#08Good people and good incentives!
By Tracey | posted on 27 July 2008 | 5 comments
I've been prettybusy this last week, and on the first chance I've had to post a blog, I wanted to share the events and thoughts of my slightly odd day... Five years ago, I could hardly jog 200m without collapsing in a useless, wheezing heap! These days my fitness, stamina and my asthma have all seen massive improvements and one of the benefits of this was hammered home today.
Chilling in my quiet local park in the sunshine, with tunes in my ears, absorbed, I didn't see the guy stealth up behind me. As he grabbed my bag I heard him smugly whisper "See ya later.." The nerve! He could probably have picked an easier target. I was up and a
fter him like a shot, shouting at him, attracting attention, and carrying a bottle of Evian which I proceeded to throw at him as he was crossing the dual carriageway next to my park..! The pursuit continued at full sprint long enough for me to realise that I would not have been capable of it even three years ago. When the fiend dropped the bag and ran off, I was almost surprised to realise I could've run much further at that speed. I was though, probably much more surprised to turn back and see a guy with a guitar and a guy in Speedo's had also joined my pursuit of the bag thief! I can only imagine how it would have looked to passers-by; a furious girl in bare feet and bikini, throwing things and closely followed by my two friends!I was very thankful to get my stuff back, and I want to express my thanks, again, to the two lovely guys that ran to help without a second thought. The moral of this story? Your training will serve you well, and there are good people everywhere - even when you don't see them...
Labels: Experiences
#07The Science of Fear
By Dan | posted on 26 July 2008 | 2 comments
This year Parkour Generations is embarking on an unprecedented exploration into the psychology of fear in the practise of parkour, entitled 'Comfort Zone'. The year-long project is being carried out in conjunction by Allchange, a company that uses the arts to promote social inclusion within education, social housing, health, social care and regeneration schemes, and is entirely funded by the Wellcome Trust. Much as with the physiological research into the effects and benefits of parkour for the human body that we are currently engaged in with Roehampton University's sports rehabilitation department, this project promises to provide revealing new insights into previously unquanitifed aspects of the discipline.
Yesterday Forrest and I spent the day with several experts from varying fields - including a cognitive neuropsychologist, a geneticist, a dancer, Roehampton's sports scientists, a writer, a film-maker and a music producer - looking to give shape to the project and define some parameters by which this research can be conducted. Young people from Arsenal's Positive Futures programme will be actively involved in the project as they
take up the practise of parkour and are put through several programmes of engagement with the ultimate goal being to create a finished creative artwork of live performance and video in 2009. On the way, we hope to be able to understand better the science of fear through the practise of parkour.Already some fascinating approaches have been postulated, looking at the effects of fear on the visual and motor perceptive systems of the body, which respond in very different ways, and how and why a trained individual seems to be able to override fear when engaged in his or her specialised activity.
Early days yet, but the project is looking as if it will be both interesting and useful for the parkour community... We'll keep you posted right here as it moves through the stages.
Labels: Psychology
#06Forrest's first post.
By Kiell | posted on 24 July 2008 | 2 comments
Evening everyone. Forrest has posted a comment in response to my last submission and I thought that it really needs to get more exposure as it's something that's quite important - to him and to Parkour Generations as a team. Hopefully he won't mind me re-posting it on his behalf. If you missed it, this is what he said:
Premierement, merci a tous pour cette soiree. Je ne m'y attendais pas tout. Tout le monde etait au courant meme ma femme sauf moi. A mon arrivee, ils m'ont explique que ce soir l'equipe de PKG voulait celebrer plusieurs choses.
Je suis reste a l'hopital pendant 10 jours ou je me suis fait opere du coeur pour fixer un soufle au coeur. 1 semaine avant ca je me suis tordu le genou gauche a l'entrainement, j'ai recu le resultat de l'IRM il y a 3 semaines. Rupture totale du ligament croise anterieur. Je devrais me faire opere en novembre. J'ai repris depuis peu l'entrainement et les cours, et je me sens vraiment bien. Donc Merci encore.
Sinon c'est vrai que j'adore cette photo. Quand j'etais plus jeune, j'ai joue au foot en tant que gardien de but dans une structure professionnelle. Chaque fois que je regarde cette photo, ca me rappelle qu'au fond ce gardien a toujours ete la et sera toujours present. Ne te focalise pas sur le passe mais utilise le pour devenir plus fort dans le future.
A plus! Forrest.
***
First of all, thanks everyone for this evening. I didn't expect at all. Everybody knew about it even my wife except myself. When i arrived, they explained to me tonight PKG team wanted to celebrate few things:
I spent 10 days at the hospital where i had a heart surgery to fixe a hole on my heart. 1 week before this,i twisted my left knee during training, i received the result of my MRI scann 3 weeks ago. My anterior crutial ligament is completely torn. I should have a surgery in november.
Not long time ago i started again to train and teach , and i feel great. So thanks again.
Indeed, it's true, i love this pic. When i was younger i played football professionally as a goalkeeper. Every time i look at this pic it reminds me in deep this goalkeeper has always been there and it will be always there. Don't be focused on the past time but use it to become stronger in the future.
