Ok so here i sit, bored, and with a broken collarbone. I was trying to figure out what i could do to better the community, and decided that I'd put this out here to help people remember that training in Nature is an efficent way to increase themselves.
The nature, for most of us in the US this means the woods. At least it does for me. The woods, my sanctuary. The only place that i always feel at home. The woods never make me feel out of place no matter where i am. The woods are warm, welcoming, and personal. No matter how much i feel like relaxing and enjoying the woods, sometimes i just have to run. The feeling you get blasting thru the woods, dodging its sharp fines, and jumping it's tranquil stream. Running thru the woods just makes you feel good. It helps you relax and helps you release stress. But just as much it helps you increase your skills as a Traceur.
Many people complain that they have no where to do parkour. But the truth is, for most of these people, it's only a few yards away. In rural cummunity's it is sometimes hard to find urban spots to do parkour. So it's time for us people who live in rural cummunitys to look to the woods. The woods hold, roots, streams, vines, trees, herbs, flowers, weeds, springs, hills, and plateus. Now look at all these options. When your in the woods, and you have the eye, you see constant oppurtunities. You see everything. There is a chance to do just about any movement you can think of. And it opens up possibilities to be even more creative then in an urban environment.
Now how to prepare. One thing i've noticed when i'm in the woods is, it's almost better to do it alone. When there are other people there you may need to pace yourself to them, or you may be tempted to stop and rest more often. So i advise trying it by yourself first, but do whats best for you. Another thing i suggest, is to not stop and drill when your in the woods. When your in the woods run! Blasting thru the woods helps you much more then drilling in one spot. So be prepared to run. Some people enjoy music, i prefer to just listen to the noises of the woods. Once again do what is best for you. If you plan on being in the woods for a long time, bring a backpack. With a cell phone, some food, some drink, and anything else you think you might need.
Finally, things that i think will be helpful for you to do in the woods. These are just a few things that i do in the woods, do not limit yourself to these things. The woods are so full of oportunity. Thats one thing that's great about them. No two people will do the same thing in the woods. One thing i do is just run. You take off full speed. This seems like it would be easy, and it would on a concrete wasteland, but in woods it presents many more chalenges. As you run you must be aware of your sorroundings. You never know where there might be a root, a snagging vine, or even a random ten foot drop off(trust me i've been there). This need to constantly dodge, dip and dive (to quote dodgeball) helps raise many skills that may be useful for Parkour, in or out of the woods. First off it raises your body awareness. The need to know where things are, and be able to know where your body is in relevance is impareative. Second off is your agility. You must constatly move to dodge this objects. This may require a large aray of body movements, so last off is your ability to make up movements that work on the fly. In order to dodge some of the things that get in your way you must think fast. You must be able to instantly realize that there is something in your way, and be able to adjust your movement to dodge.
Running is just one thing you can do in the woods. Another thing is tree swinging. If you live in an area wich provides large suitable trees for climbing, it can be very beneficial to play around in the trees. The movement in trees, helps your balance, your grip, and even more so your ability to deal with heights. The trees are a forgiving environment compared to the urban jungle. Trees give you branches to catch if you fall, and they give you grass and dirt to land on if you can't catch those branches.
Ok, so yes, you are more likely to chased in an urban environment then the woods. But training in the woods can help you alot, in your urban parkour. Plus, you never know where a chase could bring you, and the skills you need. But more than that, the woods are just a great place to be. They help you take a load off if your stressed, and they let you free your mind if your in need of your own peaceful place.
