The Origins Of Parkour - Part 3: Parkour Today

To read part one of this article "The mind behind the idea - A brief history of Georges Hebert", click here.

To read part two of this article "The natural method", click here.

We will begin the 3rd part of this article by introducing the reader to Reymond Belle, who was born in French Indochina (Vietnam) in 1954. His father died during the first Indochina war, and he was separated from his mother during the division of Vietnam in 1954. As a result of this, Raymond was taken in by the French Army and received a military upbringing. In 1958, Raymond was repatriated to France after completing his military education, where at the age of 19 he joined the French fire services. Due to his impeccable physical condition, Raymond became a member of the regiment’s elite team, made up of his units fittest and most agile fire-fighters. This was the team that was called on for the most dangerous and difficult rescue missions. Up until this point, Raymond Belle had been training his whole life, using amoungst others, the principals of the Natural Method which he was exposed to as a result of his military upbringing.

From Raymond Belle, we introduce you to his son David Belle. David was born into a fire-fighters family and was surrounded by stories of heroic rescues as he grew up. His father brought him up to become a very health conscious individual, introducing him to obstacle course training and the Natural Method training system. David took part in gymnastics and martial arts training from a young age, and at the age of 17 he left school continuing to develop his strength and dexterity to be useful in life, as his father had taught him.

David Belle in the movie "District 13"
After David moved to Lisses, a small French town, he continued to practice what we now know as Parkour, and introduced the art form to others in the town. Sebastian Foucan was one of those people who David introduced the art of Parkour. As these young men started practicing, the town residents become more and more intrigued in what they were doing, “and really, the whole town was there for us; there for Parkour. You just have to look, to think, like children”. This, Sebastian says “is the vision of Parkour”.

Inevitably, the friends who spent there afternoons training Parkour together started a group called the Yamakasi which means “Strong Spirit, Strong Body, Strong Man, Endurance” in the Congolese language of Lingala. Unfortunately, David and Sebastian had a disagreement on what they wanted “the art of movement” to be defined as, which resulted in a split. Out of this split, Freerunning became known as an art form, slightly different from Parkour, but with many similarities.



Sebastian Foucan in "Casino Royale"
This article will not touch base on the differences between Parkour and Freerunning. Suffice it to say, that all breakaway movements that may come in the future, from Freerunning and Parkour, owe their heritage (in most cases not even exclusively) to the historical path that this 3 part article has taken you down. In fact, there are many training systems in place, that are based on the Natural Method, from Cross Fit, to Parkour, to Freerunning, and even to art forms whose practitioners claim are identical to the original “Methode Naturelle” They all have their routes in the Natural Method, a training regime that was not invented or created, but was merely observed from nature, and acknowledged for its natural efficiency, and they all carry the same philosophical essence.


A bublic Parkour class held in Johannesburg, South Africa

Obstacles in life, no matter what their form, need mental strength, spiritual strength, and physical strength to overcome. To overcome obstacles in life is a positive challenge to the Traceur, and is viewed as a tool to strengthen oneself, to learn from, and to achieve. And so we reach the current point in time, where this art form has spread internationally, capturing the eyes and attentions of people in almost all the world’s countries. Where will it lead to? Where will it end up? The answers to these questions are unknown, and will only be answered by the generations of Traceurs to come!


The origins of Parkour - Part 1: The Mind Behind The Idea


The origins of Parkour - Part 2: The Natural Method



Sources: en.wikipedia.org

The origins of Parkour - Part 2: The Natural Method

As seen in part one (See The origins of Parkour – Part 1: The mind behind the idea - Brief history of Georges Hebert) of this article, George Hebert, being inspired by the effective, natural, and athletic bodies that the Africans had developed as a result of their everyday activities, developed a training method which he called the Natural Method. This article serves to equip the reader with some insight into the technical and philosophical aspects of the Natural Method itself.

Georges Hebert set up this Natural Method, comprising of ten basic and natural human movements; to walk, run, jump, climb, walk on all fours, balance, lift, throw, defend and swim. Training all these movements together, in a fluent manor, would in his opinion, result in a completely effective human body, that would be ready at any moment, to assist or help another human being who was in trouble. Some would go as far to say that it is our duty to each other as human beings, to ensure that we always keep ourselves in a physical and mental state, which is most useful and helpful to other human beings. This idea can be summed up by his motto “Be strong to be useful”.


Practicing the Natural Method

For Georges Hebert, only the observation of nature could lead people to the true methods of physical development. He wrote:

“The final goal of physical education is to make strong beings. In a purely physical sense, the Natural Method promotes the qualities of organic resistance, muscularity and speed, towards being able to walk, run, jump, to move quadrupedally, to climb, to balance, to throw, to lift, defend yourself and to swim.”

Traceurs practicing Parkour using the techniques as mentioned in the Natural Method training regiem

His training method consists of a mixture of all these ten movements in a continuous manor, lasting from 20 minutes to 1 hour. These movements are carried out in a sequence that allows for one part of the body to rest while allowing another part to work. This training method can be seen in most obstacle courses and was adopted by the French military and most other armed forces across the globe for its soldiers.

George Hebert insisted that training the body using useless movements is not functional and in a sense useless. His method meant only performing natural movements using mostly only ones own body weight. The idea is that this type of training would prevent any type of imbalance and would result in a the most well rounded physical condition.

