Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category
Posted by misterparkour on
June 4, 2008
With our extensive collection of Parkour videos on MisterParkour.com we have decided to start increasing our text based content as well. We have already posted various news articles, training papers, and video with transcribed text, but we are going to improve our text content by consciously making an effort to do more of the this. One of our first steps towards our goal is this post which transcribes an interview with David Belle. This interview was conducted when David was in Portugal for an article written by Lina Manso for Mundo Universitário in February 26, 2007 (to see videos of David in Portugal please click here.) In the interview David spoke about the “main objective of Parkour” and how he learns best. He also commented on the lacking prevalence of female Tracers. We would like to thank Parkour.net for providing the English translation of this interview, and if you would like to view this article in its original context in Portuguese you can follow the link at the end of this post.
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Lina: What influence did you’re father and grandfather (both connected to the fire department and the military forces -where you also were)in the invention of Parkour?
DB: I began getting interested in what they were doing, until the point I asked myself: what is there beyond this? I turned what I learned into a kind of game, with a lot of silence, flexibility and agility.
Lina: That takes us to the second question. Is this a sport, a lifestyle, a hobby or a philosophy?
DB: It’s an art of life. It is as much urban as it is contemporary. (this part I think something got lost in translation from French to Portuguese by the journalist..)
Lina: Care to expand?
DB: Before anything else, is to learn how to be careful. And never underestimate physical training. And it takes harmony between the practitioner and the space where he practices.
Lina: And who can practice it?
DB: Everyone!
Lina: I don’t think I could jump off a 3 meter high wall…
DB: That comes with training! If you had a Lion chasing you, would you stand still?
Lina: I read some place that it can help you strengthen your self confidence and overcome you’re fears.
DB: The main objective is to know yourself and learn how to overcome your limits.
Lina: How do you see the way Madonna has been promoting the art (seen in the video “Jump”, from her last album, or in the choreographies of the “Confessions Tour” shows.
DB: I simply think she uses Parkour to sell her music not her music to promote Parkour.
Lina: The first time I heard about parkour was in the movie “Yamakasi”. Do you have anything to do with that group?
DB: Yes, they’re cousins of mine I initiated in the art.
Lina: So what have you done to promote the art (since you’ve been doing it professionally since you were 18)? (Again I think the translation during the interview was not that good…)
DB: I’ve been, for example, in the film Banlieu 13 from director Luc Besson. I am now shooting another movie in Prague (Czech Republic), and I think there may be another movie coming soon in Hollywood. Besides that I’ve been in several commercials for numerous brands like TMN (here in Portugal), Nissan and Nike.
Lina: Talking about brands, Is there any kind of special shoe for Parkour?
DB: Nothing specific yet, but we would like to have our own brand…
Lina: What do you think of the Portuguese Tracers?
DB: They have a tremendous potential, a great climate that always helps… I think Parkour can go a long way here.
Lina: Will you be coming back soon?
DB: Yes, maybe with my girlfriend (I really liked it here).
Lina: Talking about women… where are the female practitioners?
DB: The same way that there are women who like football or boxing, there are does who like Parkour. They’re around…in hiding.
Lina: Going back to what you said about Parkour could go a long way here in Portugal. I got the sensation that you didn’t say everything…
DB: It’s because besides the fact that the Tracers are in harmony with the city (they’re not going around destroying private property), I admire the fact that most of them still study (I left school at the age of 15).
Lina: If you had the time, would you go back to school?
DB: I learn a lot on my own! When I travel I like to read about the History and Geography of the places I visit.
Lina: Tell us something about Portugal then!
DB: I’ve heard of Sintra and was thrilled about it’s mystical side! I love the idea of the existence of an Occult side.
