APK Alliance Blog

ozzi.quintero@gmail.com (Ozzi Quintero) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:36:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Jereme) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 07:03:00 +0000

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!!

ozzi.quintero@gmail.com (Ozzi Quintero) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:51:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:50:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Slater) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:53:00 +0000

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:09:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Danger) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:05:00 +0000

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!

Make Moves

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Danger) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:33:00 +0000

What stops us from doing what we want to do?

Try to figure out what that obstacle is and pass it.

Safety has EVERYTHING to do with Fitness

zaccohn@gmail.com (Zac) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:15:00 +0000

Based on a forum post where someone stated that advanced practitioners were more likely to get hurt than beginners:

Safety is largely a skill/mental attitude. You can go about a difficult jump with safety in mind, using spotters, progression, and building up to it - or you can just go for it. Most of us choose to go the route of safety - but sometimes someone doesn't know how to be safe. It's an inherent skill to some extent, but must be actively developed or TAUGHT (which is something all three gyms (APEX, Primal, PKV) focus on.) To address later points, these gyms don't just say "Do X and Y and never do A and B." They teach with safety in mind, and through that teaching style students learn how to be safe on their own.

However, I do think Rafe is right about the quote "Safety has got nothing to do with fitness." being incorrect. On Saturday, I took either the worst, or the second worst, bail of my life (parkour, flipping, gymnastics, martial arts, slacklining, firespinning, waterskiiing, wakeboarding all included). The only reason I am probably not paralyzed right now is because of my strength, fitness, skill, and experience.

I wasn't doing anything dangerous, just a simple step up to crane with my off leg. I stepped, leapt, my foot landed on the top, but I had a little bit too much forward momentum and I pitched forward, head first, feet in the air, toward the concrete on the other side. It was about a 4 foot drop, and all I remember is a snapshot of the concrete about 2 feet from my face, and my right arm outstretched toward the ground.

Based on the map of my (extremely minor) injuries and scrapes, I contacted the ground with the blade of my right hand and braced with the palm of my left, lowered myself down into a roll. I hit my thigh on the corner of the wall, and I must have hit my knee at some point - probably during the roll.

I ended on my back, eyes closed, on the concrete. My right leg was extended, and my left knee was bent about 45 degrees. The person I was training with came over, and I calmly asked her to extend my knee and help me unzip my jacket so I could breathe. I walked away about 2 minutes later, and now about 36 hours later the only remaining pain/tightness/soreness is in my thigh, which is greatly diminished.

I was doing something easy and simple. This was something a beginner could probably do. I am sure, however, that this was not something a beginner could have walked away from so easily. I consider myself somewhat strong, but I still do things that are largely not risky. I take great care not to put myself in any unnecessary or excessive danger. This was a technique that was not excessively dangerous. But just like any technique, if the right thing goes wrong at the perfect time...

Physical strength is JUST AS IMPORTANT as mental strength. You can not say that a beginner is exposed to less danger because it simply isn't true. You can not say that because I am stronger, I have to take more risks. Because I was stronger, I am able to move my fingers to type this right now. Life is a long road and we must be strong in order to walk it to it's destination.

All That Matters

noreply@blogger.com (Frosti) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:12:00 +0000

I'm on the tip of a mountain. On my left a steep drop to the canyon below. On my right a similar view. Death lingers on the peripheral. And I'm sprinting. Chasing companions and a virally famous canine along the ridge of the crater. I imagine this strip of land without the trees and bushes growing up around the edges. It is a stark and terrifying image of vertigo and demise. And yet I run. Footsteps make bargains with fate in every stride. I am racing my confidence, only a single wavering breath behind. How? How and more so why? We slow as the trail grows thinner, more tangled with plant life and slims to the size of Ariakes so only one step at a time can be made.

