#58Connections: Coaching Parkour
By Dan | posted on 1 June 2009 | 5 comments
And it’s a huge responsibility. I have taught in several different fields for over 15 years now, from lecturing at universities to martial arts instruction, but this is a vehicle by which to reach people like nothing I have ever seen – crossing all boundaries, be they of culture, creed, age, ethnicity, class, etc… parkour has no political agenda, and is a transformative practice truly open to all. And every one of the Parkour Generations instructors I work with brings something special and unique to the passing on of the art, over and above being excellent, dedicated teachers themselves.
So why teach? We are all happy to practice for ourselves for the rest of our lives, even were we the only ones on the planet doing it. Is it to pass on specific training methods, or see people become fitter and stronger, or to fight the cotton-wool culture much of the western world finds itself ensnared by? Or for social reasons such as combating obesity and ill-discipline?
Probably not. Although those are great by-products of learning this powerful art, I would hazard a guess that they are not the main motivator for people who wish to pass on parkour.
No, for me it is about connections. Anyone who has ever taught seriously in any field will know that the most rewarding part by far is the connection formed between you and those you share your knowledge and experience with: the joy of seeing someone benefit from something that has brought so much to your own life; the reward of watching sparks of understanding become a blazing fire within another; the bonds and friendships that arise from it all.
Life is always connection of course: nothing exists in a vacuum. We all of us are connected to everything and everyone else on all sorts of levels, physically, fundamentally, psychologically… truly no man or woman is an island. Teaching mirrors this truth – for it is far more than just a process of conveying raw information or data from one body to another: machines may communicate in that fashion, but humans are far removed from such mechanistic approaches. Were we not, all learning could be done via books or from simple audio instructions, yet it is clear that there is no substitute for live, personal contact time with a teacher.
Most sports instruction is done through modelling – which is simply watching someone skilled perform an action, and then attempting to perform the same. In fact, many studies have shown that modelling alone, with no verbal instruction, is an incredibly powerful teaching tool. Too often we attempt to think through things we are trying to learn, when the best way can be to get out of our own way and let our body instinctively carry out the task. But it still needs that model, and the better the model, the better the knowledge that is conveyed. To attempt to teach a physical practice without being able to demonstrate that practice competently would not only be lacking in all credibility, but would also likely be met with little success. Further, as no two people move exactly alike, every instance of modelling is unique to the particular individuals involved. Slight nuances in technique, posture, stride and so on that are specific to that one instructor will be taken in by the viewing student and either assimilated or used as a reference for their own attempts. Again, the individual connection at even this basic visual level is all important.
The connections we form are, of course, far more than merely the transmission of raw information from one person to another. That information does not exist independent of either the one doing the transmitting or the one receiving it; our knowledge is always coloured by our own experience, our own perspective, flavoured by the subjective nature of all things. Indeed, what is transmitted is affected by both sender and receiver each time it is transmitted, making every ‘teaching’ connection a two-way phenomenon and truly unique in and of itself.
I would suggest that it is that which makes coaching such a compelling and enjoyable experience for those of us who are drawn to it. Not just the meeting and interacting with so many individuals around a subject we are passionate about, but the quite unique and unpredictable nature of each of those connections. That is certainly what draws me back to it, time and again, and what I hope will be discovered afresh by every new generation of guide and practitioner of the discipline.
Labels: Behind the Scenes, Experiences
About the Author : Dan5 Comments:
Very nice read Dan, you can tell that you are a true teacher from reading your thoughts here. The clips you have captured in videos showing PK Generations training groups around the world had given me a glimpse of that before reading this post. I have to agree with you about the feeling you get while making connections with people through passing on your experiences and knowledge to others wanting to try/begin or improve within their practice of the discipline. It's another side of parkour that I truly enjoy. I hope to catch you guys in the USA next time around, take care and keep writing.
By 
deXtrezza, at
5:41 am, June 01, 2009
Great read as always mate!
By Andy, at
9:24 am, June 01, 2009
Interesting reading. Thanks Dan. :)
By Kiell, at
8:42 am, June 02, 2009
Very nice Dan..I'm from Brazil and I'll be coming to London in July ...the first reason for this, of course, is to train Parkour as much as I can and take part in PKGenerations classes . Just can't wait to meet you and the other members from PK Generations.
Cheers
Arthur
By Arteba, at
6:35 am, June 03, 2009
Right. Request from Turkey eh? Let's talk about the translation if you guys manage to agree on some workshops there. Can we work something out? I've got extensive experience in Turkish interpreting in different fields. Dan, you know how to contact me.
By 
Marion, at
11:21 pm, June 03, 2009
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