American Parkour

I need some 4 inch crash mats but all the ones I see are expencive. Can I improvise but using a mattress?

When ever I watch a backflip tutorial with a spotter, the spotter hits the person into place. Or whatever you want to call it. I'd consider it hiting. But when I practice with a friend he grabs one side of my shirt and pance then I jump, he fallows me until I'm all the way over or helps when I'm in trubble. This method of spotting seem more safe & comfrontable. Which method of spotting is better for learning? or does it matter?

there isnt many big places near me. I live in boscobel wisconsin (place sucks for parkour) but i cant decide where to train at? Any madison seem to be the only place near me but thats kinda far. suggestions?

I want to get good at doing the handstand & to have better lower back flexiblity by using the back bridge but everytime I try to practice either blood rushs to my head making me light head. I hate that feeling with a pasion but I'm not sure what to do. please help.

I want to hear your personal stories. How you got started, everything you find funny, interesting, sad, ect. Whatever you feel comfortable with telling.

   I had learned to do the front flip and several other tricking techniques just trial and error in a tae kwon do dojo. I first started by watching parkour videos in the spring of 2008. I watched the best of David belle on youtube then branched form there. Learning everything I could about the sport, I began to apply things I knew to the things I didn’t. Shortly there after, I did what every kid does amaze everyone with my skill lol. The few skills I gained besides easy vaults, few kicks and lynx like movement included my newly found ability to jump off a 20 foot walk bridge which was extreme in my eyes.
   I learned to teach my friends the things I knew in the early summer. Few took to the training but kids we often attracted to watching us even to know there wasn’t many of us. They marveled at my skill and the skill of those around me. For the most part I ignored them and their praises. I paid more attention to the look of my friends every time they learned a new skill.
   Just as I was getting good my biggest wreck thus far happened. I tried a precision to cat on a jungle gym at a park. This wasn’t well thought thru and I ended up with my knee jammed in between two metal poles for a half hour or so. I had to have three friends pull on the bars while another pushed my knee though. My knee was bursed badly but I wasn’t shaken.
   For the rest of the summer the kids who had glorified us slow came nearer. Their eyes glowed with every trick, no matter how many times it was performed. I befriended some of them and thought them the simplest of things. To this day I see them doing those tricks safely instead of sitting at home getting fat lol.
   The cold came early that year and my skills left with the summer. I had a hard time getting into training because of school but I studied everything I could about Parkour.
   I tried to get people to start training during the summer of 2009 but most refused because of stupid their obsessions with video games or girlfriends. It didn’t take me long to get my skills back up to par but it kinda lost its jig without other people.
   My last year of school was tiring physically and mentally but that summer was all about letting go of everything unneeded like video games. When I achieved a new level I had to show my friends since then they’ve been coming back slowly. Those who do come back want to get better too.
   It has been two year since I started and Parkour has almost become a part of my daily life. It’s truly a beautiful sport, filled with good people, and is way healthier then a lot of other things.

---Opening ---
The school nurse at my old high gave a power point presentation on nutrition for athletes & I found the packet that went with it. I rewrote it online in hopes that what she said may help you. It has a few beginner points so if you're starting out or just need a boost this will help.

*MAXIMIZING YOUR PREFORMANCE THOUGH PROPER NUTRITION* by Penny Grassel, LAT
March 5, 2008

Maximizing You Athletic Performance

We are all looking to be on the cutting edge of athletic performance. We are searching for the thing that will make us bigger, faster, and stronger in the least amount of time. We research and fallow the latest in training practices. Yet, in this quest we fail to commit to one major aspect of training, nutrition. Proper nutrition is the missing piece of the puzzle in maximizing your athletic performance.
The food we consume helps us in the areas of body growth, body function, tissue repair, athletic performance, and health. When our bodies do not have the proper nutrition we get: tired (lack of endurance and choric fatigue), sick (colds, flu, and infection), experience muscle failure (cramps, muscle strains, and general muscle soreness), joint and connective tissues heal slowly (tendonitis and shin splints), athletic performance drops or remains stagnant.

How do you ensure that you are getting all the nutrition you need? Let’s look at the Food Group approach to eating. According to this nutritional approach you are to consume:

Ex. For 17 year old male based on a 3200 calorie pattern you should eat these amounts form the fallowing food groups daily.
Grains 10 ounces
Vegetables 4 cups
Fruits 2.5 cups
Milk 3 cups
Meat & Beans 7 ounces

For 15 year old female based on a 2400 calorie patter you should eat these amounts form the fallowing food groups daily.
Grains 8 ounces
Vegetables 3 cups
Fruits 2 cups
Milk 3 cups
Meat & Beans 6.5 ounces

** to find out your food pyramid plan for your specific age and activity level go to www.mypyramid.gov

This approach to eating is a good one as long as we eat the right kind of foods contained in the group. We will not get all of the nutrients that we need just by eating servings from these food groups. Eating a slice of plain white bread will not give you the same nutritional value as a plain slice of quality whole grain bread. The food group approach will work if you make healthy choices within them.
 An important note: athletes need extra nutrient to ensure proper performance. To do this they need to consume more bread and cereals, vegetables, and fruit than their non-athletic counterparts.  These food groups give you the additional carbohydrates needed to perform for they are the primary energy source for exercising muscles.

The fallowing pages will help us focus on hydration, sports nutrition, carbohydrate loading, how to lose weight, how to gain weight, how to boost Iron Intake, top sport foods, and supplement. If at the end you do not feel you are getting enough nutrients, a single day multi-vitamin may be needed. Do not maga-dose on vitamins for some vitamins can be toxic.