Training, Play and Exploration.

Another look at training and disciplines of movements.

Training, and play definition by Dictionary.com

train·ing [trey-ning]

1. the education, instruction, or discipline of a person or thing that is being trained: He's in training for the Olympics.
2. the status or condition of a person who has been trained:athletes in top training.

I think we can all agree that training requires dedication, discipline, hard work and a good amount of sweat and pain. As a practitioner of movement, adventure seeker and instructor, I also understand that there will be a lot of failing before one succeeds. For it is this training that will aid on the development of skills to avoid failure and grant success.

Training; mental and physical, is a indispensable part of our development as traceurs(euses), freerunners, or whatever discipline of movement of your like. Hard training is essential if you seek a high level of proficiency and comfort. With so many different exercises AND activities that could be categorize under training. I suppose it is all about how you really look at it.

Many of us have probably spend an nice evening, out and about the streets of our neighborhood, following a training structure or planning gauntlets and routes as we go. Some even dreading at the idea of continuing on. It is not until two to three hours have gone by that we call it quits.

Your immediate reward, a sore and exhausted body. Heavy feet and a pretty light head. Yet it is the feeling within, that sensation which makes us feel like we actually stepped away from everything and invested time on ourselves and our physical development. That is the reward which I enjoy the most.

So, while we should regularly set a time aside for serious and dedicated training, it should never feel like its something you must do, but rather something you want to do.

However, there are times when going to the gym, working out or even getting out might sounds like a task to have to accomplish. Some times "training" just "gets old". Not much motivation, no drive.

We hearing all the time;
"I lost my motivation to train"
"How can I change my training?"

So then, why train, when you can play?

play [pley]

3. exercise or activity for amusement or recreation.
8. an act or instance of playing or of doing something
14. action, activity, or operation
18. Freedom of movement within a space,
19. freedom for action, or scope for activity

It's been a while now since I changed my "training regimen" to mostly playing. My training use to consist on 3 to 4 days a week of Crossfit, Parkour and some acrobatics. The occasional hike and swim. But for the most part my training was more "time consuming". I had to plan for it, fit it within a certain time frame etc. After a while I sort of stepped away from training. I just got lazy, didn't really have much motivation to train. However I kept on enjoying the activities my friends and I do around the island, while still holding jams a couple times a month.

The 2009 holidays kicked in, and with no jams being planned at HIpk it wasn't until the Hawaii National Jam in Feb that I actually did some parkour training. Believing I had regressed in my training, the satisfaction kicked in when I felt lighter, faster and stronger. I remember getting over this one obstacle with such ease, same obstacle that once was very difficult for me and even left a few scratches on my flesh..

See, my friends and I play very often. We come up with ideas on how to make the best of our weeks. It would usually involve a hike, or rock climbing, kayaking or snorkeling. Flips at random and yoga at the beach. Maybe some cliff jumping, or even "ghost exploring".

All of thiese activities, while amusing and recreational, they demand continuous physical effort from the body. Try exploring a trail several miles long. A trail you have have never seen, or one you enjoy for its rewarding view or scenery. Maybe some falls you can jump from. Then trail run it all the way down, focusing on each step as you leap and bounce over the roots and rocks covering the terrain beneath your feet.

I'm sure that the result from the playing on this scenario, or any of the other out door activities will have a beneficial effect on your cardio, coordination, strength, skill development etc. Which will reflect in your training.

While I still train for the purpose of pure training, I believe that play is as important for your physical, mental and spiritual health. A distraction from our must do tasks, a time for our selves and what we really enjoy. Maybe there are other activities of interest that will relate in benefit to the specific discipline you already enjoy training for.

Playing will not only being joy and pleasure but will keep you curious and eager to explore.

ex·plo·ra·tion [ek-spluh-rey-shuhn]

1. an act or instance of exploring or investigating; examination
2. the investigation of unknown regions

Exploration is such a natural and instinctive behavior we have carried with us since the beginning of life. Our lives.

Explore like a child.

Curiosity leads to alternates routes in our lives. Exploration allows us to have experiences that will open our eyes to other perspectives, a different view. Exploration of any kind can be enlightening and very rewarding. Exploring your surroundings will allow you for more play, a different way to looking at your physical development and skill training.

And I'm not talking about go and start training MovNat or any discipline in particular. I not talking about going on a hike and blast through it up and down as fast as you can.

This would obviously be more fun on a natural setting, but explore what most pleases you. Maybe playing "Dance Dance Revolution" is your choice for cardio and coordination.

Go out for a walk, enjoy every step, every leap, see where it leads. Maybe there is a mountain that have not been explore much. One you have not been to. Take a drive to a random area of town away from everything and explore, walk, climb, jump. Just play more, seek more, explore more.

Take every step in the moment and every opportunity in life for what it is. Live embracing what you already have and everything that earth and life has to offer you. That includes exploring the earth with a different vision in mind. Being part of its natue. For every exploration not only you get the experience, or the physical reward but a lesson to be learn.

Some people say "Live life" well that sounds a bit too boring so I think besides living it, we might as well explore it.