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http://www.mundouniversitario.pt/artigos.php?art=670
Posted by misterparkour on
May 5, 2008
Demand vs. Function
This paper is based on the foundational principles of the ADAPT Training System
(www.adapttraining.com)
In the Training vs. Performance paper we defined performance and showed how it differed from training. We also touched on the principle that performing a movement which you do not have the abilities to do correctly (i.e. with the ideal muscular function) is dangerous. In this paper we will begin to explore the physiological explanation behind why it is dangerous to do so. Like always we will begin with definitions:
Function is how your body currently works which includes strength, endurance, and range of motion etc.
Demand is what you ask your body to do. This can be anything from skiing, to walking, to jumping off a building, and even taking a gallon of milk from a shelf in the grocery store.
It’s pretty straight forward but to rephrase it, function is you current physical capabilities, while demand is the performance requirement you place on yourself. Have you ever seen someone in the gym doing bicep curls with a barbell? If he can complete the rep with correct form then function is greater than demand.
No matter how strong you are there will always be demands that are greater than your function, and for the most part this isn’t a problem. If you can’t lift the back wheels of your car off the ground this doesn’t matter. However, when demand is greater than function DURING a performance move this is when the problem arises. Think back to the guy in the weight room. He is on his last bicep curl. He doesn’t have the strength left to complete the rep, but instead of letting the weight fall down to his waist he arches his back so that he can pull the weight to his chest. This time demand is greater than function, and because the lifter is performing the movement anyway he is putting his body in a compromised position and is physical vulnerable to injury.
Compromising your body’s integrity is what will cause injuries and that is why ‘Demand vs. Function’ is such an important concept to understand. Additionally when the body is not capable of handling a demand, adding more force will only increases the body’s vulnerability! Nowhere is this more applicable than in Parkour. If you are in the weight room and you have a hard time benching 150 lbs you probably won’t put another 25 on each side and attempt to press it. But in Parkour doubling the demand is sometimes as simple as jumping off the next highest step or ledge! And although it is commonly accepted that your body can and will become stronger and adapt to be able to handle these forces, when the demand is greater than function this is never possible. I’ll repeat this concept because it is so important:
When the demand you place on your body is greater than your functional abilities to handle your body will never learn to correctly handle the forces no matter how many times you attempt the move.
In fact, if you continue to place more demand on your body then it is capable of handling you are only bringing yourself closer and closer to inevitable injury (More on this in “The Biggest Misconception in Parkour Training” article*).
This week I want each of you to take some time out of your training to think about the movements you do during your Parkour workouts. What are the biggest movements you do and/or the ones that have the most demand and require the highest level of function? Are you able to do these moves correctly or does your body “cheat”? To accurately analyze this, you may not even have to look at your most intense moves. You might only have to look at your easiest. Try to do a full squat with your hands behind your head while keeping your heels on the ground. If you can not do this then jumping off any size ledge is not something that your body is capable of handling correctly (Reference “What is Training?” for tips on how to correct vulnerabilities like these).
In any performance where the demand is greater then your functional abilities, performing the movement will put you at serious risk because it compromises the structural integrity of your body. That is because when demand is greater than function, demand will always win. Do not be in a hurry to progress, but instead always train within your means where your function is greater than the physical demand you place on yourself.
*Although we will continue with the weekly articles, this specific article will not be released for a few weeks.
-MisterParkour
Posted by misterparkour on
April 20, 2008
Training vs. Performance
This paper is based on the foundational principles of the ADAPT Training System (www.adapttraining.com)
In the last paper we covered the definition of training and its implications in our Parkour workouts. This is the basis for all material we will cover in future papers so I will repeat the definition of training here once again:
“Training is the act of introducing and reinforcing the ideal function of a muscle or muscular system.” (Brian Cassidy, ADAPT Training)
By perfecting the ideal function of your body you are instilling muscular efficiency which is at the center of Parkour philosophy and technique. However, before we can begin to unpack the physiological explanations behind this, we have to differentiate training from its brother performance.
