'Breaking The Jump'
Strengthening Fundamentals, Conquering the Challenge
Last week in Parkour we worked on skills that would help us “Break the Jump.” My understanding of this term is that it is figuring out how to execute a jump. The challenge is different for every mover. The video is nothing pretty but shows the process I am using.
Yesterday, I identified a jump that I want to break. My challenge involves jumping across a 3-foot gap in a wall that is approximately 3 feet tall. I have both a fear of falling short and crashing and a fear of jumping at height. What I do like about this jump is that I have a very generous landing area. I know that conquering my two fears will open up new potential in myself so I choose to ‘break this jump.’
Here is the process I embarked on…
Strengthen my fundamentals - jumping a distance & sticking the landing
I practice the distance on the ground next to the gap. I can clearly do it, but when I get up on the wall, doubt sets in.
More practice - jumping smaller distances at the height across the corner.
Jumping from the wall onto the ground next to where I want to land
Running and leaping, landing on both feet - EUREKA I can jump the distance!!
I am still practicing to make the jump from a static position, but I continue to reinforce my fundamentals and prove to myself that I can successfully jump the distance without crashing.
Translate to Playing…
This process got me thinking of solving challenges in my playing. I have been thinking about approaching a playing challenge from a variety of perspectives.
For example, if the challenge is finger coordination, what are the fundamentals?
Playing the notes successively slowly, experiencing the transition between combinations like a tone study.
Changing articulation/rhythm. If a passage is slurred, tongue it, or use a different rhythm to connect the parts of the challenge.
Change tempo, playing slower offers time to prepare.
Inserting connecting notes to bridge the gap.
Decrease the interval, slowly expanding it, actually going past the desired interval. This makes the interval you are after seem easier by putting it into the context of a larger range.
Playing in reverse. This gets you moving through the notes in question in a different way. Familiarity!
The process of breaking the jump is just that a process. I am looking for lots of angles, and perspectives, simultaneously working on vaults and balancing to improve coordination.
What is a jump you want to break in your playing? Or in your life? Can you step back and look at it from the perspective of curiosity and create a variety of approaches that will help you execute and strengthen your playing/skill at the same time?
I am going to take this experience forward to “break the jump” out in the environment and in my playing.
Be curious…
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