Dedicated to my dearest closest friend, "The three Musketeers". Those who have left a print and all of you who inspire me.

Thanks for reading.

Ozzi Quintero.

Jereme Sanders - Outmaneuver the Motion

Made this as a kind of 6 year anniversary video to mark progress and all that jazz. Did everything in the video myself. Hope you guys enjoy it!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WlQ-VbOfKU

Lost but active!!

Wow, its been so long since I posted. Just been lazy I guess. I have been doing way to much to be able to remember it all.

For the most part I have been doing a lot of hikes and natural training.

Diamond head, kokohead, Saint Louis etc.

Teaching 3 to 5 times a week keeps me busy and in shape as well.
Went to Kauai and that was a blast, so much energy, so much live and spirit.

Pictures

Waimea Canyon - Polihale Beach - Napali Coast - Koke'e State Park

Coming back was definitely a shocker.
Oahu doest and will not feel the same anymore.

Have been doing a lot of barefoot training, some easy terrain some not so forgiving.

Lot of play and exploration in the form of getting in the car with David and just see where we end up.

Breaking personal times doing long hikes, enjoying the live and energy around me as I do so. Starting to stay out again more often, got rained on the first night but it wasnt all that bad.

Being closer and closer to my friends, missing my lover, cleaning the earth anyway I can, one piece of trash at the time.

Gave Kapena Falls some love by doing a leave no trace event.

cf
Did CF for the first time in over a month yesterday....

Came back to Fran, not an easy one to come back to. My time 4:27, two seconds slower than my last time but considering how long I have been gone Im was happy.

Got some red five fingers for free.

Roxy is sexier and more agile than ever.

Ankles are alright, just like always keeping my mind busy and my body aware.

Gotta update HIpk, work on the video review and give the forum more lovings.

Going to the Ohio event on memorial weekend, visiting my mom and training with miami freerunning while at it.
Planning a trip to NY at the end of the year, then Vegas and hopefully Grand Canyon.

Meditating, being a renegade, thoughts of anarchy, getting inside my head a lot, trying to reach for the energies and all that feeding my soul.

Thanks CF today Im sore.

A fine balance

The past month has been all about balancing for me. I am lucky in that I do two things that I absolutely love: parkour and physical anthropology. They both give me great benefits, but I also have a sense of responsibility towards both, which sometimes causes tension. Two weeks ago, I flew to Bogotá for a parkour performance (you can see the video here). The show was great, and it was awesome to see a new country, to interact with some very friendly locals, and train with Frosti, Ryan and Adrian. I didn’t get to stay to play in the city, though, because I had to teach three phys. anth. classes back here in DC, and then, less than 24 hours later, get on a plane to South Africa. I had been invited some months ago to collect calculus samples from some early human ancestors, which was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up! I’m back home now, profoundly grateful that I was able to be involved in both of these projects, but also rather tired. Luckily, both work and parkour are going back to “normal” and I’ll keep working at finding that equal balance between them.

Thank You Pilou

I drove down to DC today to be a guinea pig for Pilou's Herbert style training in Rock Creek Park this morning. I am not a fan of distance running, but it was good to get out in nice weather and job through the park with friends. I was particularly happy to take part in the training and listen to Pilou explain Herbert's philosophy on training to the group that had decided to come out today. Everyone seemed very receptive of the ideas behind the method, and it sounds like this training will be a weekly event in DC.

Thanks Pilou. You're the man.

SwS

What weather?

Last year, the DC community trained nearly every weekend in the winter. This year, we haven't been jamming anywhere near as much, mostly because it's been snowing a lot. Yeah, I know, there are areas of the country that get way more snow than DC, but I'd argue that maybe they're used to it?

Anyway, used to it or not, winter is often a time when people train less, because it's not as nice out. Pilou and I have been doing a lot less training than we're used to, but decided during the last major snowstorm that we were not going to sit around any more. We recorded our in-home training and made a video. We hope you're inspired to train inside and out! Check it out here: Snow day in DC

Positive Energy

This is a post from an experiment I've been doing at

"In the depths of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer"
- Albert Camus

There is an eternal positive energy source, I definitely haven't tapped it yet but I'm starting to grasp the concept. Negativity was a powerful force in my life, and I saw times when I could use it for this project. I used to rationalize and say that negativity redirected to positivity was a good thing, and in a situation where you don't know what to do, if you're angry or sad and you want to go train to get it out, this is a good solution, but I feel now that the best thing to do is find your invincible summer.

When I say negativity was a powerful force in my life, what I mean is when it came to me I tried my best to redirect it positively. This harbored a destructive relationship though. My training was laden with self denigration. There was no desire to be stronger, it was only a desire to not be so weak. I used it similarly elsewhere, and feel as though I could have used it a lot in this experiment, to potentially better results.

Strictly speaking I didn't succeed at my experiment this month. In the end I fell short of all of my goals, but what I did came from positivity, a desire for growth. My goal was to take a step into the unknown to see what I could see, I may have only gotten one foot out the door, but I know I'm on my way.

I know what I've learned this month will continue to help me, I look forward to next month and a new array of interesting challenges!