The Rail Spring as the name suggests is a movement for clearing rails, but it can also be adapted for fences, walls and similar
obstacles. The technique comprises of launching yourself head first over the rail and you land on the other side, facing the same direction as you started. While not the most efficient of movements, it is graceful and visually impressive. Often incorrectly described as a 'rail flip', I consider this to be a type of vault as your hands are in contact with the rail for a large
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| Click the photo (above) to download a video of this technique.
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Find a rail somewhere between waist and shoulder height (what ever feels most
comfortable) with grass or a similarly soft surface on the side you'll be landing
on. Stand with the rail in front of you and place your hands on top, about shoulder width
apart. Bend your knees bringing yourself below the rail until the top of your head is level with the top of the rail.
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In one swift movement, kick up hard with both of your legs, taking off two footed and propel
yourself upwards. Then use your arms to propel you the rest of the way brining you upwards and forward of the rail. Try not to hold onto the rail, just rest your weight upon it. That way your hands should come off
naturally at the right time through the rotation.
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Notice how much my arms are bent here. This is essential for two reasons; firstly it is required to actually get over the rail in the first place, and more importantly will be providing the kinetic energy to get you back on your feet. A rail spring is not the same as a hand spring over a rail. If you were to treat it like a hand spring and keep your arms straight, at best you
wouldn't make it past the rail and fall back onto your feet or more
likely, you would get just past the rail, loose all momentum and fall flat on your back. While its not
likely to kill you, having done this on my first ever attempt, I can assure you it's not
something I'd like to repeat! |
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As your head comes over the rail, you want to ensure that you put it below, but in front of the rail. Assuming you
remember to bend your arms, this is the only other part of this technique that is
likely to result in injury if you do it wrong. I have heard of of people who have put their head right underneath the rail and then hit their face as they rotated. As long as your head is well forward of the rail you have nothing to worry about.
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At this stage you have just gone past the point of no return and are starting to fall towards the ground. Resist the temptation to do anything just yet, maintain the strength in your arms and wait it out for a fraction of a second longer. This is where a spotter can be very useful. If you are lacking confidence, get two friends to stand either side of you on the left side of the rail. Their job is to put their hands out and support your back as you go over and it will make your landings a lot softer if your technique
isn't quite right on your first few attempts. |
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Now your entire body is well over the other side of the rail, bend your knees. This is essential if you plan to land on your feet.
Note: In this photo and the one above it appears that my head goes underneath the rail. This is not actually the case, my head is well in front of the rail. It is just the camera angle making it look that way.
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This is the final and most important part of this technique. In the above photo you will see how much my arms are bent, this could be compared to the potential energy stored in a mechanical spring. At this point you must push up as hard as you can, extending your arms to their maximum travel. This is what will give you the speed and rotation to get back on your feet. At the same time, arch your back and look for where you are going to land.
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By now you should already have decided where you are going to land and how. There is nothing more to do at this stage other than wait. If you time it right you should be able to just bend your knees to absorb the shock of landing, and carry on running. If you feel you have over rotated and are
coming towards the ground too fast, its usually easier to roll out of it instead.
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Here I have landed on my toes, leaning forward slightly with my knees bent I can carry on running.
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Variations
The most common variation of a standing rail spring is a running rail spring. This is generally more useful for
Parkour and the technique is virtually identical to doing it from standing, including taking off two footed. The only difference (much like between a monkey and a
Kong) is that you have to do a little hop and then 'dive' onto the rail. In my opinion, running rail springs also look nicer and require a lot less effort. Despite this, I
recommend learning them from standing first as it is considerably safer and forces you to learn good technique. Its also much easier to spot
someone for a standing rail spring.
A similar technique can be used for clearing walls, fences and other such
obstacles. There are no specific pointers for these situations as every one is different. It is just a case of using your experience and adapting your technique accordingly. On very low walls, a handspring technique is
sometimes more effective.
Handspring - This looks very similar to a rail spring but the technique for actually doing one
varies quite considerably. Some people find it easier to learn to hand spring before attempting rail springs.
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