Parkour Generations

#71
Parkour, a Journey

By Johann Vigroux | posted on 18 February 2010 | 15 comments

2010, Parkour is known all over the world ! One of my dreams came true... We can see practitioners every where, people are more and more used to see people "jumping around". The discipline is growing quickly, so quickly, and what I am trying to do is to help passing on this art to the future generations...

In contrary to the time when I met parkour, we now have tons of different techniques, moves and jumps. We have dictionaries and tutorials for every move. We are told where to put our feet in order to do a specific move, in order to clear a specific obstacle.
I can see that sometimes the first things we teach to beginners are basic vaults, or combinations. I feel that we miss something by teaching techniques at the very beginning.

Why?

Because I believe that parkour is an invitation to meet our environment and to have some reflection. When I met it, and what moved me the most, is that parkour was a big and long journey. Our daily goal at the beginning was to discover our environment, having a new way of looking at the space. We had to go from a wall, to a lampost, trough 2 fences and over a staircase, etc... Every time we were facing new obstacles, and we had to use or find some techniques to overcome it.

Today, I feel like most of the time we show parkour techniques, moves and combinations to the beginners who wanted to learn parkour.We are telling them how to pass an obstacle, we show them where to do it. I feel that we are giving all the keys and solutions before that the practitioner even knows the obstacle. Maybe if we hadn't tell them to do a speed vault onto this wall, they would have never seen this wall as an obstacle.

And in the other way, you could ask somebody to reach some place, knowing that he will have to get over a wall, then the person will have to think about how to overcome the wall, and he may find it by himself, without you, or may need your help, but at least he would know he has to learn this or that technique... And the solution will be much more meaningful.

We are not letting them finding themselves face to face with an obstacle, looking for solutions, trying some moves, falling, missing, and then maybe succeed, or asking us for help.

My point here is to remind practitioners and teachers, that parkour is basically a long journey. In this journey we may find difficulties, obstacles that we will have to overcome. You will all have the time to learn parkour techniques anyway, so it's better for you to learn it when you know why and when you will have to use it ...

Thank you for reading,

Johann

Labels: Behind the Scenes, Challenges, Experiences

#70
Watch Out Below

By Chris 'Blane' Rowat | posted on 8 January 2010 | 16 comments

It's not easy keeping a solar-powered watch fully charged during a British Winter. Come to think of it, it's not exactly simple in the 'Summer' here either.

Anyway, when at home my watch sits on the handle of my window, hoping to soak up any stray sunray that might be floating around on an island like this, and when I opened my window this morning, I carefully balanced the watch on top of the handle, taking extra care to make sure it wouldn't fall. It didn't. Not for a while anyway.

It was about two hours or so later that I heard my window blowing wider and a quiet clunk, followed by a few seconds of silence and finally another clunk further away.

Ah. My watch had gone for a walk.

Now I live on the first floor of a tall house and on the ground floor lives a grumpy old man who enjoys nothing better than to drink himself in to oblivion and come home in the early hours of the morning to blast Magic radio out to the street. That man, despite having a good (but untimely) taste in music would not hesitate to steal my watch, believe me.

So I did what seemed the right thing to do. I went downstairs, knocked on his door and planned to ask him for the watch from his back garden. If he refused then I'd think of something. But the old man wasn't home, of course he wasn't.. he was in the pub deciding whether to set his radio to Magic or Heart later that evening.

So there was only one thing left to do.

There's no access to the gardens from the front of these houses. There are no alleyways to get down the side and there's a big factory behind the houses that doesn't allow easy access from the rear so my only option was to climb out of my bedroom window and descend in to the garden below.

Now with the snow and ice outside thick enough to completely conceal my watch somewhere below, the first task I was faced with wasn't an easy one. The only way down was to jump from the icy window ledge, to my left, on to a shed... thing. Standing nine foot or so high, two feet below me and five foot away, it was a menacing sight and with all of the ice covering both surfaces, I did NOT want to jump on to it.

But I had to. I had to get my watch before the grumpy man came home and claimed it.

Sigh.

COME ON! Jump. This is what you've been doing for the past six years.. jumping from stuff, to stuff.

I jumped and landed, slipped a bit but stayed on the roof, and had done what I knew was actually one of the easier bits of this mission. I still had to get back up there.

Hanging from the shed, I dropped to a lower wall and then on to the ground. Reaching in to the watch shaped snow hole, I grabbed the watch and didn't even check to see if it was still working. Of course it was. When the bombs fall, all that will be left standing are the cockroaches.. G-Shock watches and... Yann Hnautra.

Right, so I need to get back in that window.

