Long time Parkour practitioner Naim released a new video the other day. Though it isn’t spectacular (and there’s not a flip to be seen) you should watch it. Now.
What I really like about this video is that, when I imagine “Parkour”, this is a lot like what I picture in my head. Even though you aren’t taking the most “efficient” path in terms of speed and economy of energy or movement, you’re still cutting a forward path through the obstacles, constantly moving.
I don’t make much distinction between “Freerunning” and “Parkour” but, in my eyes, this video highlights the fundamental difference. When using your movement to “Free Run” you’d probably be backtracking, switching, adding extra motions to make the most of the environment itself. When moving for “Parkour” you’re using the environment to lay down a new path, looking for skill, power, speed, and fluidity; if the motion requires extra spin so be it but you don’t go out of your way to make it happen. It happens as part of the overall whole.
It’s become one of the most heated hot button issues in the PKFR world, right up there with “Are Parkour and Freerunning the same?” The debate, of course, is whether physical conditioning, outside of the activity generated in day to day training, is needed or even necessary to excelling in PKFR. I’m going to buck traditional writing and give you my answer right off the bat.
Physical conditioning is NOT needed to train in PKFR. It’s NOT even needed to get good at it or to excel either. But it is STILL NEEDED ANYWAY.
Rafe Kelley teaching in Seattle. Image courtesy of Parkour Horizons.
When it comes to teaching Parkour and Freerunning to beginners, it seems there are a few standard pieces of advice that all practitioners give out. Things such as “Always start small, always train safe,” and “Don’t do something if you’re not 100% comfortable with it,” or “Try to be polite and don’t start fights with cops and authority.” These are great bits of wisdom, but, there is one phrase that can’t always be counted on. And that phrase is, “Try to find a good, experienced practitioner to learn from.” The problem with this advice is that it’s incredibly objective. What makes practitioners “good”? How long must they have been training to be considered experienced? What makes them good teachers to begin with?
PKFR is young, still relatively unknown, and can be likened to the American Wild West. There is no governing body, no set rules, and little structure. There are only the founders, a few “experienced” people, and things agreed on by the majority of practitioners, most of it done online and with little to no record of the event. If someone wanted to start a class teaching Parkour there is nothing to stop them from doing so. They could be complete novices with no idea of the history or ideas behind the discipline. They don’t even have to be certified in any kind of physical activity, not even as a personal trainer. All they have to do is walk into a gym, present the class idea, and if it gets approved, they’re set.
But now three organizations are trying to change that. American Parkour, Parkour Generations, and the British Parkour Coaching Association are all working separately to come up with their own version of a Teaching Certification for Parkour and Freerunning. They are in varying stages of development, from planning to almost completion, but they all have the same idea in mind: ensure and protect the safety of new practitioners in a discipline that, in the wrong hands, can easily lead to frustration, injury, and possibly even death. (more…)
A few posts back I mentioned Erwan Le Corre and his newly developed MovNat system of fitness. Essentially, the idea of MovNat is to get back in touch with nature and our “wild side” by training in natural environments - like forests, rivers, and beaches - using nothing but our bodies (not even shoes) and the elements around us. Sound familiar?
Erwan training. With his ability to move effortlessly MovNat even looks similar to Parkour at times…
Parkour and MovNat share many similar ideas and methods. In fact Erwan used to rotuinely post on the online forums for Urban Freeflow (where he went by the name Artful Dodger) and also at parkour.net. (parkour.net has since been closed off but the old posts are still visible to the public.)
Since Movnat shares so much with Parkour, and the discipline emphasizes freedom of movement in any environment, it only makes sense that at least some of our training should take place in the wilderness. The city may offer the best grounds for spectacular moves and structured training, but there’s nothing that can replace the need for pure precision and power that the irregular grounds of nature provide.
So here are some videos, new and old, of practitioners escaping the concrete jungles and entering the real ones. Hopefully they will inspire you to journey into the wild and maybe help you look at your own urban training in a different way.
Hello everybody, it’s been a while since I updated. Rather than bore you with more piles of text and links and pretty pictures, I thought I’d simply pull together some of the best videos of the past week or so. After all, PKFR is something you have to SEE, not just read about. It’s evolving at such a rapid pace that it seems there’s a new standard for excellence every other week. And that’s a good thing. Watch, enjoy, and stay tuned for more posts and more good ol’ fashioned movement!
