Topic: So Called "Runner Vision"

[Alex 'Mercury' Garner]

Okay, I'm just going to make a quick post like this to as a poll or something rather-kindof-sortof... to the point. Ever since I was a little Newbie, I spent most of my time checking out new buildings/roof tops and seeing what I could do. I'll spend most of my time in a car/on a bus looking at buildings and formulating escape plans/ building paths I could take to get from destination from destination. Kind of like the red Runner Vision in Mirror's Edge. I just see things plain and simple at first, and moments later the things I can climb and use to get higher just pop out and become more clear than everything else.

IRL Situation: I was out at the Petsmart pet store when I was looking at these huge shelves in the back of the store, next to the storage/maintenance areas. These large shelves held vast amounts of dog houses, 'dogloos,' pet food, etc. And rather than shopping as I was supposed to, I actually ended up spending maybe 5-10 minutes just looking at ways to vault these things, climb shelves, swinging on the burline rafters, and so on.

EDIT:

EXACTLY like this.



I just now remembered that I posted this as a thingie for other traceurs to respond to. Do you ever find yourself using this so called Runner Vision to train/ find routes for running? Please let me know, just want to use this to learn about how other people see things while training.

[Daniel]

How hard would it be to vault a heavy plastic doghouse without it caving?

[James Bell]

I know what you mean, I remember when I first started developing it years ago in middle/high-school, it was like the world opened up and literally became a playground in front of my eyes.
And I have noticed that the more you progress the better it becomes, as I have been doing better and progressing more lately than I have in previous years. As such I see things far easier & more quickly now, I also see more things off of previous things I have found. And the more difficult things which I have seen, and I always "blacked out," now seem plausible. (I think that made sense...do any of these...things make sense to you guys?)

Also a new person joined our local group and started Parkour for the first time today, I was trying to explain it to him, and he sort of understood, but it will be interesting to ask him what he sees in the coming weeks/months.

[Bradley DeWeese]

I know what you mean, I remember when I first started developing it years ago in middle/high-school, it was like the world opened up and literally became a playground in front of my eyes.

that's so true and I found this http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=7JAmpMtUm-0

[Benjamin Vanisi]

I call it "The Sight"

[Alec Furtado]

This is a common topic actually, just check these topics.

Welcome to our world

[Anthony Hadouken]

How hard would it be to vault a heavy plastic doghouse without it caving?

not hard just dont stall out on it and you should be good

[Dashy]

It's amazing what you "see" when you open your mind to other things.

"The Sight" is important to traceurs for obvious reasons.

[Ryan A. Vetter]

It's just a broadened form of Tunnel Vision. Mega-Long-Ass-Example:

You start doing things on benches, and pretty soon you see all benches as a means to practice. Then you broaden this to benches with back rests, and shortly to pic-nic tables, and you start seeing all these sit-down places as areas you could train on. Once you move onto fences, walls and other things, you begin to understand your limitations better and better. That's when your muscle memory can be applied to mere observation, and knowing these limitations helps you plan potential routes more easily. Eventually all these things start popping out at you because that's what you're thinking about.

It isn't as though it's a specially inherited skill, it's a just a trained form of tunnel vision.

[Alex 'Mercury' Garner]

I know what you mean, I remember when I first started developing it years ago in middle/high-school, it was like the world opened up and literally became a playground in front of my eyes.
And I have noticed that the more you progress the better it becomes, as I have been doing better and progressing more lately than I have in previous years. As such I see things far easier & more quickly now, I also see more things off of previous things I have found. And the more difficult things which I have seen, and I always "blacked out," now seem plausible. (I think that made sense...do any of these...things make sense to you guys?)

Also a new person joined our local group and started Parkour for the first time today, I was trying to explain it to him, and he sort of understood, but it will be interesting to ask him what he sees in the coming weeks/months.

Small-er community here. Small Kansan city, what did you expect  But seriously. I asked one of my not-so-close friends at school to join me for a day of parkour around the next city. Maybe a week later, after practicing a bit more on his own, he kept saying how everything began to look like a playground to him. Instead of dozing off or perhaps playing on his phone, he kept looking around and seeing what he could do in the place he was. Usually the gym, like me

[Spencer Young]

I Know exactly this mode. I call it the "traceur eye" when you well see those stairs or playground area as a training ground. I use it 98% of my day. Interesting to see what others call this phenomena.

[Anthony Hadouken]

its called the force 

[Paul Exter]

I've always seen these paths. It's one of the many reasons that I got into parkour in the first place.

The best feeling for me is when you get recognised for doing your route from a to b. Running this route and executing every move flawlessly and getting genuinely nice people commenting and taking an interest in what it is I'm doing is one of the many aspects I enjoy of parkour.

[James Bell]

I have also noticed that it is a good way to find other traceurs, as there are people who I notice around the city who look at things the same way I do (like a thief casing the joint ).
Which has recently also made me realize that sometimes I am blatantly obvious when I look around, like my head bobs up and down as I trace a route, or I look up at things for extended periods of time and do the same thing with my eyes.
Although it might just be me being strange...but I have noticed a few other traceurs I train with showing some of the same traits when they look at things.

[Lorenzo]

Lolz I refer to it as 'flow in the eyes', it started before I started my training in parkour, in the beginning it's like see solutions in games like price of persia, assassin's creed, and mirror's edge. Then as I trained IRL, i would see pathways I never could realize walking around on flat ground like a homo.erectus. As I trained more and controlled momentum more and more I see faster ways to traverse old routes.

[Jason C. Astor]

I call mine "PK Vision"

[Ryan Sannar]

Eventually you just live with it. Like an awesome awesome disease.

[Intern]

yeah this vision is something that i know people who slowly stop training still retain and its one of the huge reasons that one of my biggest fears in life is becoming injured and never training again. having to live with that, never able to act...

[James Bell]

yeah this vision is something that i know people who slowly stop training still retain and its one of the huge reasons that one of my biggest fears in life is becoming injured and never training again. having to live with that, never able to act...

I remember having the same vision and thinking about playing on things the same way throughout childhood, but it started to fade out until I heard about Parkour, and was brought back into that playing mindset. Also the previous times I have stopped/quit training I remember it dulling as well, I have noticed that it is always still there, but it fades and dulls with time.

[Lorenzo]

Eventually you just live with it. Like an awesome awesome disease.

Agreed