I climbed back up on to the shed which now I was aware was covered with three inches of snow. Turning around and looking at the jump back to the window ledge, I was suddenly aware of what was below the window ledge. Two large sliding glass doors.

Glass. Doors.

Nice.

Knowing damn well that jumping from the shed and grabbing my window ledge would probably result in two Nike Darts ploughing through a plate of glass.. I was going to have to find another way. My only other option was to jump from a lower position, the lower wall I had used to climb down from earlier.

It was quite a jump to grab the window ledge and the take off was loose, icy brick. Add to that the fact I had to grab a snow-covered window ledge and somehow avoid the two glass doors.. things couldn't get much worse. Until the light came on behind the glass.

Ok, don't panic. I've seen enough movies and been on enough night missions to know that anyone inside a bright room looking out at darkness can see nada.

But he was home!

I had to get my ass out of his garden and the only way was to forget about how slippy the take off was, how icy the window ledge was, how far the jump was and how likely I was to smash his doors and shower his drunken self with shards of glass.

Taking a deep breath and counting down from five, I looked up and jumped.

It was further than I thought. I grabbed with only my left arm and turned my legs sideways, keeping them together and trying to slow them down as I aimed for the wooden panel between the glass doors. The contact was surprisingly light and I wasn't actually expecting my hand to hold the ledge, but it did.

Scrambling up on to the ledge I climbed back in my window, heart racing, and with a massive smile on my face I looked at the time on my watch and as expected, it hadn't missed a beat.

Two minutes later, Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen filled the air and I knew he was none the wiser.

-Blane

Labels: Challenges, Experiences

#61
The Weekend Wake Up Class

By Chris 'Blane' Rowat | posted on 21 September 2009 | 5 comments

What was I letting myself in for? There I was, committing to teaching on a Sunday morning, indefinitely.. with a British winter on the way. Who would seriously turn up to these classes? Surely it will just be me and Andy standing there on a rainy Sunday morning waiting for.. oh wait. Lots of people!

So it seems the weekend class on a Sunday has been a great success so far with the class numbers growing by the week and with a slightly longer class of two hours, it gives us plenty of time to train and kick start our Sundays with a healthy dose of Parkour. Already we've completed the cycle of locations and this coming Sunday we're heading back to Earlsfield for more of the same!

With an emphasis on improving fitness and basic techniques but aimed at all levels, the weekend class is a great opportunity to train if you find yourself too busy in the week with work or educational commitments. Veterans and beginners, boys and girls alike are welcome and will be challenged respectively.

Last Sunday saw us training at a park near Bethnal Green tube station and as usual we started the morning with a warm up and a 15-20 minute run.

Next up we worked on a route consisting first of a tricky little jump, landing with either one foot or two, followed by some balance and a precision down to a lower wall. After Andy and I were sure everyone had improved and had helped those who needed some guidance, we decided to move on to some off-ground traversing challenges and climbing drills.

With forearms burning we moved immediately on to training some wall runs, where those who were new to Parkour had a chance to work on the technique and the others were encouraged to improve their speed and control throughout the motions. Training techniques like this is always more interesting after the same muscles have been worked beforehand and this instance was no different.

With arms growing tired we switched to some plyometric leg training in the form of dynamic jumps over a series of hurdles. With 6-7 hurdles in a row, those who had good timing could jump over one and immediately bounce straight over the next, continuing until the end. Drills like this are a great way to build leg power and develop timing.

Finally we moved on to some lumbar exercises with two rails before stretching and cooling off in the Sunday afternoon sunshine.

Thanks to all who came along and continue to make Sunday mornings worth waking up for!

See you all at the next class.

Labels: Challenges, Event Coverage, Jam Reviews, Training

#81
The War

By Dan | posted on 15 August 2009 | 8 comments

It isn�t fashionable these days to talk about training or self-improvement in terms of conflict � we often hear how we are meant to train smart, not hard; to pace ourselves; to work within our limits; to adhere to the principles of sports science throughout. And, from a physiological point of view, this is often very sound advice and we would be wise to follow it.

Yet in the practice of parkour there is also a war being fought: a psychological battle that we are presented with every time we step up to a jump or a movement we have not yet mastered, every time the fear of failure or falling rests its dark gaze upon us and tells us to give up, to go home, to try it another day, to excuse ourselves into accepting defeat. This opponent is, of course, our own self, manifesting through the challenge of the terrain we encounter in our training. And it is an opponent that simply can�t be beaten by playing smart, or working within our limits. It has to be faced head-on, confronted in a very primal sense and wrestled with until either it, or you, submits.