I’m a stickler for fast climb-ups and even faster transitions in between movements. These guys have got both at lightning speed.
Younger practitioners may not know who Dim Monk is, and that’s a shame, because he’s one of the oldest practicing and most progressive traceurs in North America. Watch his ‘08-09 compilation then dive into his earliest work. You’re in for a treat.
It came out in September but these two guys deserve more love than they’ve gotten. One spot. One day. 99 different ways to move through it. Probably one of the more original and impressive videos I’ve seen of late. This is Part 1 of 2, be sure to finish the entire thing by watching Part 2.
Tim “Livewire” Shieff is at again. Nothing exactly new if you’ve been following his videos already but it’s always nice to see a dedicated, well edited compilation. I’ll bet this gets 70,000 hits or more by the end of the week.
And the video that’s been causing as much controversy as it has inspiration. Danny Ilabaca, widely regarded as one of the best practitioners (physically speaking) in the world today, discussing his views on life, society, and what Parkour means to him and why he does it. After watching be sure to read through the comments and check out these two threads at the APK and 3Run forums for the reason behind the controversy. Choose Not To Fall Discussion Wise Words From Ilabaca
Next post: I dive into the debate of whether physical conditioning, outside technique and repetition work, is necessary or not for PKFR. Seems pretty easy to dismiss but you’d be surprised how many out there are arguing about it. (Dear lord what am I getting myself into…)
Philadelphia – the birthplace of America. Filled with history, culture…and hotspots. Though not as saturated with opportunity like New York City or Los Angeles, “The City of Brotherly Love” can be still be called a major training ground for any serious PK/FR practitioner. From the Rocky Steps to Temple University to the incredible Penn’s Landing and the infamous Hamster Wheel, Philly offers something for everybody. And here, as promised, is a map to help guide you to these playgrounds.
If you have any suggestions for other spots, feel free to leave them in the comments section. I’ll add them as soon as possible. And since this will hopefully be an evolving, expanding map as I find more areas, check back for new updates.
As a preview to my city-wide Philly hotspot map, coming this Saturday, here’s a little project I put together today. The original tour video you see here is a single, uncut rolling shot through the entire Penn’s Landing hotspot area. But sprinkled throughout the film are pop up bubbles with links to click on. Click those links to be taken to a new video that gives you an in-depth look at that particular section of Penn’s Landing. INTERACTIVE TOUR BABY!
(Please excuse the shakiness of the picture, I was using a handheld camcorder and riding a skateboard at the same time. Also, I highly recommend watching this video on the youtube site itself, to get the full experience. Thanks for watching!)
Here’s an update and enhancement to my recent post about Parkour on paper.
Sam Slater, the man who collected the Future of Parkour story from the old UFF boards, has kindly made the files available for free download. You can download the Word file HERE. Fair warning – the file contains the entire thread from the old forums. That’s 90 pages of text in all. Better get comfy…
Expanding on this, I’ve decided to also make available here the downloads and links to several other texts relating to Parkour and especially the roots of the discipline and physical/mental training for Parkour. (more…)
Calvin and Hobbes is owned by Bill Waterson and the Universal Press Syndicate.
It’s a fairly obscure piece of a fairly obscure physical activity, but over the last decade or so, more than a few professional and amateur writers, along with practitioners, have tried their hand at writing about and displaying Parkour on paper. I myself have an ongoing fictional story that I am writing for APK called RISE, a story that is updated with a new chapter every month.
Zac Cohn is a fairly well known and prominent figure in the American Parkour scene. He is the behind-the-scenes guru of APK’s home website, handling daily news features and a number of other tasks, including moderating on the forums. He is also the co-founder of Rochester PK and semi-famous for his summer trip two summers ago that saw him traveling 8 weeks around the entire United States, training with practitioners in over a dozen cities. Listen in to hear his thoughts on training, the future of Parkour, APK’s in-development television debut, and lots of other cool stuff.
For some footage of Zac in action and his Rochester PK group, check out these videos.