Performance is not the same as training. We train so that we can perform, or, in other words, performance is the ideal we strive towards in our training. In thinking about the best way to describe this principle I was reminded of a post in a forum, written by “Pkdanno” of Toronto, Canada, that I read a couple years back. Pkdanno was with David Belle in L.A. on top of about a 30 foot drop. There is a lot of context behind what was said, and I am going to take this quotation slightly out of context by not describing the circumstances. However, suffice to say that the purpose of the quotation brings my point across. David said, “If my family was over there and needed me, I wouldn’t even hesitate. I would [jump].” That move is performance. Training is what David did beforehand to give him the capabilities to jump from that height.
Although we have now covered the idea of performance, like training before I will present you with a definition:
“Performance is the recruitment of the necessary movement to accomplish a task.” (Brian Cassidy, ADAPT Training)
Notice the differences between training and performance. Training builds the tools that make performance possible.
The one caveat that I will emphasize before I wrap up this paper is that ideal performance mandates correct movement. Unfortunately performance with the human body is achievable even without the proper tools, because even if you do not have the capabilities to move correctly your body will most likely still find a way to move. But this is highly problematic and presents severe physical dangers especially in a Parkour context. It doesn’t matter whether you are walking, doing a full squat with only your body weight, landing an 8 foot drop, or jumping the Man Power gap in Lisses, in the right context these are all performance movements and there are ideal ways for your body to perform all of them. And although the Man Power gap does require a much higher level of performance, if you do not have the tools necessary to perform EITHER of these movements correctly, then performing them puts you at risk for injury (More on this in the “Demand vs. Function” article).
This week my assignment for everyone is to figure out what parts of your Parkour workouts are training and what parts are performance based. If you are not performing a movement correctly (Note: strength and endurance are both parts of movement) then this is dangerous and you should ask yourself what you are doing wrong and how you can correct it. If you are performing a movement that you are not physically capable of doing correctly, then this is even more dangerous and you need to take a step back and find a way to train for that movement. Ask yourself how you can break down the move so you can build the necessary physical characteristics. This is the only proper way to ensure safe progression.
When you train you are building the physical tools necessary to move correctly. Performance is utilizing those tools to accomplish the desired movement. By understanding this difference you will be able to begin structuring your training and progression in the safest and most effective way.
-MisterParkour
Posted by misterparkour on
April 16, 2008
Here is a spectacular article written by Ryan “Demon” Ford, the founder of Colorado Parkour and a member of the Tribe. In September 2007 Demon had the opportunity to travel to France to film a feature for ESPN’s E:60 program. On his excursion Demon spent three days in Lisses and Evry training with some of most experienced and talented Tracers in the world including Stephane Vigroux, and Laurent and Chau of the Yamakasi. This is his documentation of his experiences and a compilation of the knowledge he gathered during his trip. The ESPN E:60 feature is also posted below.
To Learn, To Grow by Demon
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?&brand=null&videoId=3097213&n8pe6c=1
Posted by misterparkour on
March 31, 2008
On March 5, 2008 the Oregonian published a prominent article in the Living section about Parkour. The article was written by Nancy Dow and featured Oregon Tracer Adam Dunlap. Below is a copy of the article as well as a link to the online copy.
http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/living/120466410921710.xml&coll=7
Demanding parkour keeps him moving
Adam Dunlap – The OSU grad says the sport has helped him get healthier than ever
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
NANCY DOW, The Oregonian Staff
Who: Adam Dunlap, 21, Portland.
Stats: 5 feet 10 inches, 155 pounds.
Life so far: Dunlap was born and raised in Portland and graduated from Westview High School. He zipped through Oregon State University in three years and came out with a degree in business administration. By night, he delivers pizza for Garlic Jim’s.
Fitness history: He was active from a young age and basketball was his life. He wanted to play in the NBA, but he was a short, scrawny kid. At around 10 he watched a short feature on parkour (pronounced par-koor), and it stayed in the back of his mind. Two years ago he took up the discipline in earnest.