This is where we need some old-fashioned �grunt�. This is also the part of our training that is not so easily managed. Becoming strong, or fit, or fast, or to learn to move well, is not that complicated a procedure: apply the right training regularly enough and you will see results. Simple.

Dealing with the mind, however, is anything but.

It is impossible to tell how someone is going to react to the challenge of the self in this situation � will they be cowed by the fear, or will they rise to overcome it? Will they demonstrate the inner strength required to carry themselves through these struggles, or will they look for an easier road? The harsh truth is that until we are faced with the battle we have no idea as to how we will react. Nor will anyone else be able to gauge infallibly how a given individual will fare when in this type of situation: many times we have seen practitioners excel during �safe� aspects of training, perhaps at an indoor class, only to baulk when faced with the same movements in an environment they perceive as more �high-risk�.

The mind is the most slippery of opponents, and the most cunning, and the most persistent. And it will use very trick in the book to encourage you to give up the fight. �You�re tired today�, it will whisper. Or perhaps, �it�s a bit wet still from the rain, best to leave it for another day.� �Don�t push yourself too much, you may get injured�, it will warn. And finally it may reassure you, �you can always come back and do it tomorrow. Let�s finish for the day.� But listen to this sibilant voice every time, and soon it will extinguish the fire within you completely: and one day when you really do want to make the jump, you find you just can�t summon up the strength.

How do we prevent this? By not listening to the voice � or at least not very often. You have to fight these inner battle and win more often than you lose. So listen to what the voice has to say (who knows, once or twice it may actually be talking sense!), take heed of its warnings and its advice � then file them away under �noted�, tell it to shut the hell up and get back to overcoming whatever particular obstacle you find in your path.

There are myriad different methods to fighting this war � I won�t say �winning� because it�s not one that can ever be won absolutely � and I have seen individuals successfully employing very different strategies: visualisation techniques, distraction techniques, anger, mantras, music� but somewhere along the line, all these individuals step forward with a look of sheer determination, resolute, committed: and do the jump. That�s the �grunt�; that�s the moment of willpower � and it is a moment of self-mastery in a very real sense. For everything inside them is likely screaming at them to step down, to be sensible, to play it safe, and yet they are able to master these thought processes, put them to one side and choose to complete the action. They are in control of their body at this point, and not their fear or any other part of the �mad monkey� that is the mind. It�s great to see someone achieve this state, and it�s even better to feel it for yourself.

When it happens, it�s a battle won. The war will continue, however. This is a war that never ends, after all. The opponent is tireless, relentless, and remorseless. It will be waiting on the battlefield every single time we decide to set foot thereon, arms folded and with a knowing smile. It has seen us before, it knows us intimately � perhaps better than anyone else knows us in life � and it knows precisely how to break us. Conversely, though, we know it just as well, and understand perfectly the challenge it will present us with each time we respond to the call to arms.

It�s a level playing-field: we just have to play out of our skins.

Labels: Challenges, Psychology, Training

#72
Retour vers le futur 2: �Stephane Vigroux, une fois...Un athl�te bl�ss�...�

By Forrest | posted on 5 July 2009 | 6 comments

Original image here

Nous sommes en octobre 2003, je passais dans le coin, je d�cide d�aller dire un p�tit Bonjour � Steph. Je frappe � sa porte avec l�incertitude que quelqu�un ne r�ponde; je n�ai pas pr�venu que je venais. J�ai de la chance, il est l�. Il m�invite � entrer, m�offre � boire et nous commencons � discuter de tout et de rien. On en arrive � sa blessure et � sa r�-�ducation, un sujet d�licat, je le vois sur son visage: il a un air triste, d�chir�,d��u et s�rieux � la fois:� tu sais Forrest , cela fait maintenant plus d�un an que je me suis fait op�r�, mais il ya eu des complications, mon genou ne progresse pas vraiment comme il se devrait. Je ne suis pas s�r que je pourrais un jour refaire du Parkour .� Je le regarde en souriant et lui reponds:� Ne soit pas si pessimiste, je te propose un deal; je ne suis pas docteur, je ne suis pas kin� mais je connais bien le corps humain, je pense que je peux t�aider. Je te propose d��tre ton pr�parateur physique , je m�occupe de toi, tu n�as rien � perdre et en contre parti tu m�en diras et me montreras un peu plus du Parkour.�

�Forrest, c�est sympa mais je n�ai pas les moyens de te payer.� Je lui r�ponds de nouveau assez fermement: �Qui t�as parl� d�argent? Si je te le propose, c�est que cela me fait plaisir et en plus pour moi, ce sera une bonne exp�rience, tu seras le premier athl�te dont je m�occupe de la r�-�ducation. La seule chose,je te donne de mon temps, mon exp�rience et mes connaissances donc je ne veux pas entendre d�excuses comme quoi tu es fatigu�, tu n�es pas en forme, tu n�aimes ce que l�on fait, tu ne peux pas...�Bon ok! On commence quand? Me dit il. Je passe te chercher lundi � 9h...