"Let go," he says. "Let it out." As if the world is waiting for my presence to be known. And I realize that it is. I realize that this land is unaware of me and anything I've ever said, thought, or done. To this mountain I am invisible. And so I yell. At first short and succinct, just to test my voice in the air. But then, with some encouragement I let it ring out across the valley. I am here, now.

But the mountain says nothing. It refuses to acknowledge me or my voice or my footprints on its spine. It doesn't care. It doesn't matter. I can hear my voice as it echos its way down the slope and I care. It matters to me. I know. I am here, now.

And so I run, tired and slow, but onward. Until there is no more trail to chase and I reach the end. And then instead of shouting I sit. I rest my bones and my fears on the edge of the world and I know. I am here, now. And that is all that matters.

It's not about the trees.

noreply@blogger.com (Janine Cundy) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:27:00 +0000

I'm still adjusting to living somewhere new, and walking around this city tonight made me realize a bit just what I'm learning.

You know it's strange, the trees here are so different. They're spikey, and impulsive- like so many gangly teenagers- always reaching needy-fingered upwards. Aching greedily, they grab more sky, and more and more. I don't remember trees back home doing any of that. They were calmer, brushing downwards, stable-like and generous. They nodded deeply in the winds, satisfied that we were so lost.

The snow here covers the forks and joining places like scrambling toddlers cover the knees of patient uncles.. and the bows don't break. Back home, one little ice-storm laid fields of tree-bits scattered like confetti.

So maybe there's a bit more here than trees. Maybe it's less that they're different, and more that I am. Perhaps being satisfied doesn't teach you to be strong, and the trials that come with ambition do.

Fighting the Good FIght

noreply@blogger.com (Charles) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:20:00 +0000

Some say ignorance is bliss. I disagree. I believe that ignorance, in particular those who choose ignorance, is a demonstration of a lack to persevere through that which is arduous. I see this to be a flaw; Another barrier in the mental journey of life and understanding.

I write this post today because recently I've been finding that my knowledge has been causing me unhappiness. Perhaps it's just the winter or my best friend moving away, but I have come to realize that these last few weeks I have been avoiding certain situations regarding health and fitness related topics due to frustration and denial that society is as misguided as it truly is.

I write this not as a simple blog post, but as a contract to myself to step up through those hard times and fight the good fight. Say what needs to be said and be an acting figure of change in the world. An ignorant man is a tragedy. An educated but idle man is a crime. You are where you where. It's time to take in your reality and play the game with the dices loaded against you. And above all that, you will smile.

Crazy Cold

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Slater) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:29:00 +0000

So, here in Maryland it was ridiculously could this past weekend ... like 20 degrees with a wind chill making it feel like single digits and winds that almost ripped my wife's car door off. So where was I for 60 minutes Sunday? Outside ... freezing.

I will admit that I am usually what people call a "fair weather" tracuer, as I prefer to train when the conditions outside are more favorable. There are occasions though when I look outside and it is freezing, or raining, and a voice asks me "Are you really going to let that stop you? What if you had to?" As I stated, I don't do it often, but I try to put myself in uncomfortable conditions often enough to remind me that you should be able to adapt. Adapt to the weather, the surfaces, what you are wearing, etc.

How was it? Horrible. I put on a few extra layers, but my extremities and exposed skin on my face was very upset afterward. I stuck with precisions and transitions into and out of precisions while mixing in push ups to try to keep everything moving. The training was good though, as I had to be very mindful not to become sloppy due to the conditions. I felt good afterward knowing that I was able to force myself to do something that I needed to do and wanted to do, despite the fact that ... well ... I didn't really want to do it. It was a good day.

Traveling for Parkour - It's a Must for Community

zaccohn@gmail.com (Zac) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 16:36:00 +0000

Yesterday I drove from my house in Maryland up to Atlantic City. Jaimin, a local traceur, was holding a very special training session. It was designed to teach people about four things: RRDD. Respect, Responsibility, Dedication, and Discipline.

