School Traing

I went up to the school today to do some training. I worked on precisions, jump ups, landings and climb ups.

I really need to work on my climb ups.

Backyard Training

I did some trsining in my backyard yesterday. I was going to do my normal routine of precisions, landings and jump heights.

I started with the precisions. I started on the bench and concrete slab. The bench was starting to ease and crack a bit. Not wanting to break it, I walked around my backyard looking for somewhere else to practice precisions. After looking aroudn for 10 minutes, I found a start under a tree, jumping from a concrete slab to a wooden log. The distance is about 8 ft. I planned on doing my normal 100, but on the 72nd, my left leg slipped out. I felt a strain in my lower right shin, so I stopped my training there.

Because I didn't do that much training today, I plan on going up to the school to do a more hardcose session. This will hopefully involve the normal precisions, landings and height jumps, but will hopefully also involve climb ups and balancing (if I can find somewhere to practice balance). Let's see how it goes.

Progression vs Sampler

I recently asked the question, what makes a progression video different from a samper.

I asked a few people and have finally come up with a definition, that relates to parkour. Chippa was a major help with this.

Sampler:

A sampler shows the traceur at their peek performance, doing their best moves. It shows other people the skill level that the traceur is currently at, without showing how the traceur got there.

Progression:

A progression video demonstrates the skill of the traceur, while also showing how the traceur got there. It is a training implement for the traceur to use to gain advice from others as well as teach others.
It may show the traceur performing various movements from various angles, so that the traceur can be given the best advice for improvement.
It may also show how the traceur builds up to their current skill level, how they work their way up to bigger moves. That way the traceur can teach others how they train and learn new techniques.

This is the best definitions I can currently think of, I may edit them later in the future.

In regards to these definitions, I've realised that the video that I am making, is more a progression video than a sampler. I will be showing movements from different angles, so that I can be given advice on improvement. It will also show how I build up to bigger movements, like double cat passes and cat pass to arm jumps. It will also have some sampler-like tendencies, such as showing big movements, but I will also be showing how I worked towards achieving these movements.

I plan to release a video every 6 months or so, that way I can properly document the progression in my training.

I should hopefully have the video done in the next few weeks. I plan on finishing the filming in this coming week, then finish the editing in the two weeks after that.

Back from the Coast

I'm back from the coast.

During my trip, I tried to do a bit of training. This mainly involved my new training format, of drilling techniques. This involved precisions, landings and height jumps, but at extreme repetitions.

I head off ot Fiji in 6 days, and in those 6 days, I hope to be able to finish the filming for my progression video. That way I will be able to edit it when I get back from Fiji.

I've also been asking myself the question, of what makes a progression video a "progression" video. As in what sets it apart from a sampler, or what makes it unique. I'll probably need to talk to a few people about it, and then be able to make up my own definition. The reason I am asking this question, is because I don't want to go around saying that my new video is a progression video, when it instead turns out more as a sampler. By knowing the answer to this, I can decide whether my new video will be a progression video, or a sampler.

See what happens.

A New Mindset

I recently finished reading Blane's Parkour blog.

An article that should especially be noted is 'When Worlds Collide.'
http://blane-parkour.blogspot.com/2007/11/when-worlds-collide.html

It really got me thinking about the way I train. I've taken a few points from it that I plan on applying to my own training.

A little while back, I made a training program for myself, that focussed around parkour and exercises to improve parkour. Blane spoke about not having any set regimes for parkour training, jsut listen to your body and train in the areas that are not tired. Like if your arms are tired, train things that don't require your arms working hard, like precisions and balancing. I've now decided to not follow any set program, except for Friday Night Conditioning, just go out and do parkour using the body parts that aren't exhausted.

Blane also talked about the best way to improve your parkour, this being drilling movements. For example, to get better at precisions, do precisions, to get better at climb ups, do climb ups. I've been telling people that pull ups and dips are great dexercises to improve your climb ups. Now that I think about it, the best way to improve your climb ups, is to go out and do climb ups. I've now decided to not go to the gym, but to go out and do parkour more regularly.