Pendant pr�s de 9 mois, qu�il pleuve, qu�il neige, qu�il vente, j�etais l� � sa porte pr�t pour son programme de re-education, entre 9h-9h15 le matin, 3 � 4 fois par semaine pendant 2 � 3 heures pour chaque seance.

Je dois avouer que c�etait un challenge int�ressant. Apr�s quelques s�ances, je pense que je connaissait mieux les aptitudes physiques, les limites et jusqu�ou je pouvais aller avec Steph que Stephane lui m�me. J�ai �t� dur physiquement avec lui, je lui ai fait faire des exercices qui n��taient pas forc�ment �crits dans un des manuel s de r�-�ducation mais cela marchait?... Sinon! Nous avons pass� beaucoup de temps discut� des choses de la vie, de la m�thodologie d�entra�nement, de son genou, de son �tat d�esprit, de ses attentes etc...

Il y a 2 choses dont je dois lui gratifier: premi�rement, il n�a pas manqu� une seule s�ance. Ensuite, m�me si des fois il me fusillait du regard apr�s que je lui ai demand� de continuer un exercice alors qu�il avait d�j� d�pass� son seuil acceptable de douleur, il ne sais jamais plaint. Et m�me s�il y a eu 1 fois , 1 �pisode o� j��tais sur le point de tout arr�ter, j��tais furieux avec lui parce qu�il a faillit en une s�ance d�truire tout le dur travail qui avait �t� fait jusque l�, Il a tout de meme fini par entr� dans mon estime et a m�rit� mon respect en tant que � VRAI ATHLETE.�

Plus les semaines pass�rent et plus je pouvais apercevoir un grand sourir s�afficher sur son visage . Je le voyais � chaque s�ance de plus en plus confiant, de plus en plus fort et solide sur ses jambes, le haut du corps et les abdos :-)

En mai 2004, David Belle lui a propos� un r�le dans le film �Banlieue 13�. Stephane m�a demand� ce que j�en pensais. Je lui ai sourit et dit:� Ton genou est solide maintenant, la seule chose que tu dois �viter pour le moment, ceux sont les grands sauts de fond tout simplement parce que nous n�avons pas encore fait de travail sp�cifique pour , donc je ne veux pas que tu prennes de risque. Pour le reste, tu es pr�t...�

Encore une fois, j�ai �t� t�moin du fait que l�on ne reconnait pas forc�ment un VRAI ATHLETE par ses performances physiques mais vraiment par ce qu�il d�gage de l�int�rieur.

�Notre plus grande gloire, ce n�est pas de ne jamais tomber mais de se relever � chaque fois que l�on tombe�( Confucius, Philosophe )

�L �Homme qui peut se pousser � en faire un de plus alors que l�effort devient vraiment douloureux est l�homme qui vainquera�( Roger Bannister,le premier � avoir fait moins de 4 minutes au mile )

Tu l�as fait, �Le singe est de retour�:-)

BACK TO THE FUTURE 2: �Stephane Vigroux, once an injured athlete...�

It was October 2003 when I was passing Steph�s house and decided to go to say hello. I knocked at his door without actually knowing if he�s there or not, but I was lucky, he was. He invited me to come in, offered me a drink and we started talking about everything and nothing. We talked as well about his injury and his rehabilitation, really upsetting topic I can see on his face: he looks sad, tore, disappointed and serious at the same time:� You know Forrest, it has been more than 1 year that I had my operation, but I had some issues with it, my knee didn�t improve the way it should have since and I�m not sure that I will be able to do Parkour again.� I looked at him and smiled. �Don�t be so negative, I suggest you a deal: I�m not a doctor, I�m not a physio but I know the human body quite well, I think I can help you. I offer you to become your physical coach, I will take care of you, you have nothing to loose and you will tell and show me more about Parkour�.

�Forrest, it is very kind from you but I cannot afford it�. I answered quite strongly: �who talked about money? If I offer you this, it�s because I�m happy to do it. Additionally, it will be a good experience for me as you will be the first athlete I will take care of the rehabilitation. The only thing: I will give you my time, my experience and my knowledge but I do not want to hear from you any excuses such as: you are tired, you�re not in form, you don�t like what we do, you cannot etc...�Fine! When can we start? �I come to pick you up on Monday at 9am...�

For nearly 9 months, whatever the weather, rain, snow, wind, I was there at his door ready to deliver his rehabilitation program, between 9-9.15 am, 2-3 hours, 3-4 times a week.

