#12
Parkour Instructor Seminar

By Chris | posted on 26 August 2008 | 4 comments

So,the first meeting of its kind. A gathering of groups from 7 different countries at differing stages of transmitting parkour/ADD to students, ranging from the most experienced in the world (Yamak and PKGEN) to those who were just embarking upon their teaching journey and taking in everyone in between. The goal: to discuss and show some techniques and good practise for the teaching of the discipline, but perhaps even more important, to share an experience of what it is that people are now trying to pass on. Perhaps the most valuable lesson to come from the week was that before you can even begin to teach, you must really live what you hope to show others.

But before we get to the actual seminar; myself, Stephane, Johann and Thomas had to get out to Finand first. The plane journey was uneventful, but Johann and I had the slightly unnerving experience of taking-off from Heathrow whilst reading the sad and less-than-confidence-inspiring news of the Madrid plane crash. Having touched down in Helsinki we were met by Tung, a long-standing member of the Finnish Parkour Association and the man charged with making sure we made it to Jyväskylä without getting lost; no mean task! Despite being less than amused to find out that this segment of the journey was to be even longer than the plane journey, we arrived in good humour to be greeted by Perttu at the other end.

The seminar started the next day and lasted for 4 days. We began by each group introducing themselves and I was mightily relieved to discover that the week would be conducted in English, as my foreign language skills require more than a little polishing. At this point I think a congratulatory note is needed to all participants who managed to stage presentations and listen to lectures in what was not their first language (amusingly I was the only native English speaker, even among the 4-strong UK delegation)!

The first day focussed on the teaching of beginners and was lead by the Finnish, Portuguese and Italian delegations. Each day shared a similar structure of an initial lecture; some teamwork exercises in both national and multi-national groups; a further group discussion between all participants; and a more practical element, often later in the afternoon.

The second day began at the ungodlyhour of 7.30am, and even earlier for a few choice athletes (read nutters) who decided to head to an excellent set of stairs for some pre-breakfast conditioning from 5ish onwards. Stephane and the PKGen team started the formal programme with a talk about the importance of conditioning (a welcome mainstay of both training; and the seminar's schedule). This was the primary focus of the day and we enjoyed (although some may disagree!) an afternoon session that kicked off with everyone doing a monkey-walk/quadrapedie forwards around an athletics track before repeating the feat backwards. It was all very well talking about conditioning in the morning and discussing some of the more technical aspects but as Steph had told the group - to really understand what it is to condition and train properly in the discipline you have to experience it. Obviously, not everyone travelled at the same pace but an important value of the discipline is the shared experience, and concern for others and to help others: respect really. As such, those who finished first then ran over to those who were at the back of the field and helped them to complete their lap. Anyone at the last Rendezvous will have experienced that lesson from the Yamakasi warm-up.

The third day saw our first lecturer from outside the parkour/ADD community giving a talk on the possibilities of the discipline in schools. We also introduced the ADAPT certification to the groups, again, expertly done by a certain Mr Vigroux Senior. Motives for teaching were discussed and some sage advice expounded by many, but Chau and Steph especially. A reminder, in particular, that there is no obligation to teach: in order to do so you must really KNOW the discipline, have lived it and have that experience. And that is not enough; you must really want to teach and know deep down personally, that you are both ready and able to teach.

The afternoon saw an impromptu conditioning break out in the small amount of free-time we had. Some chose to train in their own way but a small contingent of French, Finnish, myself and a couple of others embarked on an arm session comprising various pulling exercises. As always (and for those who don't know already), this was done with sets of 6 or 11 repetitions, being the traditional 5 or 10 but with one extra for family or friends who aren't there: an important reminder that we don't just train for ourselves, but for the group. Feeling suitably beasted, I was mock-alarmed to discover that Laurent was inviting us to join him for a "handstand-block": a series of exercises that started with an 11 second handstand followed by 6 press-ups repeated 6 times and got worse from there! Suffice to say we all tried our best but could not keep up with a man who frankly, must be at least part machine.

