#35Body Armour.
By Andy | posted on 17 April 2009 | 5 comments
If you are one of our academy students I'm sure you will agree with me when I say that we heavily supplement our classes with a large dose of conditioning. I still remember my first class at moberley and being completely horrified at how absolutely unfit I was... Barely able to do a situp or last a minute without doubling over and gasping for breath. Alas, I stuck with it and started off (very) slowly and eventually built up my strength and fitness bit-by-bit. Apart from this obvious benefit, why else do we do conditioning?
Last month I learnt a new reason... body armour.
Yes, conditioning will give you bigger jumps, faster speed vaults, get you doing those muscle-ups easier, but it will also help protect you for those moments when you to slip, fall and trip. I'm not talking about flesh wounds that we all get, i'm refering to those (hopefully) rare times when the universe is plotting against you and it all goes horribly wrong. Sometimes there is absolutely nothing you could have done to protect yourself from that injury, but in other cases maybe there was something to reduce your injury... I for one am thankful for all the push-ups, sit-ups and quadrupedie (to name a few) we do because I feel like it saved me from something that could have been much, much worse.
"I for one am thankful for all the push-ups, sit-ups and quadrupedie (to name a few) we do..."
Obviously all injuries and situations are different, but its a simple choice that doesn't take a genius to understand... Do I protect myself as much as I can while I train, or don't I? This doesn't mean conditioning gives you an invisible kevlar vest that allows you to be reckless, but it may be the one thing that stands in the way of that oncoming floor and you...
Labels: Injuries
About the Author : Andy5 Comments:
Nice post Andy, good reminder of how important conditioning is for progressing in Parkour. Look forward to next months post ;)
By 
Inferious, at
6:56 pm, April 17, 2009
Yup, that armour served you well that day mate..! Wise words.
By 
Dan, at
9:42 pm, April 17, 2009
Yup, that armour served you well that day mate..! Wise words.
By Dan, at
9:42 pm, April 17, 2009
I agree. We also need to condition for body armour.
Another reason for conditioning is to decrease the pain (if any) when rolling on concrete. Some people have weaker backs, especially lower backs, and the shoulder which they roll upon. The muscles help protect the bones. So the more muscle you have, the more 'feather-like' your rolls will be.
Great post.
By , at
6:55 am, April 23, 2009
I remember Stephane talking about this on one of the first occasions I met him (during the filming of Julie's documentary in Lisses, if I remember correctly). He discussed how the strength you have gives you a degree of protection against the knocks, slips, trips and inevitable hazards of practising, and likened it to a suit of armour. Wise words. Nice post. :)
By Kiell, at
10:25 pm, May 07, 2009
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