Blane also talked about how drilling technique si the best way to improve. Nolt drilling as in ten times in a row, but 50 times, 100 TIMES. And also keep focus and concentrating through each movement, even though I'm getting tired in the process.

After reading Blane's blog, I went out to give this drilling idea a go.

I did 100 pecisions between a chair and a concrete landing, 50 each way. My goal was to stick my lanings. As well as landing silently on the concrete landing, and landing on the edge of the chair, without it moving. i focussed on my breathing, and getting height into my precisions.

During APA classes, we get the students to do 50 landings from a small height. This way they will condition their bodies for bigger landings. I now realise that while I've been telling students to do this, I haven't actually been applying it to myself. I thought why not start now, so I did 50 landings from a small height, focussing on silence, technique and breathing.

After this, I practised jumping up onto my table, which is about 1.5 metres high. I did this 50 times in a row.

At the end of the session, I foudn that Iw as extreemmly tired, but i felt that I was on to something great for my progression.

From now on, I'm going to try to get out and do some parkour training every day, if only for an hour. Toast will be a really go area to practice precisions and arm jumps, the bottom of customs will be a good palce to practice high standing jumps, and the rail at the old bus depot in civic, will be good for practicing balance. There is also a good wall there to practice climb ups. Im going to try to drill techniques at huge amounts, like 50 or 100 times per session, focussing on my technqiue. I can even go out and do this by myself. Solo training hasn't been to appealing to me, so this will just be another test for me. Weekends can then be for training with other people, and applying my training to different environments.

I'm also keen to go out to do some night runs, like follow the leader type sessions.

Im heading to the coast today, and I plan on starting my new training idea while I'm down there.

In summary I plan to train more regularly, doing more drilling in technique, whilst also listening to my body to decide what technique i will train.

APA Basics Class - Belco

Today we had our last APA class for the year. It was run in belco and was pretty wet. Tops to the group of people who showed up, even though it was raining.

We had a games sessions, doing activities that required parkour to be incorporated. One game was fly, which involved lunging increasing distances. The other game was capture the flag.

Both games were a big hit. Maybe we should have games sessions more regularly. Maybe even two months or so.

My hands are still playing up a bit, we'll just have to see how they go.

Civic & Belco Training

Did some training yesterday.

Started in civic. I met up with Eliot and was planning on doing a lot of filming, but I injured my hand again. The injury is only on the palm of my hand now. I may have bruised it or something. Hopefully it gets better soon. This then restricted me from doing much afterwards. We met up with Dave S from Melbourne and trained at DEWR for a bit.

Later that afternoon, we met up in belco for some instructor training and filming. I did some filming in a gorilla suit. We got some good footage and photos. Then the instructors met up and we decided what we were going to teach at the class today.

It rained last night, and it's still pretty wet outside. Hopefully it dries up before the class, we'll just have to see what happens.

FNC

I've just gotten back into training, after a months break. The break was due to work related commitments, and letting my wrist heal properly.

I went to FNC last night for the first time in a while. My fitness hasn't decreased too much, but I will have to keep training to get back to the level of training I used to have.

APA Civic Class + Training

Taught a class in civic today. Only had a small turnout of about 11 people, half were new. Taught climb ups and precisions for techniques. We also played some parkour tag. Overall it wasn't too bad a session.

While we were warming up, a guy who is involved in circus came over and had a chat with us. He asked us what we were doing, and we talked to him a bit about parkour. I gave him my details, with an APA business card. Maybe there is some potential ffor bigger things. Circus parkour would be cool.

Afterwards we did some training at toast. My wrist still hasn't properly healed. It acts up a bit when doing vaults, so I focussed on precisions. My precisions have improved, and I am able to stick my landings. Im now able to get more height into them, I just need to be able to transfer this when I do longer precisions. Practice makes perfect.