Parkour/free Running/tricking Thread

[Adam L]

Sebastian Foucan had hardly anything to do with the creation of parkour.

He merely introduced it once he learnt about it.

But yeah, did it for 2 years from 2005-2007, if you take it seriously it can be extremely beneficial to overall strength and body condition. The reason i stopped was because i needed something new to set my mind on.

I do recommend it to people but i reckon its too late to start at any age over 15.

Adam.

[Krisboats]

I do recommend it to people but i reckon its too late to start at any age over 15.

Of course its not. There's no reason whatsoever to suggest that. Your body isn't even fully developed at that point so you'd be limiting the sport to a load of people who won't be physically capable of doing certain things for a good few years. Its not like there's a massive amount to learn like there is in trials riding. There's no external influences, aka bikes and you don't have multiple mechanical things to time together like brakes and crank turns. Most people know how their hands work and know how to run so a few weeks sees most of the basics being sorted.

I went out with flipp a few months back for one evening and i managed to grab hold of a rooftop that he'd been trying for years... at this point i was 21. If i'd done it when i was 15 i wouldn't have been tall enough to get it as easily and would have lacked the strength to pull myself up because i was a nerdy little kid.

[Ash-Kennard]

hehehe im bare gd at it

[aener]

Sebastian Foucan had hardly anything to do with the creation of parkour.

He merely introduced it once he learnt about it.

But yeah, did it for 2 years from 2005-2007, if you take it seriously it can be extremely beneficial to overall strength and body condition. The reason i stopped was because i needed something new to set my mind on.

I do recommend it to people but i reckon its too late to start at any age over 15.

Adam.

Oh shit. I can't even begin to explain how wrong you are - however much I want to.

I went out with flipp a few months back for one evening and i managed to grab hold of a rooftop that he'd been trying for years... at this point i was 21. If i'd done it when i was 15 i wouldn't have been tall enough to get it as easily and would have lacked the strength to pull myself up because i was a nerdy little kid.

You ONLY got that 'cause you have an extra 2' on me when you put your arm up Don't go making out you're some sort of... I dunno - just don't be so cocky

Also - "a few weeks" won't get the basics sorted. There's more to it, in a hard-to-explain-why way - though yeah - it IS much simpler than trials (which is why it gets boring much quicker ).

[Sneakers O'Toole]

Running and jumping. Yeah thats gunna take an age to learn.

[Revolver]

Bit more to it than that. For example, falling from ~10ft, and rolling to soak up the damage.

[Sam-Addy A3]

Running and jumping. Yeah thats gunna take an age to learn.

If you don't like parkour, don't even look at the thread.......

And there is alot more than running and jumping, alot more.

[Rusevelt]

Well we kinda do that anyway when gauging/attempting a new line. Comp riders usually parkour/walk a course before attempting to ride it. I hope the world freerunning championships comes to london again but in a bigger better lit venue ie; O2.

[Adam L]

Maybe I put my point across a little incorrectly.

Its quite hard to explain what i meant, i was inferring (?) that parkour is mainly within the age group of 15-19. Well it looked that way at least at Trace '07. You need to dedicate a hell of a lot of time to it really, and university/work can hinder that, that's what i meant.

And yes it does take a long time to learn, it's not easy or simple by any stretch of imagination.

Adam.

EDIT: I think it's important to note that conditioning is equally as important as getting the techniques down. Without conditioning hardly any well known freerunners/traceurs in the scene (Ilabaca/The 3run Boys/Phil Doyle) would be where they are today.

Edited April 4, 2009 by Adam L

[Captain Scarlet]

I think its cool if your good at it , or can do flips (I personally really want to learn some kind of flip, like a wall flip or something).

I couldn't stand it when beginners would do it in the same way you would trials, like loads of amateur lads would make an actual meeting at this wall in town and spend hours just doing vaults over it.

Another example was that a couple of mates actually quit trials to get into this, I suggested the idea "Why not ride trials, and when you feel like freerunning, just put the bike down?", but they just didn't bother with the bike at all.