Jesse Danger and I wanted to use this to start a new effort we're promoting - visiting other cities to attend their events more regularly. It's normally a 3 hour drive to Atlantic City, but Janine Cundy, Charles Moreland and I all drove up, and Jesse Danger his friend Rick came down from New York City.

I ended up missing an exit on the New Jersey turnpike, and we got there 3 hours late... so I ended up missing the training session. But you know what - that's okay. I still met up with Jaimin, and after hanging out for a little while, we drove home.

9 hours in the car yesterday, about $25 in tolls, about $40 in gas, and we trained for maybe 20 minutes. And I feel like yesterday was a total success. I got out, I supported a new project a friend of mine was working on, and I had fun.

More people need this attitude. You don't need to drive 3 hours every week, but your community should make an effort, at least once a month, to take a roadtrip somewhere. Wake up at 6am, get back at 10pm, and go visit another community.

We always talk about how important community is to traceurs and in parkour - so lets show the world instead of just talking about it. Get out there, sacrifice some time and money, go somewhere, visit old friends and make new ones.

Spotting

Adrianfsco@gmail.com (Adrian) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:27:00 +0000

Spotting is such a huge part of being a good coach, trainer, fellow freerunner, or reliable friend for that matter.

Good spotting is truly an art in and of itself and one that everyone training should have a basic knowledge of.

Its knowing the movements you're spotting as well as the abilities and tendencies of the person executing them.

You have to know hand placement, timing, and how to avoid injury on for both parties.

You have to know how to spot completely for beginners, as well as how to back off your assistance as someone learns the skill on their own.

Gymnastics coaches are among the best spotters around, but often are puzzled when dealing with spotting more intricate Freerunning moves. Wall Gainers, Devil Drops, Inward wall sides, Raydens, Trinity Flips; all of these require a knowledge of not only basic tricking and biomechanics, but the timing of the moves themselves and where most people go wrong on their first attempts.

Hopefully in future blogs and videos I'll have a chance to detail my own methods for spotting each of these moves as well as others. In the meantime guys spend some time looking into spotting technigues and train safe.

Easing Back In

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:03:00 +0000

One week ago today I defended my dissertation and ended about 25 years of going to school. Crazy, huh? Because I've been writing so much, in the last few months I haven't been able to train as regularly as usual (see my last post in September on working out at home here).

I'm super psyched to get back to the gym, to teach and to train, but it's going to be hard, because I've lost a lot in terms of fitness over the past three or so months. Case in point: I dropped back into the gym a couple of weeks ago on a relatively free night, and jumped into the class. Travis was teaching, and we did a pretty intense workout - lots of QM, 5 minutes of V-sit, 50 pullups, 50 burpees and more that I don't remember. It was a lot, but nothing I couldn't have handled a few months previous. I was able to finish it, and though I was really worn out afterwards, it wasn't until a week and a half later, when my abs, arms and calves were *still* sore, that I really realized how much my strength and endurance has declined.

It's really hard to pace myself, because I know I used to be able to do more, and I enjoy pushing myself. But for the next few weeks I'll be doing 2 reps instead of 3, using 20lb weights instead of 30, and stopping when I start to hurt. It's hard on the ego but better on the body, and that way I'll get back into good shape without having to take another month off to recover from an injury.

Office Training

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Slater) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:04:00 +0000

Yesterday the person I share a small office with and I decided that we were going to help each other out in terms of health and fitness. Were both getting closer to 30 (I'm 25 and he's 27) and decided we should be in the best physical and mental condition of our lives. Our first decision was relating to exercise. It's a small step, but to break up the day, and to make our desk jobs a little more physical, we decided that every hour (I am going to lobby we move it to every 30 minutes) at work we are going to complete a certain set of reps of one exercise. The condition was that we can't do anything too crazy, as we don't want to get all sweaty and then have to go into a meeting with sweat stains and red faces. Yesterday it was 20 pushups every hour. I actually got him to do knuckle pushups for the first time in his life. Congrats to him. That little diversion did a great job of getting the blood flowing and waking us up every hour.

