hey guys im saying this because it is something that has really been weighing on me and some other traceurs from OK.  over the last year or two the pk/fr community has grown quite alot in Ok, but at the same time some of our most experienced traceurs have left the scene leaving pretty much just me to do all the dirty work. at first i kinda left with them and thought i could care less what all the new traceurs did because i was really happy with my training and i enjoy training alone most of all.  back in the day i used to give free technique lessons, i lead a seriously hardcore conditioning class twice a week, and OKPK had a big jam every Saturday and everyone pretty much was on the right track and progressing safe and strong.  now that most of those guys are gone (freakin military!) it seems like its just one big cluster f#ck of training and hangin out and makin calls and gettin texts from who the hell knows and i really feel like i have dropped the ball on spreading the true message of parkour and freerunning.  So with that said I think I should drop some knowledge that could just save you from a lot of trial and error.

First of all parkour is NOT extreme, its not about being cool, and its not even always about having fun.  Parkour and freerunning are disciplines. And to a traceur they should be taken seriously in a sense because if you are not strong enough to do the stuff you are doing, you will seriously injure your joints in the long run.  Plane and simple. Although parkour is fun 90% of the time, sometimes you really have to bust your ass and push through some intense conditioning to be strong enough to handle the impacts you are taking.  

If you haven’t noticed by now gymnasts are freakin amazing and do some crazy stuff that most people don’t even realize is physically possible.  However, you may also realize there aren’t too many gymnasts over the age of 35.  why? Their joints are fucked up from taking massive impacts over and over. And another thing you might notice is most gymnasts are stacked like freakin body builders and strong as piss.  So what does this say about us skinny, out of shape, couldn’t do 50 pushups if our life depended on it little traceurs?    It tells me that if I plan on messing with high impact movements like 9 foot precision jumps, flips, and big cat leaps that I better be one strong mother flower if I plan on lasting past the age of 30.  also, for those who don’t know the mottos behind pk/fr are “be strong to be useful” and “to be and to last”.

If you don’t believe me, believe the yamakasi. To train under the yamakasi (or any of the founders such as david belle, Sebastian foucan, the traceurs, ect…) you were not allowed to do any type of training other than strength training for your first year of training. If they caught you doing one single jump during that year… you were kicked out.   Now I realize this is pretty extreme and us Amaricanz are lazy and impatient, but it isn’t not too much to ask that every serious traceur/freerunner stick to a 50 50 ratio of training and conditioning. Meaning if you go out and jam with your friends 4 days a week, you better be busting your ass with those same friends 4 times a week with a conditioning routine.

Over the years I have noticed fazes that occur in almost every traceur as they progress. the first stage is the amazement stage where you find out about david belle and parkour on youtube and you rediscover what you think is possible.  The second stage is where everything goes wrong because most noobs jump right in and try to mimic what they see the experiences traceurs doing because they don’t realize how much conditioning and training the experienced traceurs have under their belts. And the third stage is the most important stage of all because it’s the stage that makes or breaks them as true or fake traceurs.  It’s the stage when the noobs realize they are not as good as they think they are and there is something different between them and the traceurs they are trying to mimic ( that something is strength and technique or power and control as some call it). This stage usually hits about 6 months to a year into training.  If the noob goes one way he will become strong and smart and talented, if they go the other… they get hurt or they quit after they learn a few semi-impressive tricks.  

So long speech short, if you want to become a true and talented traceur your going to have to work for it. ALL your joints need to be very strong and stable.  Your technique needs to be as near perfect as you can make it.  You should also always strive to stay as light and quiet on your feet as possible.  just a rule of thumb for your first year or two: if you can’t do it quietly and with good technique, you shouldn’t do it at all because it is going to wear on your joints. Over time this wearing will really add up.

Here are a couple videos:

pk gen's warm up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9Eh2kLwA7I

uf vol. 3:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=273808852434081205&q=stephane+vigroux&total=26&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=4#

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X15VRzQHq2U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU57cuw86cA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zkz-XyLYKE&feature=fvw


p.s. always warm up before your train and stretch after your done.  always!

firs vid sums it up pretty well... good example chris. i had never watched that one before good training techniques for everyone in there!

Danka danka danka!!

Much appreciated.

Although I will most likly never reach the calibre of most trecuers, I guess having the satisfaction of knowing you can jump a three foot wall also helps to keep a person safe.

KNOW THINE OWN LIMITS!

HEY! I got a saying finally!

He's either afraid hes too old (which your not lol) or just prefers a light form of Parkour, rather than what Chris can do lol.

I personally have finally taken up condition down here, following the same schedule. Mondays = upper body, Wednesday = lower body, Friday & Saturday = Practice sessions. It feels good I just wish the brick out here wasn't so coarse, tears your hands up after a while... gotta find my biking gloves that I use for the brick out here...

True, but I am still using gloves right now. I play guitar as well, and the first few times i went out, I ripped my hands to shreads. Not to pleased about getting blood on my guitar strings!

Wanna post this in General? I think everyone here could benefit from reading it.

Although my hands have many calluses, this brick is something else. There is normal brick, and there is the brick we have. It has little brick bubbles all over it that cut into your skin after about 20 minutes of pressure. If we had normal concrete on campus, that would be a miracle lol.

I like the idea of training, being isolated from the rest of the world (in my head lol) and just conditioning, knowing that each day makes you that much stronger, that much more knowledgeable of your limits and that much more sure that you can push them further.

I wish I was still living in OKC, Bricktown has sooooo many more spots to condition, none of this knife-like brick.

im so stealing this "We SHOULD ENJOY the journey of training, not rush through it to get to the top, because the top will only be as strong as the base you built it on."

ok so with the recent bs going on i have decided to restate what i have been trying to tell everyone.  this is what rafe, a very smart and tallented traceur whom i respect,  has said on the subject of daniel ilabaca's new video 'choose not to fall'. 
i would strongly advise every traceur/freerunner i know to watch this video then read every single post that follows, especially the ones who think they are good. http://www.americanparkour.com/smf/index.php/topic,22479.0.html