"the lake outside the hotel was incredibly cold but not, apparently, enough to deter many of the guys from going for a swim"

Day 4 saw quite a few sleepy faces due to the fire-alarm which helpfully decided to make sure we were all up and ready a little earlier than was strictly necessary. Having being rudely interrupted from my slumber, I decided to take it out on those stairs again and met Martin and Laurent who had either decided the same, or managed to beat the fire-alarm downstairs. More outside lecturers began the day proper, followed closely by an excellent presentation by the Danish who were considering possible avenues of future co-operation amongst other things. After the intellectual start to the day, it was time for the French to give everyone some ideas about advanced conditioning and practise, and time for me to regret my decision to frequent the steps earlier that day as after a brief jog, we spent the majority of the next 2 hours going up them in a variety of manners. Needless to say, Laurent seemed fresher on his second attack of the stairs than most people engaging it for the first time that day.

The day and week were rounded off by everyone going to a viking restaurant in the city and enjoying an excellent meal. Despite some of the more hard core staying awake a little longer, Thomas and I beat a hastyish retreat to the hotel in anticipation of the 4.30 alarm call in order for us to make our bus to the airport the next day.

A few other vague details and memories from the week have occured to me in no sensible order:

Firstly; saunas are extremely smegging hot! Having not been in one for a number of years, I had completely forgotten what it was like to breath through your mouth because it burnt too much to try the usual nasal cavity.

Secondly; on the other extreme of the spectrum, the lake outside the hotel was incredibly cold but not, apparently, enough to deter many of the guys from going for a swim, and Thomas frequenting the water at all manner of odd hours, when the best I could manage was to stay in for about a minute holding onto the pier!

Thirdly; thanks to all who came to the seminar and shared, learned, took part and trained: Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, France, Finland and, of course, the French B-team aka UK.

Lastly; Perttu was, despite his claims to have had help, an absolute trooper and star without whom the seminar would have flopped badly. A man who not only managed to stay out when Thomas and I heard our beds calling, but who then had to be awake at random 2 hourly periods throughout the night and early hours to drive people to the bus station. Thanks also go to the Finnish guys for being generally helpful throughout the trip.

Labels: Event Coverage

#11
Teacher training review.

By Andy | posted on 20 August 2008 | 0 comments

Teacher Training - Day One.

I had a bit of a restless sleep on the night of the 17th August, probably due to a little too much over-thinking and anticipation of what the following two day Parkour Generations / Majestic Force teacher training course had in store. Thankfully I managed to get a little sleep ready for what was to be an amazing two days!

Early on Monday morning the collective of twenty traceurs, myself included, arrived at High Street Kensington, central London, to start our first day alongside the legendary PKGen director and coach, Forrest. After some introductions and greetings we all ambled down to the Holland park cafe for our introduction on the actual teaching techniques that we would be learning and implementing during the day. Although I've recently had the good fortune to be able to assist on some teaching for Parkour Generations, I had no idea on the amount of aspects that had to be considered and understood before you can even step into the role of a teacher. Forrest was very thorough over the following hour and covered many topics that have served him well over his professional career.

Then came 'practical' time. We were all led to a small enclosed seated area within the park that would become our initial training ground for our oncoming lesson. Individually or in pairs we were selected at random to take a short five minute warm-up to instruct the rest of the group while trying to use the tips explained to us in the cafe. To begin with, most of us were halted within 15 seconds of starting because we had already forgotten crucial points of the introduction such as safety, the 'Powerful- Angle', clarity of instructions, adaption to our environment, etc... Slowly but surely everyone started to learn not to make the previous persons mistake and try and get through a warm-up successfully. Alas, Forrest made all of us see and understand how much more difficult being a Parkour teacher really is.