What is it?: Also called free running, parkour began about 20 years ago with a Frenchman named David Belle. Practitioners are called tracers or, in London, where it’s popular, traceurs. In Dunlap’s words: “Tracers interact with their environment using only their bodies to overcome obstacles in their path. Whether it be a 12-foot wall, a 10-foot drop, cars, rails or other natural or man-made obstacles, a tracer learns the appropriate techniques to overcome even the most difficult terrain.” He also talks of the focus and concentration he’s learned and the opportunity to overcome fear and doubt. “The rooftop to rooftop jumps are visually interesting but it’s not all big jumps. Anybody can do this.” For further information, and videos: www.misterparkour.com or www.urbanfreeflow.com.
Current workout: His goal is to work out four hours a day, six days a week. Sometimes he makes it, sometimes not. He can practice on school playground equipment or just use the curb. He says, “All the resistance you’ll ever need is your own body. Play like a kid on a jungle gym.” He prefers to be outside, but during the winter he works out at Adapt Training, where he finds a similar philosophy and plenty of indoor equipment. “Since starting this, my whole body has changed. I haven’t lifted weights in two years, but I’m more fit than I’ve ever been.” He hasn’t forgotten his first love, though; he still plays pickup basketball now and then.
Nutrition: As a freshman in college he was diagnosed with Crohn’s, a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines, and he had to change his diet drastically. He eats no sweets, processed food or fast food, not even the pizza he delivers. He’s big on produce, chicken, eggs, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, whatever’s whole and natural. “It was hard at the beginning,” he says. “But now it’s good, it gets easier. I’ll take an apricot over a Snickers any day.” He takes supplements that include capsules as well as powders that he mixes with water. He drinks no alcohol or coffee. He sticks to water and juice and has cut back on milk.
Earth to swoosh: Dunlap wants to see his sport accepted and knows that corporate involvement will help. K-Swiss has a shoe already on the market and Adidas sponsors a team and a Web site in London. “I see where it’s going,” he says, “and I think it’s going to explode into an industry. I see it as where skateboarding was 20 years ago. People will catch on. Even if nothing commercial develops, it’s still a fitness revolution.”
In the future?: Though he has yet to make any money from parkour, Dunlap will soon begin giving lessons. And he’s pretty pumped about it. He’s spent a lot of time promoting the sport, and he’s prepared to take it as far as he can. X-Games? Olympics? Who knows, maybe soon he can give up the pizza gig.
Posted by misterparkour on
March 22, 2008
Preface
This is the first paper of many that will start to unpack the physiological principles that are central to proper Parkour training. The education and knowledge behind these papers encompasses what I have gained from my personal Parkour training, my experience as a Parkour instructor, and the education and knowledge of Oregon based gym ADAPT Training, a gym with close to a decade of experience in athletic training, fitness, and physical therapy.
What is Training?
Training. We all do it, but how many of us understand its purpose and how to do it properly? Forrest of Parkour Generations says, “There are no secrets to improving your skill in Parkour other than hard training.” This idea is simple enough to understand, but the principles and methods behind this concept are many, and few of them have simple explanations.
So what is training? As you all know training is something that is usually referred to in the same context as “working out.” It is something we do to get better, faster, stronger, or more consistent at creating a specific physical result. In the context of Parkour it may be doing pull-ups to become stronger so you can progress to planches. Or it might be practicing a precision jump over and over again until you can stick it every time. Although both these examples serve to identify specific training methods, in order to be able to dissect the concepts of training and discuss how to implement proper training techniques –the goal being so we can progress in the safest and most efficient way- we must have a training reference point that we can always come back to. For that reason I offer you this definition of training:
Training is the act of introduction and reinforcing the ideal function of a muscle or muscular system. (Brian Cassidy, ADAPT Training)
Take a second to really think about this definition because whether you realize it or not it may be fundamentally different than the definition you are used to hearing. I’ll repeat the definition again:
TRAINING is the act of INTRODUCING AND REINFORCING the IDEAL FUNCTION of a MUSCLE OR MUSCULAR SYSTEM.