I have to say it was an interesting challenge. After a few sessions, I think I knew more about his potential, his limits and until where I could push Steph than Stephane himself. I pushed him physically very hard, I did with him some exercises which were not necessarily written in any rehabilitation program manual but they worked. Otherwise, we spent a lot of time talking about life, methodology of training, his knee, the way he feels psychologically, his expectations...

There are 2 things I have to give him a credit for: first of all, he hasn�t missed one single session. Secondly, even though sometimes he looked at me with killer eyes after I had told him to carry on an exercise although he had already reached the peak of pain he could handle, he�s never complained. And even though once I was close to stop completely taking care of his rehabilitation and I was very angry with him because in 1 session he could have destroyed all our hard work over the past few months, at the end he did manage to earn my respect as a �TRUE ATHLETE�.

As the weeks passed by I could see smile and happiness, at each session he was more and more confident, more solid and stronger on his legs, upper body and core muscles :-)

In May 2004, David Belle asked him to play a role in the movie �District 13�. Steph asked me what would be my advice on this. I smiled and said:� your knee is strong now, the only thing that you have to avoid at the moment are big drops. And just because we haven�t done some specific training for this yet, I don�t want you to take any risk. For everything else, you�re ready now...�

Once again, I witnessed that a TRUE ATHLETE is not always recognised through his performance but through his inner strength.�

�Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall...�(Confucius, philosopher)

�The man who can drive himself, further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win" (Roger Bannister, the first person to break the four-minute mile)

You did it, the monkey is back :-)

Labels: Challenges, Psychology

#67
A Training Session in Lisses

By Chris 'Blane' Rowat | posted on 21 June 2009 | 4 comments

Photo by Brian Appiah Obeng 2009

I was fortunate enough to spend yet another few days in Lisses with some of the guys from the team last week and as you might expect from a trip to one of the birthplaces of Parkour.. it was awesome! I'll leave the majority of the details to some other happy blogger though, I just want to talk about one of the training sessions I had.

It was late afternoon and very wet outside but having been blessed with excellent weather thus far I wasn't too surprised when it stopped raining and brightened up as soon as we left the hotel.

After realising it was the last full day and knowing we planned on taking a trip to an 'all-you-can-eat' chinese restaurant later that day (yes Chris, you missed out!), I decided to train a bit harder today.

I started with a 20 minute run and found a series of long staircases for some sprint training, which consisted of sprinting up a flight of stairs, jogging down the other side and running to the next set of stairs, which were to be found every 40 metres or so. After 20 sprints or so I was feeling good and felt it was time to work my legs with bodyweight squats.

It has been a few weeks since I'd done a large number of squats without rest and I didn't want to totally destroy myself so I settled for 500 repetitions and began the process. Looking out over the lake to the dame and the trees beyond I found it was a much more peaceful experience than the days spent at Vauxhall doing the same drills. I finished 20 minutes later and ran back in to central Lisses to try and find the guys.

Having decided today was going to consist of more endurance based work I decided I'd now complete 10 lengths of quadrupedie along a 25 metre stretch in front of the lake, 5 forwards, 5 backwards. But when I reached 6 or 7 I realised 10 wouldn't be much of a challenge so wanted to double it and do 20.

Getting to 20 took a bit of time and in the humid and hot air I was dripping from the training so far, but I found myself to be really enjoying it and wanted to continue.. 25 should suffice!

Upon reaching 25 lengths I found myself heading for the 26th and listening to my body to see how it was coping with more quadrupedie than I think I've ever done in one go. I felt tired, a bit sore and very hot but generally I was fine.. could I do the same again? Could I make 50 lengths?

The lengths between 30 and 40 seemed to be the worst. The muscles stopped hurting though and there was just a dull ache in my wrists from the constant pressure from the past hour. Somehow the last 10 never seem so bad when the finish line is in sight!

I reached the 49th length and decided as is usually the case to do one extra after this for all my friends and family, and for those who couldn't be with us in Lisses.. but wait! I'm not completely exhausted yet, maybe I could do a few more? The 50th length was hard but I could do a few more, I was sure.

So I did another one for Brian who had given me some support throughout the ordeal by willing me on and joining me for a portion of the crawling. Then one for Alli who couldn't be there for the last couple of days.. then one for Dom and one for James who I'd listened to teaching themselves French by my side for the past hour and a half.. and finally one for Shirley, who deserves an honourable mention for planning most of the trip and putting up with us for five days!