I think we'll be OK with the physical exercises at work, but we weren't sure how to work the mental ones; trivia, quick verbal math quiz, riddles? Any suggestions?

I think I can jump farther now.

zaccohn@gmail.com (Zac) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:13:00 +0000

So yesterday, I got 3 wisdom teeth out. Obviously, this makes me lighter, and because I didn't lose any muscle, NOW I CAN JUMP FARTHER. This is also why I want my spleen, part of my liver, and one of my kidneys out. The more internal organs I can remove, the lighter I will be, and the more powerful I'll become!

(That is a joke. Not the wisdom teeth part though. My puffy cheeks and meals of smoothies say that those definitely are not a joke.)

More seriously though: I came into college with some extra AP credits, and now that I'm almost ready to graduate I realized that I could graduate a quarter early. Instead of missing Spring Quarter... I decide to take winter quarter off! (Seeing as the current temperature in Rochester is probably negative-I'm-going-to-freeze-your-face-off-until-it-becomes-an-ice-sandwich, this is a good decision.)

So what will I do with my quarter off? I decided to live and work for APK/Primal Fitness! All winter, I'll be spending the weekdays working at Primal, and the weeknights sleeping there! Janine Cundy, Frosti, and Justin Ganguly are also staying there fulltime/mostly fulltime. It's been quite an adventure so far, and I expect a ton of great work to get done, and a lot of late-night training sessions!

Good

noreply@blogger.com (Frosti) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:12:00 +0000

Recently I was asked why we must do good. Why as humans should we should help our fellow man, our planet, why is our job to right the wrongs of the world? And why as a traceur should such things matter to us? It truly is inspiring to see how as a community we have bonded together to push forward towards so many incredible causes, helping each other on the forums, helping our local areas by picking up garbage, reaching out to our local communities and to the world, proving time and time again that it is not the singular purpose of one or even a small group of us that is driven to work towards a better world, but it is a defining characteristic of the entire body of the parkour world.

So why is that? What is it about a bunch of people who like to run and jump and climb on stuff that motivates them to do these extracurricular outreach activities? I may not be able to say for each individual but as an entire movement I feel like some of it can be understood by looking back on our history.

Parkour grew from the training of the Natural Method and it's mantra of being strong to be useful, it was an idea of not only functional fitness but of being a functional human being. The training was done not only to help make oneself a better person, but to be prepared to be of help to other, that when one saw a need for aid one would be ready and able to do what is required. In the past this meant training naked in the woods so no matter the situation one could run, jump, climb, or carry without the aid of anything else. As cities began to populate the planet and our lifestyles evolved and adapted to them, so did the training. So came the birth of parkour, a rebirth of functional movement based training. But rare are the times that we as practitioners find ourselves called upon climb into burning buildings or escape from zombie lions. But that does not mean that we do not see a call for help, and it does not mean that we are not prepared to answer. Practitioners come from all walks of life, all varied backgrounds, philosophies, and beliefs, but for some reason we are all able to come together and work together towards positive goals, I believe it is because what connects us all is not just a love of movement, but more importantly by a drive to find things that we see can be improved, now matter how daunting the task, and to work towards that goal. This is why we can spend hours working on something as simple as jumping between two rails until we can understand what allows us to control our bodies and fears and perform the movement precisely and efficiently. It is also what allows a group of strangers to gather in a park or schoolyards and pick up trash that no one there left in the cold and rain. We don't have to do these things, no one is asking us to or forcing it upon us, we choose to do them because we can see the value of it, and we can all recognize that parkour is more than just jumping off stuff, it's more than a personal journey of self improvement, it is a dedication to progress, to moving forward, to being a positive force. We believe in ourselves, we believe in each other, and most of all we believe in what we are doing, so when you are asked: "Why?" you can know that it is because this is who you are, and this is what you do, and you are not alone.

