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.

We were asked to run a 2 hours’ workshop between free jams. About 100 practitioners attended to the event so we split them into groups regarding their experience.

I ended up in taking care of the advanced guys with Sebastien and Blane. And the thing that hit me the most was the energy most of them had. We call it the Fire, when you burn your energy, you just fly around, you don’t care about tiredness and pains, you just enjoy so much moving that you don’t care about anything else and you can’t stand still !

The thing is that with these guys, some of them don’t understand why we make them do a lot of conditioning. They don’t feel they need it right now because they feel good, just by moving everywhere. What I use to say is that I don’t see the point of teaching them more techniques because they already know it I prefer offering them something they don’t know about, and it may be hard for them to understand because them won’t need it right away...

What I want to say is that if you have this kind of Fire with you, enjoy it as much as you can ! This energy will make you improve a lot, your confidence will be at its top level and you will feel very good... This fire will also save you from most of the pains and injury because you have this incredible joy to move !

When I meet people like that I just want to give them some tools for the next step: One day this fire will go and then you will have to practise with something else, another motivation, another method etc... I don’t show them conditioning drills to piss them off, I just believe that it might be helpful the day their way of practising changes and the original fire is gone. The conditioning will build up a body armor and if you want to last in the discipline it will protect you from pains and injuries...

Peace

Majestic Force and Parkour Generations were invited by the festival organisers to display our own brand of visual spectacle, which is more and more drawn on by the movie industry to bring a touch of realism to the action scenes that for so long went the way of wire-work and CGI, and fairly tired stunt techniques. With over 20 of the Majestic Force team in attendance, including the Cirque du Soleil branch from Las Vegas, it was quite a gathering and meant the energy throughout the show days was non-stop and incredibly infectious. Constant good tunes from DJ Mao didn't hurt either!

The festival had pulled out all the stops for these shows and built to bespoke design one of the largest scaffoldings ever used for a display of this sort, ranging up to ten metres in height and covering over 100 square metres. My camera had difficulty fitting it all into one shot, so I have posted a few sample shots of the structure. And what a pleasure it was to be able to play on it all day long..!

Majestic Force were also keen to use the structure and the time to bring the art of movement to some new generations, and between each display people from the audience were invitied to take part in open workshops to get a taste for the discipline. This proved to be, as ever, highly popular with the public who were raring to have a go after watching the explosive demonstrations.

It's always a real pleasure and a great experience to work on projects alongside the Majestic Force guys, and this was no exception. Their energy and enthusiasm is unrivalled, and their talent and skill always impressive.

Yann and Chau's experience of choreographing such shows allows everyone else to focus on the movement knowing that the organisation of each display is well in hand, making the whole process smooth and efficient. With 5 shows a day to fit in, it simply has to be this way!

I would like to thank everyone at Majestic Force for making us feel so welcome once again, and especially the Yamakasi founders. Look forward to the next one.. ;)

Pulled aside by Forrest he asked me if I was feeling 'brave' to which I replied with some uncertainty 'sure' and he then proceeded to explain what he had in store for the group. After explaining his plan to Steph and the other instructors he gathered everyone and gave the slight modification to the route. As everyone wanted to remain as dry as possible he decided everyone would become as wet as possible and what better way is there than sliding on the grass, not on the feet but sitting down. When Forrest said go 3 people would sprint as fast as possible until they reached him, slide and do the normal route as fast as possible. Everyone looking confused and very hesitant we lined up and waited for the signal. 'GO!' sprinting as fast as possible we slid and completed the rest of the route.

"...consciously trying to keep your balance, with other things in the back of your mind subconsciously may affect your performance..."

"the lake outside the hotel was incredibly cold but not, apparently, enough to deter many of the guys from going for a swim"

"With twenty people, it was interesting to witness so many different styles of movement and thought processes being employed to create the routes."