After lunch our education continued with each of us starting another warm-up, main session or warm-down to show what we had absorbed from the mornings exercises. Even though all of us were still far from perfect, you could definitely see the improvements in the approach from the earlier session and it was clear that Forrest had successfully passed on his wisdom to each one of the group. Finally, after we had all completed the twenty sets of classes, Forrest took a short abdominal session, just to demonstrate how a class should be run. For those not used to Forrests’ notorious sessions, the familiar groans of agony started to ring out...

"With twenty people, it was interesting to witness so many different styles of movement and thought processes being employed to create the routes."

As the evening came around, the regular Monday indoor class was to be hijacked by some of the course members as instructed by Forrest. It was interesting to see so many different concepts and styles being implemented into the class that I'm sure a few will be used in future sessions! Once the training wrapped-up, it was evident that the regulars had really enjoyed the evening and that the guest teachers had made a good effort.

The day wrapped up with a final talk from Forrest about the class and his thoughts on the day. It was apparent that even though everyone was exhausted from a long day, every single person would walk away with the knowledge of what it takes to be a true Parkour Generations coach.

Teacher Training - Day Two.

After getting an excellent night’s sleep (Forrest’s' training session will do that to you!) the second day was going to consist of spending some quality parkour time with two of the foremost practitioners in the world; Stephane and Johann Vigroux. Located at one of Parkour Generations training hotspots, Latimer Road set the scene for a slightly more physical day intended to let both Stephane and Johann a glimpse of what each of us was like personally. This would allow them to assess whether we possessed and could successfully demonstrate the spirit of Art du Deplacement.

After arriving we were instructed that we had ten minutes to create a short parkour route in the surrounding area and that most of the day would consist of everyone running everyone else’s creation. On each run, either Steph or Johann would assess how you performed the route and recorded notes for the future assessment and feedback.

Once the 10 minutes was up, one-by-one we started to run the course shown by that particular class member. To begin, most of us were very slow on the up-take and didn't really show much get-up-and-go, but after a little kick-up-the-butt from the Vigroux brothers, people started to put real effort into running the routes. There were some very interesting combinations of obstacles that had a touch of creative flair behind them, and others that were slightly more sedate, but overall it was enjoyable and fun to experiment our parkour on all of them. With twenty people, it was interesting to witness so many different styles of movement and thought processes being employed to create the routes.

Just before lunch the team huddled around to hear our individual assessments on the strengths and weaknesses that had been witnessed. This also included what level of Instructor we should realistically look towards as a goal, and what we need to do to achieve that qualification.
The final part of the day was a private one-to-one with both of the Vigroux brothers where they would ask a few questions to each of us regarding the reasons behind our training and desire to become a teacher. I felt reassured that both Stephane and Johann were personally taking the time to listen to our stories and making sure that the discipline would be passed onto individuals who shared the similar vision of Parkour Generations and Majestic Force.

Reflecting back on the course, it was an amazing two days that had been very well structured and thought out. Obviously the instructors could only spend a limited time with each one of us, but it felt like everyone was getting the personal touch. I'm so happy on the amount of help and advice that I recieved over the two days and feel that one step closer to becoming what I want to be. I also met a lot of great new traceurs from various parts of the globe that I look forward to seeing again in the near future. I also feel extremely lucky to be part of the first class of the Parkour Generations/Majestic Force A.D.A.P.T Teacher Training Course.

Lastly, I'd like to thank everyone who was involved with the two days, especially Forrest, Stephane and Johann who shared so much of their time with all of us.

Labels: Event Coverage

#10
Beyond the comfort zone

By Thomas | posted on 16 August 2008 | 6 comments

The rendez-vous was set for 11am, so no one was surprised when the Vigroux brothers showed up half an hour late. They were meeting several other Parkourgenerations members for a coaches-only training session.