56 lengths of 25 metres = 1400m of quadrupedie, so a few short lengths short of a mile.. which I guess is my next goal! I felt like I could have continued for a lot longer but would have been tempting potential wrist problems, I figured stopping there and coming back another day was the best course of action.

On reflection the one thing that surprised me the most was how the body went through a phase of feeling the pain then finally realised it was useless trying to get me to stop and just settled in for the ride..

Mind truly does rule over matter.

Labels: Challenges, Experiences

#52
Happy Times...

By Annty | posted on 19 May 2009 | 1 comments

Every day I train, every day I discover more and more about my body and capacities� I am in a really pleasant period of my life about parkour, I get to know myself more, get some confidence in my movements, and get a lot of surprises from what I can do.

Now is a moment of my life when I can train a lot. I�ve never done that before, never had the time, the will� Never thought I would do so much some day� I didn�t know the reactions of my body from intense training� And I start to see� Rather positive.
That makes me want to push more, to see how far I can go. I realize I don�t know myself� and I�m eager to know more. I�m building confidence, power and strength. I�m starting to aim always further, to see bigger, and push my limits.

Everyday I discover, I experience, I learn, and I love it.

I want to thank my circle of friends who help me everyday through my training progression, those who help me discover what they already know and what makes them live.

Labels: Challenges, Training

#48
Results time!!!!

By Dominic | posted on 13 May 2009 | 18 comments

Its Results time! As you may or may not remember from last month I set a challenge open to any and all practitioners out there. Simply put I wanted you to find something that scares you and I wanted you to do it. I was very pleased with the initial response and support I got messaged and hoped that there were even more people attempting it as well, whether it be to report back to everyone here or just for their own improvement. ( If you have only just remembered this, now would be a good time to quietly leave the room and complete the challenge you promised yourself you would do�.go on I�ll wait)

Well let�s get this show moving as I explain to you what I did. There was one jump I had in mind as I wrote the last blog which was funny to me as I had already done it a few times before! Quite awhile ago at Off The Wall 5 we were at Greenwich and there was a jump that had caught my eye, you had to start on top of a wall jump off the edge tic tac off a wall directly in front of you and land back either on the wall or over the side. Now while the tic tac itself was quite small it was something about running at a blank wall with a significant drop below that put me off. Either way after much back and forth and then seeing another traceur do it I managed to do the jump and it was fine, really was as simple as I first thought I left that day happy with my achievement. Recently I went back to that same spot and after training a bit there I went to do that jump again remembering the ease with which I did it last time, but something was wrong I couldn�t get myself to go at it. I couldn�t understand, the conditions were good, my body felt ok, why couldn�t I do it? That day I spent quite a bit of time getting frustrated trying to psyche myself up again and do it but it just wasn�t happening. I tried everything doing smaller similar jumps, doing safer jumps of similar if not greater distance, each time telling myself how easy it was and that I had it, each time climbing back on top of the starting wall getting ready then climbing back down again choosing to check my jump the �one� more time.

Eventually as I had other places to be I left it, feeling angry with myself and the obvious lack of control I had over my body. I thought about it a lot after that going through all the stuff I had learnt that day, I knew the technique, I more than had the distance, but the one thing the kept nagging at me was having done it before? It was there that I decided the course of action, firstly I would stop focusing on what had happened and get back to what was happening I needed to view the jump as it was for me now not as it had been. Secondly I needed to accept and acknowledge that until I did that 1st jump the fear was always gonna be there and if I waited for it to go away I�d be waiting all day. Lastly I needed to realise that if I was going to do it I wouldn�t be looking at it for ages, constantly checking and re-checking my body, the move, the landing, etc if I was going to do it I had to warm up, assess the jump and go. So came the day I returned to the spot with Brian, having all that in mind I warmed up, did a couple of tic tacs to feel my body then climbed up on that wall. Looking at the jump and the drop the fear came flooding in but somehow it felt different I knew what I had to do, 2 steps and jump. Feeling that fear but trusting in myself and my skills I looked at it a couple times worked out my foot placement took those 2 steps and jumped.

It was the best feeling, but somehow I was more proud this time of how I approached the jump not the jump itself. I then drilled this jump quite a few more times to make sure that it stuck this time.