As the first paper in the commencement of my weekly training articles, I do not want to dive any deeper into the concepts of proper training and the implications they hold for you and your training sessions, progression, goals etc. To cover any more material would put us in way over our heads. For now this definition is enough because it is dense with conceptual information. Do your best to deeply contemplate this definition and think about what it means and how it applies to you and your own training. The more thoroughly you do this the more you will learn from it. In order to help you towards this goal I have created an assignment for you.
Sometime over the next week my assignment for everyone is to switch up and simplify your normal training techniques. Whether your training usually involves jumping, vaulting, balancing on rails, pushups pull-ups, squats etc. instead of the typical methods you employ, take all those techniques and break them down into the smallest possible foundational building blocks of physical movement. Question and analyze why and how you move how you move. What gives you the ability to jump over a bench? What fundamental movements are required to enable you to propel your body off the ground so you can clear an object or gap? How and when do your legs/arms/torso move to give you that physical result? What muscular systems have to fire to enable those actions? How can I train those systems at a less dynamic level to ensure the ideal function of my muscles and make sure those parts are working together in their most effective sequences? Very few Parkour movements, if any, can be isolated to single muscular systems. That is why the most effective training will involve every muscular system in your body. Ask yourself if this principle is included in your training. If it isn’t, find a way to incorporate it.
The goal of training is to get better, stronger, faster, and more efficient by introducing and reinforcing your ideal muscular functions. Whether that means becoming stronger by doing pull-ups, or becoming more consistent by practicing your precision jumps, the goal in your training should always be focused on improving the coordination and ideal function and performance of all the muscular systems in your body. Understanding this concept and learning how to implement it properly is the first step to truly effective training.
-MisterParkour
Posted by misterparkour on
December 6, 2007
No Obstacles, an article written for the New Yorker by Alec Wilkinson in April 2007, is probably the most comprehensive news piece to date regarding Parkour. This piece goes in depth, revealing David Belle and his personality for the first time, as well as explaining David’s view of Parkour like no other article before. No Obstacles uncovers insights that you will not find anywhere else and gets one-on-one with David exposing the true philosophy behind his art. The article also spends a considerable amount of time with Ryan Ford who is considered to be the most skilled Tracer in The Tribe. Some of the highlights of the article include…
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A long interview/conversation with Ryan Ford
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George Herbert’s Natural Method of Physical Culture (arguably the single biggest influencer on the development of Parkour)
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A running conversation with “Jeff Belle”, David’s brother
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Insight into why David Belle founded Parkour and his passion and intentions for it
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The beginning of the Yamakasi
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Insight into David’s personality
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A visit to the Dam de Lac with some commentary on David’s experiences with it
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Details of David’s philosophy behind Parkour, including the origin of Parkour technique
David commenting on his fall at the UCLA campus and his thoughts on wearing gloves
This article is 12 pages long and is well worth reading every word.
No Obstacles by Alec Wilkinson
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/04/16/070416fa_fact_wilkinson
Posted by misterparkour on
December 3, 2007
The following is a link to the article The Born Samurai written by Paul Boakye and featuring Sébastien Foucan
When the Parkour community was new to the U.S. there was confusion over who started it. Some people said David Belle started it and some people said Sébastien Foucan did. Now no one questions it because everyone knows it was David, although many still call Sébastien the “co-founder.” But regardless of his Parkour title, Sébastien is seen as the pioneer of Free Running, and he is one of the most influential Free Runners/Tracers in the world today. His view on Parkour becoming competition based is just one of many profound things he says concerning Parkour in this article.
http://paulboakye.net/blog/2006/10/society/sport/foucan/