One thing i enjoy about training with Steph and Johann is the challenge factor that they always add to the training. I enjoy being pushed further, being under pressure and overcoming tricky difficulties, the kind that make the difference between a good session and a great one.
Being used to training alone, i'm often forced to try to create this state of mind by myself, but it's never like having a proper training partner.

"Johann said just after his first attempt: It's the kind of jump I would usually leave for later, but I was tired of that today so I decided to get on with it now "

As we were calmly getting along with our training, i noticed Johann standing on a short and thin wall, rehearsing in his mind a 3-steps running jump from that same wall to another one, far, FAR away. The distance as well as the short run-up on that narrow wall made it a tricky, and most of all scary jump.

So when Johann went for it and barely made it, i felt a mix of surprise, taunt, and anger : surprise because no one was expecting it (Johann said just after his first attempt : "It's the kind of jump i would usually leave for later, but i was tired of that today so i decided to get on with it now), taunt because it was a cool jump and i knew i would have to seriously have a try too, and anger because i was going to have to do something i hate and love at the same time which is going beyond my comfort zone.

Many traceurs, even very talented ones, have no idea what this means, as they never experience it. Most people make steady, comfortable progress and if they happen to come upon a challenge that raises a serious doubt in their mind, then they just move on and keep it for later, for when the doubt will no longer be there and they will be able to face the obstacle with the same feeling of comfort.

However, since my first days of Parkour training, i have been exposed to a different approach with these types of challenges. Call it grit, determination, or plain obsessiveness, the ability to face a tricky challenge and decide that today it will be overcome is in my opinion a state of mind essential to the practice of Parkour as i realise it's a direct road towards having complete control over our own mind.

I hadn't been challenged in this way for quite a long time so it pleased me quite a lot to hear Stephane say to Johann : "oh ok, you've raised the bar quite high today" before having a go too.

As I was having a look at it, i was a bit irritated by all the chatting and people moving around. Dan noticed and wisely reminded me it was part of the challenge...

I've always had trouble with running jumps and i couldn't manage to get the coup d'oeil and actually see myself doing the jump, it just seemed too far for me, so i did what i always do in this situation : i started making deductions, thus building reasons for me to be able to do the jump.

One by one, i covered the usual "ok i'm quite sure i can cover the distance, my precision is good enough too, i've done running jumps on narrow walls before, and if the other guys can do it, so can i".

I replaced each doubt I had by logical deductions until I had enough elements to know i could do the jump. From there, I just had to do the last and decisive effort. I exhaled a few times in short bursts, focused on each step and pushed on my leg as hard as i could, and made it to the other wall. As usual, i did it 2 more times to confirm that i could do it (once is never).

I was happy to have been pushed once more out of my comfort zone, the only moment i really feel i'm making true progress.

Labels: Training

#09
Traceuses and Saiyans...

The last Girls' Jam was a complete washout. And great fun.

By that I mean, this being England, it was perfect weather right up until we started and then the heavens opened and the clouds unleashed their watery challenge for the rest of the day. Did this put the assembled women off their training? Not at all. In fact, it seemed only to harden their resolve...

Thomas and I had been invited by Tracey to attend and help out with the beginners, and we were met with the welcome surprise of being joined by Cable and Blake of the Saiyan Clan - two veterans of the UK scene, with the latest female addition to their group, an enthusiastic and determined young woman named Mojo. It's always a pleasure to catch up with these guys, and we are grateful to photographer Mike who accompanied them and captured some fime images from the day.

The rain lashed down, making walls and rails treacherous at best, but the girls seemed unfazed and pushed themselves to meet Thomas' demands

for repetitions of passe-muraille and underbars. No one complained, no one hid from the training or sought shelter from the unkind elements: just as it should be. We are always pleased to see this dauntless attitude towards training in anyone, and to find it alive and strong in the female community was, in fact, no surprise. At the Academy we have come to realise that the spirit of parkour is quite safe in the hands of some of these traceuses who happily and regularly put their male counterparts to shame. Great stuff girls.

Labels: Jam Reviews