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Max Calder) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:21:00 +0000

Hope everyone in the APK community has a great Thanksgiving today!

Train Hard
-The APK Alliance

Motivation, Inspiration, Relocation!

noreply@blogger.com (Janine Cundy) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:59:00 +0000

Last night, I relocated myself from Seattle to the East Coast to be able to work more effectively for APK. Wow, that's a helluva sentence. I never thought that parkour would take me to the places and send me the experiences it has. I've become close friends with people all over the states, flown all over the place to learn and perform, and done things I never anticipated I'd be capable of. It feels like this is just the beginning.

While it is bittersweet to leave Seattle just as Parkour Visions is really coming into it's own with the new gym, I know that they will be incredibly successful, even without my hands around.

5 years?

noreply@blogger.com (Sam Slater) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:39:00 +0000

When someone asks me how long I have been training, I rarely answer truthfully. My answer is usually about 3 years. In truth, I started 'training' parkour and freerunning in February 2004, over 5 (almost 6) years ago now. The reasoning for my deceitfulness is that while I was aware of parkour and freerunning, and while I went out and trained at least twice a week, I feel as though I was only doing it socially. When I trained, it was only with friends, and the goal was to see what sort of neat things we could do. There was very little conditioning done the first year or so. I look back and I am surprised that I did not immediately apply the lessons that I learned from training in the martial arts to my training in parkour. It was a revelation for me when U$F Volume 3 came out (I wish I could find a working link for this video) and Stephane Vigroux spoke about his training the way my master in the martial arts spoke about his training.

I feel as though this is the case for a lot of people starting out who don't have anyone to learn from directly and give them guidance on what they should be working on first. There is such a vast amount of good information on the internet now though because of sites like APK that I can't help but feel it's a little less common. It's good that almost every site that you visit now has some sort of disclaimer stating you need to condition, you need to be safe, you need to start with basics.

So I don't count my training up until 2006. It wasn't until then that I really buckled down, set some goals, and gave myself any direction as to what I wanted to do. That made a big difference. I can look back now, thanks to online videos, and see the difference in the way I moved, because early on the intent was just different.

At the beginning of the post, I mentioned starting in 2004. I thought of this because I was going through videos on Brian "Doc Ahk Horus" Belida's YouTube page and found the video he shot of us not too long after we started. The sound has been removed unfortunately but here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh0Vv2sT6bU
Viewer discretion advise.

I am glad that we had video of our early exploits. It allows me to put into perspective just how far we've come.

The Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Travis Graves) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:23:00 +0000

One of my life philosophies is any amount of time spent truly in the present moment is worth the effort it takes to get there. Sometimes the effort is just a matter of remembering to notice the small things and the beauty in everything. Other times it is a result of purposeful training.
The Zen concept "Mushin" or "mind of no mind" is a state in which the mind is open and receptive to whatever enters and exits, never sticking or clinging to any one moment or idea.
One of my favorite aspects of training parkour is when the drill forces me to find this state. Last night Frosti and I went out for a training session in front of the National Art Gallery.

The pillars in front of the building form a large circle around some oddly-shaped windows and a fountain. At first, I didn't even pay attention to the pillars because jumping from one to the other was an easy feat. However, running on the rounded tops for more than a few steps turned out to be much less simple a task. I set a goal for myself to complete an entire lap around the circle in each direction. For the next hour and a half I made attempts at the full lap. Sometimes after only 5 or 6 steps I would lose the balance and have to step off, other times I would find a good rhythm and make it half way around only to take one false step and lose it. I soon realized it was simply a matter of focus. When I made a less-than-satisfactory step I would grimace and feel disappointment; I would let my thoughts linger on that step and continue down a negative path of disappointment and embarrassment and soon would lose my balance. Reminding myself to take each stride one at a time and not let my mind get caught behind me, I re-focused, closed my eyes, took a deep breath and affirmed to myself I could run 100 laps. Beginning my run around the circle, my awareness felt expanded and pinpoint at the same time. This run looked and felt completely different. My strides were easy and light. Sometimes my foot would miss its intended spot on the target, but instead of dwelling on it I allowed it to leave my consciousness along with the step itself. Each pillar appeared to me one at a time, the whole run looked significantly different in my vision. There was never any doubt in my mind that I would make it all the way around and I finished the circuit in perfect balance atop the last pillar.

