing jump distance. When first learning precisions, it is best to find two walls that are a small distance apart – walls are obviously easier to balance on than small rails.
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| Click the photo (above) to download a video of this technique.
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Stand one side of the gap, focused upon your landing point. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, and you should have the balls of your feet on the front edge of your wall/rail. You will want to be looking at your landing spot, so as to guide your feet to the correct place later in the movement. Begin to put your arms behind your back slightly.
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When you are ready, start to lean forward (to roughly a 45-60 degree angle). At this point you should be swinging your arms forward and starting to push away with your legs. |
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Really power those legs. They should have straightened out during the jump, and your arms should now be well above your head. Remember that your arms provide a lot of power within this movement. |
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Tuck those legs up. At this point, you should be about mid flight. Enjoy it, it won’t last too much longer.
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As you begin to approach your landing, get your legs out in front of you. Obviously, the larger the precision the more important it is to kick your legs out. In the example, the gap is relatively small so I have not kicked my legs out as much as I would for a larger precision. |
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As you land, bend your knees to absorb the shock. Some people find that bending down quite far helps maintain their balance. Try to land on the balls of your feet, as this allows for better control, and means you are reading to jump again if necessary.
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Regain your balance and stand up straight. When practicing, you will want to stop here – stopping on your landing is good balance practice. Obviously, put into context you may wish to precision to somewhere else, or do something similar. |
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Variations
Running precision - the only real difference here is that you have a running takeoff instead of standing. Once in the air it is very similar – stay focused on your landing, absorb the shock as you land, and regain your balance. Since you’ll be entering the landing at a faster speed, it will be harder to stop on the landing, but at the same time easier to precision elsewhere from your landing.
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