Parkour?

[ginshun]

sorry about getting a little bent out of shape, but it really is best to learn at least something about an activity before making judgements of it.

I don't even really do it much myself, deffinately not to the level that those guys do. I just like jumping off and threw and around things as opposed to just jogging, and I like the philosophy behind it as presented by its founders.

 

[Shinkengata]

I've done Parkour off and on, even though i had no idea what it was at the time, since i was a kid. I've found it greatly enhances your overall movement capabilities, and who can argue that THAT is not a benefit to training? We all speak about how taijutsu has helped us from time-to-time in non-confrontational matters, i.e. everyday life situations. Parkour can definitely do that as well. Parkour also develops levels of strength, flexibility, and endurance in certain muscles that other activities simply cannot. So i say again, how would that NOT benefit training?

Parkour doesn't have to be the elaborate, SpiderMan-like aerial stunts like you see in the videos. It can be as simple as hopping up on a park bench and running across it and hopping off. If you can "sorta" do it, then get to where you can do it with great ease and consistency. Parkour is about breaking boundaries.

Just my thoughts on it. Hope it helps.

 

[Cryozombie]

Parkour doesn't have to be the elaborate, SpiderMan-like aerial stunts like you see in the videos. It can be as simple as hopping up on a park bench and running across it and hopping off. If you can "sorta" do it, then get to where you can do it with great ease and consistency. Parkour is about breaking boundaries.

Just my thoughts on it. Hope it helps.

My only issue with that (as I don’t disagree with what you are saying) is that most of the “instructional” videos you see on line are for spiderman wall climbing, gap leaping, and fence jumping type stunts... I think it would be much better to start small, like the bench thing you suggested and work your way up. Pity there isn’t a gym type environment to learn this more places… an instructor, with classes starting out with stretching and strength training, and working up to techniques… THAT would be cool.

 

[Don Roley]

My only issue with that (as I don’t disagree with what you are saying) is that most of the “instructional” videos you see on line are for spiderman wall climbing, gap leaping, and fence jumping type stunts...

I would think that may be the way certain people try to market it. In that way, it is like ninjutsu. There may be others that package their instructions in the way shinkengata says and are just shoved aside by the greater attention good marketing provides. In that respect it would be a lot like the situation in the Bujinkan. I am interested in how Shinkengata describes it, not the videos I have seen. But then again, I go against the grain in many ways.

 

[Cryozombie]

I am interested in how Shinkengata describes it, not the videos I have seen. But then again, I go against the grain in many ways.

No, thats pretty much how I feel about it as well...

 

[eyebeams]

I would think that may be the way certain people try to market it. In that way, it is like ninjutsu. There may be others that package their instructions in the way shinkengata says and are just shoved aside by the greater attention good marketing provides. In that respect it would be a lot like the situation in the Bujinkan. I am interested in how Shinkengata describes it, not the videos I have seen. But then again, I go against the grain in many ways.

Marketed? Parkour is almost entirely noncommercial -- far less commercial than ninpo in virtually every significant fashion, in fact. There are a few demo teams and t-shirts, but if there are "instructional videos" for sale, it's the first I've heard of it. Every PK technique can be learned for free, with combination of online tutorials and practice with an area PK group. The only videos you can really buy are like skateboarding videos: They're entertaining demos from the handful of high level practitioners in the world. These people (and they probably number under a hundred worldwide) are the only people who actually get paid for anything to do with parkour. At most, you need a good pair of shoes and some climbing gloves.

 

[eyebeams]

I've done Parkour off and on, even though i had no idea what it was at the time, since i was a kid. I've found it greatly enhances your overall movement capabilities, and who can argue that THAT is not a benefit to training? We all speak about how taijutsu has helped us from time-to-time in non-confrontational matters, i.e. everyday life situations. Parkour can definitely do that as well. Parkour also develops levels of strength, flexibility, and endurance in certain muscles that other activities simply cannot. So i say again, how would that NOT benefit training?

Parkour doesn't have to be the elaborate, SpiderMan-like aerial stunts like you see in the videos. It can be as simple as hopping up on a park bench and running across it and hopping off. If you can "sorta" do it, then get to where you can do it with great ease and consistency. Parkour is about breaking boundaries.