My second jump was not as long a story (I�m sure you�re pleased to hear) but started after training one day. I was looking around with Blane and James and we came across a gas pipe on the side of some flats, I climbed up a few times to check that it was secure and to see where I could go from there� turned out not very far. But across from it was a low roof and the wheels in my head began to turn. Climbing on top of the roof we looked across at the pipe, I suggested that if someone wanted to they could running jump from the roof and catch the pipe then climb down. The guys agreed and blane began to size it up, seeing this I decided I couldn�t be the one to suggest it then not give it a go so also warmed-up for it. Initially it appeared quite close and considering some of the other jumps I had looked at earlier was well within reach but as I got ready to go that fear and uncertainty came back, this wasn�t helped by the fact that when looking head on it appears as if the pipe is flat against the wall with no space for your hands and that the edge where you would take your last step is loose. Control and accuracy was a must. While looking at it I decided that no matter what I was doing that jump then, not tomorrow, not when I felt better or more rested but then so as not to allow it to build up in my head. After looking at it a couple more times I got out my ipod and put on a track to get me psyched up then went for it.

Again that overwhelmingly good feeling you get from succeeding at something challenging came flooding in and I repeated it a couple times (without the ipod) to make sure. I went back there a couple weeks after with brian to get the pic for the blog and was happy to find that in acknowledging it may still be scary when you return was able to repeat it no problem.

So to sum up my painfully long post I found:
1. It�s important to view each jump as it is then and there and accept that if you�re afraid you�re afraid, that doesn�t mean you let the fear beat you.
2. If you choose to do the jump then do it. Don�t spend 2hours looking at the same spot because in that time your only reinforcing your fear and inability to do it. Come back some other time if need be.
3. Understand and trust in your own abilities. Some things should affect your jump/movement i.e. surface conditions or weather but some things have no real bearing on your skills i.e. height. If you can jump 5ft on the floor there�s nothing that having a big drop below you can really do to your 5ft jump, it�s your mind.

And so ladies and gentlemen we come to that part where you tell me about your challenge! Remember it doesn�t have to be long or detailed if you don�t want to just a little bit about it, the ways in which you prepare for it or even just how you felt? All questions and comments will be read and appreciated so�.uh�.go!

Labels: Challenges, Psychology

#47
Meditation and thought processes

By alli | posted on 11 May 2009 | 8 comments

The sun cowers behind an ominous cloud, the wind carries an icy chill, and the sky starts to weep cold rain, but I am on fire! My muscles are tight, they are awaiting further demands. I�m breathing consistently, inhaling through my nose and exhaling from my mouth. I can feel my heart start to accelerate; it fuels an adrenaline that courses through every part of my body. I wipe the fear from my face, look down and realise it was just sweat. Leaving my physical processes alone for a minute, I notice, that the longer such a quandary goes on for, gradually the closer my destination seems to the wall I�m standing on. I have jumped a few times and fallen short on purpose, I don�t know why.

But now I must break these habits. I have decided, I�ve sworn to overcome this obstacle. I am no longer uncertain, there is no if or maybe, only yes or no, do or do not! Once I have this in mind, I cannot be disloyal to myself, there is no turning back. �I must do this perfectly, I can do this�. I�ve repeated this several times to myself, but it�s just psychological. So, I stop. Everything stops. Slowly I am overcome by a sinking feeling. All the sounds start to fade, as if I were under water, my eyes are obscure to all but my destination, My heart starts to slow to a normal pace, I can feel my body jar forwards to a 45c angle, I�ve released a loud exhalation, my arms rush upwards and toward my target, my knees spring into action, I am airborne in just a fraction in time, but everything seems to be in slow motion, I haven�t taken my eyes off the mark. As I am directly above it, I begin my descent, the balls of my feet pound into the wall first, they absorb all the impact, lastly my arms come down and I place my hands onto their landing spot and contract violently. I pause for a moment, I have an overwhelming sense of euphoria, my heart quickly accelerates again, my breathing is heavy, my body is numb. It was perfect.

Then as my surroundings start to vanish, I slowly open my eyes and wait for everything to reset. I am still lying in the same place, I can hear the pebbles patter on the concrete next to me, and the sound of a distant mumble, the bystanders think I�m dead. Light from the sun starts to break through the dark cloud, and casts a halo onto the surfaces. A new lease of life consumes me. I stand onto my feet and dust myself off.

�I�m ready. Now I have to do it for real!� .

Labels: Challenges, Experiences

#33
Its all in your head....

By Dominic | posted on 13 April 2009 | 17 comments

This is my 2nd post since the blog first started and the biggest problem I had with deciding what to write was in choosing something that I thought others might be interested in reading about. After quickly realising that I had no monumental news or amazingly unique insight I decided to approach it in a different way. I want to know what you yes YOU reading (scanning) this now would actually be interested in reading about, please do leave any comments, questions or suggestions in the box below. Seriously though comments are where it�s at because no matter how stupid or insightful, 1 word or 1,000 I don�t mind. If not its a lot like giving a big speech to a room full of people finishing and then having everyone just sit there silently staring at you, very off putting I can assure you.