Staying in the moment and keeping the mind on the task at hand in each instant, never getting snagged on a small slip-up or misstep or mistake is a skill that requires practice but ends up being beneficial to movement and mind. I walked away from that session with a feeling of calm well-being, no doubt as much a result of my time spent immersed in the moment as having accomplished a difficult goal.

The Mirror

noreply@blogger.com (Frosti) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:34:00 +0000

Today I am looking at myself. I am staring at my legs. They are tired. They are weak. Well, weaker than they were before. Before when I ran, and jumped, flew, and fell, and made my way precisely and quickly through wood and concrete, step by step, strides and bounds, chasing an invisible finish line just in sight, just out of reach. Before my legs could carry my body, could propel it towards sky or earth, in any direction working as a team with my arms which could push or pull my frame over and through the ledges and rails that populate my path. But today they are weak as well. I look at my hands, they struggle to grip the utensils of life laid out before me, cup, phone, pen, spoon each present a new challenge to overcome with my tender digits and palms. They are torn and calloused, and the callouses are torn and calloused over. The nails are cracked. There are various pieces missing from various parts of various areas of my body. There is less of me today than there was before. Somewhere along my forgotten route there is my skin, and my blood, and my energy, and my fears, and my ideas, and my past, and I will not get them back. They will stay there and I will continue moving forward. Today I will grow new skin, I will heal and replenish my body, I will find new things to fear and to try and understand. Today is a new day, and I am tired and weak, but I can see that I am already starting to feel stronger. Today is only beginning and I will shake the slumber from my legs and arms and I will find a new finish line, because someday today will be before just as before was once today. Everyday a new finish line, everyday a new before, everyday a new today. Today I know myself a little better than I did before. I can only imagine what today will bring.

Where has Levi been?

noreply@blogger.com (Levi M) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:25:00 +0000

I just figured I'd give you all a brief update on what I've been up to, since I've been rather low key lately. After the COPK jam I had a performance with Skipper, Adrian and Leon in Kansas City. It turned out really well, we just provided some entertainment during one of their corporate meetings. Craziest part was that we choreographed the whole thing in 40mins the night before the performance!

Also, I recently shot a commercial for Comcast, but I haven't seen it yet, so keep an eye out for it. And let me know when you see it because I dont watch TV!! Then there was a big Jam in LA, ironically put together by the SF Parkour guys. That was really cool and gave me some new ideas for movement. After that some friends, including some of Tempest and I did a shoot for the segment "This Morning Show" on the E! network. Hopefully that will air soon. The training/shoot session for that was just a blast! We hit up some new spots, and new challenges. There was a photo shoot I did in Long Beach for this photographer who took some sequence shots. Those are the awesome shots where its one scene but multiple images of the person, showing their different moments along the path. I love those kind of shots so Im looking forward to seeing those!

Other than that, have been training, and working on various projects, including creating a new version of the Tribe site: TribalMovement.com. It's interesting out here in LA, but definitely a lot of opportunity so I'm just kicking my own butt trying to pursue them all!

Not to mention the League Competition that APK is still working on. Thats why I havent showed up in the recent TV shows. They invited me to Barclaycard and WFPF, but I decided the one we've been working on is the best to associate myself with because we will have so much control over how the sports are represented, and how the contests are run so we can make sure that everything is done right!

So, lots of things still happenin. To get the latest about my various projects and appearances, join my facebook page here or twitter here.

Thanks for reading! Now get out and train!!