Just my thoughts on it. Hope it helps.

Well yeah. There's currently a split between PK purists who believe in negotiating obstacles in an efficient, flowing fashion and folks who like to combine it with tricking. I personally prefer the former.

Plus, it's worth noting that virtually every run you see on video has been scouted out and tested for safety ahead of time. Improvised runs are pretty rare and a lot less extreme than what you'll see on some of the videos. You spend a lot of time drilling individual moves on the site before trying a full, flowing run. Some people are hardcore enough to practice gymnastics with crash pads in the off season, too, but most are more casual.

 

[Don Roley]

Marketed? Parkour is almost entirely noncommercial --

I was talking about how some people market themselves and their image. Marketing does not have to be about money. It can be about image and how they want people in the world to see them.

I take it that Parkour can't really be learned unless from a real group over a long period of time. I doubt that there is a group here in Japan- which is a shame. Recent events have kind of made me want to do some of the basic stuff that site you listed do. The front roll I think they stole from ninpo. :ultracool

But that original clip where the guy is jumping down the outside of a building from about the seventh floor is a case of marketing yourself as a bunch of bad dudes instead of being smart and keeping it at a safe elevation. THAT I do not want to do. Too much trouble explaining to the wife why I have to spend the next few months in a body cast.

What kind of training options are there for people? Nothing short term?

 

[DWeidman]

What kind of training options are there for people? Nothing short term?

From http://www.streetstunts.co.uk/3run/tips_for_Beginning.htm

Tips for beginning

Before beginning in Parkour/Martial-arts or Street-stunts, there are a few things you need to consider.

1. Are you in good enough heath to begin straight away?
2. Do you have a safe place to practice, eg/ gym, sandpit or wood chippings?
3. Do you have people to practice with and to help spot you on difficult moves?
4. Watch other media, videos/pictures to get a good idea on what’s what.

It’s always good if you have all these things to help you. We began by watching videos/films of others and then tried to understand what was involved to do the move successfully. Then Practiced in a safe place, with friends there helping. We all began flips in a sandpit, and we started parkour around the schools, and housing estates.

The basics of street-stunts and parkour comes down to your physical and mental state. Alike any physical activity you need to be in good health or you will struggle with moving your body in the ways that these activities demand. So if needed, start by doing basic health training, jogging, push ups, pull ups and sit ups etc, because you will be using your arms a lot to pull yourself up onto walls and for all the different styles of vaults, And of course you will need power in your legs to jump. You really need to be able to lift your own body weight because you will find yourself needing to do this a lot. The disciplines featured on 3run.co.uk all need the athlete to be in good shape, so really take good care of your body, and push for strength, speed, agility and flow full movements.

For beginning parkour, I would start by doing the basics, which would be vaulting, precision jumping, cat leaps and climbing. You can practice precision jump almost anywhere. The best things to use are the markings on the roads and car parks. They are always well spaced out, and if you can practice jumping from one line and landing on another you can build up your accuracy safely. Once you have done this you can try jumping curbs and begin to take your precision jumps onto low level walls. To start you off vaulting, try simple vaults such as monkey vaults, feed through vaults and speed vaults. Use obstacles such as low walls or rails “waist height” and progress up.

With learning anything, it’s all about progression. Start small and safe and work your way up, making sure you don’t skip learning steps and rush yourself. “Take your time”, only you know your limits. Also I would advise learning the parkour roll. This is used to transfer force from your body into the ground almost. When you are jumping from heights you need to be able to land safely without putting the huge pressures on your joints. So this one of the single most important things when doing parkour. “For examples of the parkour roll see help section”

Make sure you always stretch before beginning your practice and warm up your muscles. Run about to get your heart rate up. When your finished always making sure you cool down after each session.For Street-stunts it is a little more difficult to begin practicing, For one you need a safe place to practice. No one starts flipping on concrete with no prior knowledge and skill. So find a safe place to practice, a sand pit was where we first began, a gym is even better. Once you have that safe place, and you are in a good physical shape I would say trying front flips is the most obvious move to start with, we did. If you have a trampoline in the gym try using that first to get the feeling of rotating. If your outside doing them on sand or wood chippings keep trying front flips, until your are really comfortable with that motion, then progress to trying airels, side flips and misty flips etc. these are all very low risk moves in my eyes. Once you are getting your basics going well, get two friends to spot you and try back flipping off the edge of the sand pit into the sand, with your two friends on either side to help you rotate.