...that Kong-precision that you�ve looked at all those times, you do so because although it scares you you can see yourself doing it...

Anywho down to business�. mental blocks!!! It�s something that I�m sure a lot of you have come across at 1 time or another and it�s certainly something that can be very detrimental to your training if not handled carefully. One thing I�ve noticed personally, that I think is important to take into account is that your body knows it can do it. This may sound a bit weird at first but bare with me, a lot of the time I hear people claim they can�t because they are scared or that they want to but they are not sure if their jump is big enough, etc. But simply by seriously considering actually doing the jump they�ve demonstrated that somewhere inside they know it�s in their range. I want you to take a second and think of the most ridiculous jump you can, like precisioning the corner wall of the manpower drop for instance. You would never get a mental block about that jump because you know its an impossibility, maybe someone somewhere has god-like strength in there legs not to crumple and snap on impact but for the majority you would never seriously consider such a jump for yourself. But that cat jump you had in mind earlier or that Kong-precision that you�ve looked at all those times, you do so because although it scares you you can see yourself doing it. You can see that if you were somehow able to free up your mind you would have done it already. Now while that may not magically fix anything for you and maybe you knew it already its certainly food for thought.

But the reason I confuse and bore you with this is that today I�m going to find a jump that scares me or that I�ve put off for awhile and I�m going to do it. And not only that but I want you to as well, I want you to find something that makes you hesitate or walk away and I want you to do it. It doesn�t have to be big, it doesn�t have to be crazy, it can be something you�ve done before but for whatever reason are no longer comfortable with, it doesn�t even have to be anything that anyone else would find difficult that�s not the point, this is for you.

You have 1 month.

This time next month I�m going to post what my jump was maybe even a picture if possible and once I�ve done that I want you to tell me something about yours, what it was, how you did it or even just how you felt. I would really love to get as many people involved as possible so tell your friends, spread the word and good luck!

Labels: Challenges

#17
The 200!

By Andy | posted on 1 November 2008 | 12 comments

Around one month ago, on a Sunday afternoon, I was standing at one of the team's regular spots doing a little bit of "un-structured training". You know what I�m talking about, it was one of those days where I didn't have a lot of focus and concentration and was just doing movement that I was already comfortable with.

Sensing that I needed a little motivation (and a smack upside the head), Dan declared a simple challenge for me to accomplish in the following month. Something for me to channel my attention on. It was a simple task; successfully break a ten foot precision with a one step run-up off a wall and land on a 3 inch wide flowerbed edge.

I know I don't particularly have the biggest of jumps, but a few intensive training days and I'm sure to crack the leap. Ah, but here's the catch... The forfeit for failing to do it would be two hundred muscle-ups in one day. Something that I really didn't want to do because the last time myself and Dan had a muscle-up session it ended at around 75 and one very sore chest and arms. So, on with the Jump!

This is the point where I'd probably talk about my training and the battle with the challenge and how I managed to complete it. Instead I'm going to skip to the end and tell you that I failed to do the jump. Yes, for one reason or another I didn't manage to do it and yesterday turned out to be one crazy, long, muscle-up day.

Dan agreed to actually do the forfeit with me, so we set to meet at a scaffolding spot we use to train and plan our method of attack. Being a lot better, and more dynamic, at muscle-ups than I Dan went for sets of five at a time where as I went the 'tortoise' route of a single rep. We'd do the first one hundred in the morning, have lunch and then finish off the rest.

"the jump is still there... taunting me"

Honestly, I initially didn't think I'd be able to do the whole two hundred, but was determined to put this fear to one side, look at the challenge logically and just take it one step at a time. Surprisingly, after the first twenty or thirty, both of us settled into a nice rhythm and quickly realised that it might take a while but was definitely achievable.

After three and a half hours (plus a lunch break in the middle) of both of us doing the same movement over and over I learnt two things: Firstly, placing a forfeit into challenges is a real good way of pushing the perceived boundary of what your body can do... You complete the challenge; you've pushed yourself to overcome that task. You forfeit and you see how far you can push your body in a completely different way. In the end, you win no matter what the outcome because it's all about discovering (and pushing) your limits. Try it yourselves, challenge each other, create a hard but realistic forfeit and see where it leads.

The second thing is that the jump is still there... taunting me. So now I have three weeks to do the same challenge but with a new forfeit (30 sets of 10 Double-taps!). This time, however, I understand that my body is capable of a lot more than I think it is and just needs a little more focus and concentration... The very two things that I was lacking one month ago.

Thanks to Dan for proposing and doing the forfeit with me. So, is there any other team member up for the challenge of being part of the 200?

Labels: Challenges