The best way I can see of doing it (and I guess I do this to an extent), would be just to go out with mates, walking somewhere (i.e shopping or just about on a nice summers day) and just do obstacles as you come to them, once you've done the vault carry on talking and socialise, you approach a road gap, you jump it, and again continue walking.

[Revolver]

Technically, if they are just doing the same obstacle over and over again, they're not doing parkour. Training, perhaps, but its not parkour.

[Adam L]

Technically, if they are just doing the same obstacle over and over again, they're not doing parkour. Training, perhaps, but its not parkour.

Thats exactly right, its a common misconception when they say they are doing parkour and people just think 'what a pointless thing to do' but its quite handy even though i don't train anymore.

By the way, Captain Scarlet, from personal experience, i'd say learn a backflip first. They are the easiest to do by far, all it takes is confidence and a decent take off. I'm talking on flat here, off a wall is slightly more dangerous. Wallflips are a pain and can go wrong easily.

Adam.

Edited April 5, 2009 by Adam L

[Krisboats]

You ONLY got that 'cause you have an extra 2' on me when you put your arm up Don't go making out you're some sort of... I dunno - just don't be so cocky

Also - "a few weeks" won't get the basics sorted. There's more to it, in a hard-to-explain-why way - though yeah - it IS much simpler than trials (which is why it gets boring much quicker ).

Jealous much? As we talked about yesterday, the BASICS are easy to grasp in a few weeks. Hell i reckon most of it would be covered in a single session if you went with someone half decent at it. Most the things you were explaining i was getting in the first few attempts and that was just a quick session round town in one evening. the more speed = grip on the wall kicky bounce thing especially.

Bit more to it than that. For example, falling from ~10ft, and rolling to soak up the damage.

But then that's not the basics... which is what we were on about. 10ft is easily intermediate territory. It won't take more than a couple of weeks to master basic gaps, hangs and small drops along with a bit of styling. Then obviously everything after that will be progressive like in any sport.

Maybe I put my point across a little incorrectly.

Its quite hard to explain what i meant, i was inferring (?) that parkour is mainly within the age group of 15-19. Well it looked that way at least at Trace '07. You need to dedicate a hell of a lot of time to it really, and university/work can hinder that, that's what i meant.

And yes it does take a long time to learn, it's not easy or simple by any stretch of imagination.

That's the same for practically every sport. If you don't dedicate time to it you won't progress, and obviously other commitments take up this time.

[aener]

And yes it does take a long time to learn, it's not easy or simple by any stretch of imagination.

...

EDIT: I think it's important to note that conditioning is equally as important as getting the techniques down. Without conditioning hardly any well known freerunners/traceurs in the scene (Ilabaca/The 3run Boys/Phil Doyle) would be where they are today.

That's the thing. It's INCREDIBLY simple. That's why I'm on the verge of giving up. It's SO simple it gets boring. 5 years is about enough, I'm thinking. I don't WANT to quit - but I guess it's the same as when people get made a Senior Member on here

Once you've done cats, you've done cats. The only variations is to go bigger, level, running or even dropping. Even then, they get boring. It's the same thing over and over, and 'cause the movements in themselves are so easy by this time, it's just not rewarding.

I could rant for a lot of pages about this, 'cause it's kinda hitting home at the minute. Really saddens me to give it up, but it's just boring the hell out of me now. As an act of desperation, I tried getting back into a bit of tricking, and combining the two - but again... Once you've done a gainer, you've done a gainer. That's it.

@ Conditioning - As far as I'm concerned, that's the biggest load of shit I've ever heard.

Train properly, and your conditioning is already done.

As far as I know, Belle (the don as far as "defining" parkour, being that he's the son of the guy who "created" it) has never said it's a good idea to go out and do lots of pushups.

The closest he's gotten is saying that you should prepare your body for such impacts by building up to it - hence him being at the level he's at after 20 years, and other people are getting close after 5 or 10.

Ever read Blane's article on dilution?