See you! Forrest.
Labels: Behind the Scenes
#05Celebrations
By Kiell | posted on 22 July 2008 | 2 comments
There's a few new photographs on our Flickr slideshow that you might have spotted. Usually we don't need much of an excuse to gather everyone for vast quantities of food, but on Saturday evening, 25 of us from the team met at a Thai restaurant in west London to celebrate with Thomas and Forrest for various birthdays, weddings, etc.
As well as giving Thomas a handful of prints from our recent trip to Italy, I gave Forrest a few photographs of himself taken over the last 3 or 4 years. One of them was this photo taken at Royal Oak in London, an image which I know to be one of Forrest's favourites. I've not printed it before as the quality is poor (dark, grainy, blurry) but I finally spent half an hour working on it and managed to produce something vaguely acceptable. I've
uploaded the new edit to Forrest's gallery which can be found here.One of the prints for Thomas included this photo from our recent trip to Italy. Thomas, Blane and I spent most of June driving around Italy in Thomas's 1976 Citroën 2CV. Truly an amazing journey. Blane is nearing completion on the video and I'm currently working hard on the photographs. Watch this space.
Labels: Behind the Scenes
Thomas and I spent the day at the SPARC labs at Roehampton University, helping to devise a series of physiological data research tests to be carried out on the team over the next couple of months in an attempt to understand the effects and benefits of good parkour training on the human body. Working with Dr Andrew Head and Bridgitte Swales, two of the best in the country when it comes to sports research, we looked at impact from landings, balance and proprioception, and how to test and evaluate the biomechanics of parkour movement.
The results, even from today's intial guinea pig trials and test creation process, were quite revealing. On a simple balance test Thomas was subjected to, where the subject has to keep an elaborate wobble-board device in balance for as long as possible over 30 seconds, the data astounded the researchers: on average, a 'normal' person can hold this board in balance for around 2-4 seconds of the 30 second test. A good, athletic individual for 10 seconds. Professional dancers average around 20 seconds. Thomas held it for 28 seconds of the 30 on his first attempt...
Working with a pressure sensor pad, it was discovered that an experienced traceur's impact from a landing (of a certain standardised jump distance) is only around twice his bodyweight. The norm is apparently 4-8 times the bodyweight! Needless to say, we are very much looking forward to working on further tests and getting more such data - we'll announce when it is released, of course, so stay tuned. Tomorrow sees Forrest getting involved at the lab, which I am sure will produce more fascinating results!
Labels: Event Coverage
#03Another day...
By Dan | posted on 17 July 2008 | 1 comments
Ah, the trials and tribulations of working with health and safety officers... Today Stephane, Forrest, Thomas and I pitched up to teach a workshop open to the public in central London for Jubilee Halls Sports Centres, only to find that the managers of that particular stretch of cobbled street (in this instance, the Covent Garden Piazza) would not allow the public to get involved for fear of liability issues. So, today's challenge was how to run a workshop when the prospective students are banned from participating?!
Always looking to find a solution, we enlisted the event staff and a few other brave souls from Westminster Sports Unit, and put on a workshop-demonstration for the expectant audience, which went down very well. Many thanks to the guys for improvising so well off the cuff. Very good to have Thomas in the UK with us at the moment for a couple of months (and longer, we hope!).
As with most days at the moment, this one is stacked full. Coaches Brian and James are teaching for an outdoor sports event at the Westminster Academy, Dom and Yao are running workshops for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and the evening sees Forrest holding our regular Academy Class at Moberly Sports Centre while Kazuma and Tracey run this week's Women's Class at the Archway spot. Yes, just another day...
Labels: Event Coverage
#02Yamak seminar - day 2.
By Kiell | posted on 11 July 2008 | 4 comments
Well, it's taken me a ridiculous amount of time to get these photos edited, so apologies for the delay. Shortly after the seminar, I flew with Blane to France to meet with Thomas, before driving around Italy for three weeks in a Citroen 2CV. More on that to follow, no doubt.
The Yamak seminar was a fantastic weekend and it was great to see so many experienced practitioners from so many countries, all brought together through Parkour. The Saturday was a frenzy of activity, with rotating workshops on purpose built structures, with a huge performance to finish the day. On Sunday, the Yamak guys had arranged for us all to train together in Evry. Most of the guests had spent a second night in a local gym, a few, less hardy athletes resorting to the Four Seasons in order to get some proper sleep. I was fortunate enough to be again staying at Hotel Mahop where the hospitality is second to none.
Not many photos from the day as I spent most of the afternoon training, finding a few interesting climbs with Mr Spidey and a couple of others. There are a handful of photos here which will give you a feel for the day and the excellent vibe of the whole weekend.
Labels: Event Coverage
Kicking off proceedings is Kiell with some photos from the day two of the Yamakasi International Seminar that took place back in May. Enjoy.
Labels: Blog Tech
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19 || date('G') < 7) {
echo 'Evening!
Check out who posted today...
'; } else { if (date('G') < 12) { echo 'Morning there!
Check out who is posting today...
'; } else { echo 'Afternoon!
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