Once your moves are almost flawless in the sand/gym then if you feel ready you could try it off of a wall onto grass. Its all about safe progression as said earlier, don’t do anything if you don’t feel 100% capable. The mind aspect is always there in every day life. If you don’t believe in yourself, then who will. You need to be open minded to reach a high level of skills. The balance between mental ability and physical ability needs to be equally balanced 50-50, like ying and yan. If you have super physical abilities but don’t understand what needs to be done to pull of a complicated move, you will never advance your skills. And visa versa.
Finally I would say when beginning in parkour/martial arts or street stunts, really have respect for what you are doing and for your health, these arts are not just another extreme sport where people don’t respect their health and do the craziest thing possible. Its about pushing your limits further in everything you do in life, ascending your level to the next. Be positive and believe in yourself, there really are no limits to what we can do. There are things I thought I would never ever do. And then a month later I find myself doing it, that is one of the most rewarding feelings ever. So just don’t set barriers on your abilities.

Chase Armitage

 

[Blotan Hunka]

I think its a good example of human capability and perhaps an expression of the same type of skills that earned the Ninja the "magical" reputation they had. If a ninja had jumped off of a castle roof like you see these guys doing from highrises then they probably thought that ninja could fly.

 

[eyebeams]

I was talking about how some people market themselves and their image. Marketing does not have to be about money. It can be about image and how they want people in the world to see them.

The top level practitioners in anything are going to be famous. In Parkour there are maybe two individuals and two teams with global recognition: David Belle, Sebastian Foucan and the teams Yamakasi and the Urban Freeflow crew. Bell and Foucan represent the two major "schools" of Parkour; the "free run" school allows more dynamic tricks while Belle's Parkour emphasizes efficient movement.

I take it that Parkour can't really be learned unless from a real group over a long period of time. I doubt that there is a group here in Japan- which is a shame. Recent events have kind of made me want to do some of the basic stuff that site you listed do. The front roll I think they stole from ninpo. :ultracool

That's not strictly true. Most Parkour groups started by themselves and learned from practice and online exchanges. They train in gymnastics in controlled conditions in the "off season" to break through to the next plateau in training, but most people (like) me, just keep it season and occasional. There are only a few core techniques that anyone can teach themselves. It's worth noting that most Parkour groups are not concerned with spectacular stunts, as they are only safe for high level practitioners.

But that original clip where the guy is jumping down the outside of a building from about the seventh floor is a case of marketing yourself as a bunch of bad dudes instead of being smart and keeping it at a safe elevation. THAT I do not want to do. Too much trouble explaining to the wife why I have to spend the next few months in a body cast.

You're not expected to David Belle (the guy in the clip) invented Parkour and is probably the finest practitioner in the entire world. You are also expected to inspect your course before doing your run. You never leap before looking.

My own practice has been most drills on very low surfaces. Here's me performing a palmspin on a very low surface. A palmspin is when you spin on one hand to return in the direction you left. Really good guys can palmspin vertically, but I'm happy with modest surfaces like this (pic of me):

. . . for the vast majority of my training. But high level practitioners will want bigger challenges. I have done some "scary" heights from time to time (vault to about a story drop and roll). The worst injury was a skinned shin from barely clearing a wall. The injury that's keeping me out of Parkour right now is actually knee problems that developed from untreated flat feet.

What kind of training options are there for people? Nothing short term?

If you're interested you'll want to go to http://www.urbanfreeflow.com and contact interested people in the Tokyo area. The UF crew recently went to Tokyo actually. Pics are here:

http://www.urbanfreeflow.com/urban_graffiti/tokyo/thumbnails.php

You'll already know the roll. It's exactly the same as a bog-standard shoulder roll. Precision jumping is just a matter of practice. I don't do cats myself (I'm a big 6'6" guy so I find it difficult to do and maintain flow), but between those, the rest and vaults, all that's left is to find an area that makes a suitable course, inspect it for possibilities and safety issues and to try to move through it with no pauses or interruptions.