Men's Skill FINALS - SPL1 | World Parkour Championships 

The point is to test their skill, that includes physical prowess, technical skill AND mental fortitude. Putting a mat there severely reduces the mental fortitude needed to complete this challenge, as you'd have to worry way less about taking the drop. If you start putting mats in Skill, you might as well let the athletes in style use mats too and that really defeats the purpose.

@@Knemak I get what you're saying, and I agree mostly. However, a 14' chasm is going to hurt whether there's a mat or not. And if the point is to test their skill, then lettem try the challenge, fail, then try again. If there's a time limit then each fall will have it's consequence. I just don't feel like theres a need for the consequence of not being able to train for months because of blown knee from a 14' fall. I get the appeal of the mental game, but I think it's more important to test the athletes ability on a challenge that would be just as difficult on flat ground.

@@parkoursteve5475 You're entirely missing the point. This is a PARKOUR competition, not a gymnastics competition. The point of the competition is to test their Parkour Skills as a whole and that includes having to deal with a 14 foot drop, as that's what can happen outside in the streets as well. It's not like in gymnastics where only the execution of the skill counts, the whole context around the move is part of the Skill as well. Besides I am pretty sure that most, if not all of the competitors would not count the Skill as completed themselves if a mat was there. The hard part about this particular Skill IS the drop rather than the distance, as all of the competitors there would 100% have had the power and technique to make the jumps. The sport of Parkour is dangerous if not executed well and that's a part of it, a part of the sport that all the competitors had to deal with countless times and are extremely adept in. They know their body and they know what they can and can not do extremely well. I'd even argue that it would be closer to an insult to their abilities to put a mat there or take away possible consequences, but that may be taking it too far on my part.

@@Knemak If you say so, dude. I've competed in 2 competitions to date, and in each I was highly appreciative of the mats and protection offered on particularly dangerous challenges. Agree to disagree. I value safety and the ability to continue training the next week over injury any day. I appreciate your passion for our sport, either way.

@@parkoursteve5475 You do you! Personally, I would've taken the mats away myself if there were any in the competitions I participated in 😂 But that's just me and the oppinion off a random dude on the internet. Have a nice day!