Body mind and spirit

According to George Hebert, the Natural Method not only involved physical training, but also included mental strengthening and moral development. These additional two aspects play an important role in the “whole” human being and also play a vital role as independent components behind the word “strong” in his phrase “be strong to be useful”. After all, how much help would another human be if he didn’t feel he had the moral obligation to climb into a burning building to save you, and how useful would another person be if he didn’t have the mental strength to swim out to sea and bring you back to shore against the tide. So to George Hebert, part of the Natural Method involved developing ones sense of morality, mental strength, and physical strength. He wrote:

“The final goal of physical education is to make strong beings. In the purely physical sense, the Natural Method promotes the qualities of organic resistance, muscularity and speed, towards being able to walk, run, jump, move quadupedally, to climb, to keep balance, to throw, lift, defend yourself and to swim. (Physical Aspect)

In the “virile” or energetic sense, the system consists in having sufficient energy, willpower, courage, coolness and firmness. (Mental Aspect)

In the moral sense, education, by elevating the emotions, direct or maintain the moral fibre in a useful and beneficial way. (Moral aspect)”

The true Natural Method, in its broadest sense, must be considered as the result of these three particular forces; it is a physical, virile and moral synthesis. It resides not only in the muscles and the breath, but above all in the “energy” which is used, the will which directs it and the feeling which guides it.

Now that we have discussed the man behind the Natural Method, and touched base on what exactly the Natural Method entails, we can round this 3 piece article off with “Part 3 – Parkour Today”.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

The origins of Parkour – Part 1: The mind behind the idea – Brief history of Georges Hebert

Georges Hebert 1875 - 1957

I have decided to write this three part article on the origins of Parkour. This article serves to equip the reader with a basic idea of the who the person was that developed this sort of training, the history of the "Natural Method training system, and how it arrived today in our modern society as Parkour and Freerunning. I would regard this historical knowledge as vital for today’s traceur, in order to fully understand the message and reason that this type of training was designed to communicate to its practitioners.

In order for me to fully illustrate the essence of Parkour and what it stands for in the fitness world, we will need to start from the beginning, with Georges Hebert and his Methode Naturelle.

The man behind mind – Brief history of Georges Herbert

Georges Herbert, born in 1875, was an Officer in the French Navy. He had travelled quite extensively and had spent some time in Africa where he was intrigued by the seemingly natural and athletic abilities of the native Africans that he came into contact with.

George Hebert co-ordinated the escape and rescue of arround 700 people, during a volcanic eruption in the town of St. Pierre Martinique, which occurred in 1901. The heroic experienced made him realize and reinforced his belief that athletic ability needed to be coupled with courage, and altruism, in order for a human being to truly be whole, and of assistance to others when in need. He later summed up this idea with his motto “Etre fort pour etre utile” which literally means “be strong to be useful”.

Georges Hebert slowly began creating what he believed was the most natural and useful training programme that humans would need to follow, in order to look after and maintain their bodies in peak physical performance (despite any disabilities that a person may have). This method of training was what he called the Methode Naturelle which translates “natural method”. This method of training was based on ten basic human movements that he noted on his travels to Africa, as crucial for humans to have been able to carry out successfully in order to survive in nature. He sought to create a type of training method, which would be derived from nature and would provide humans with the most natural and well balanced healthy and physical bodies, just like the Africans he had spent time with. He realized that not only did humans not need devises and other created equipment to stay healthy, but that these pieces of equipment were useless in a sense, when compared to the natural exercising techniques that these tribes adopted while living. They (along with the ancestors of every human race) needed to run after prey or away from danger, climb to get to difficult places, and throw spears when hunting for food. He observed these human movements and put them into ten categories; walk, run, jump, climb, walk on all fours, balance, lift, throw, defend, and swim. These 10 movements became the basis of the Methode Naturelle.


Obstacle course training (1943)
Georges Hebert's teaching spread between the two wars (WW1 and WW2) and became the standard system of the French military physical education system. During his life he also became an advocate for the benefits of exercise for woman. Works such as “Muscle and plastic beauty” which he produced in 1921, criticized certain female fashion accessories such as the corset, as well as the physical inactivity that was imposed upon woman living in a contemporary European society. He claimed that woman practicing the natural method of physical, energetic, and moral development, would develop and had the right to develop self confidence, physical capabilities, and will power, just as their male counter parts.

Georges Hebert was among the earliest proponents of the “parcours” or obstacle course form of physical training, which is now a standard in the military and has led to the development of civilian fitness trail and confidence courses. Even today, woodland challenge courses comprising of balance beams, ropes, and other various obstacles are still sometimes referred to as “Hebertism” or “Hebertisme” courses, both in Europe and North America.

In the year 1955, the 50th year anniversary of the Natural Method, Georges Hebert was named Commander of the Legion of Honour by the French government, in recognition of his many services to his country. Shortly after this in 1957, Georges Hebert, sadly fell victim to general paralysis. Although being diagnosed with this disability, Georges sought to cultivate admiration of his entourage, by learning how to walk, speak, and write again. He later died that year on August the 2nd, but as we can see, his legacy remains as seen here with modern day Australian soldiers training on an obstacle course:

Now we have introduced you to the man behind the idea, let’s take a look at his actual training theory, the Methode Naturelle, and all it comprises of. Please see part two “The Methode Naturelle”.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Inspiration In All Its Forms

All around the world people are starting to rediscover what their bodies were designed to do, they are beginning to rediscover what it means to constantly improve and not lay stagnant, to trade in comfort for evolution, to give up laziness for ambition, and to re-kindle the love for the art of movement, physical challenge, and play, that so many people forget during the pressures that come with entering adulthood.

The human body, a piece of art that has dominated all other species on this planet and has risen to the top, to a point where life has become so easy for us that our own tools are now the very tools that contribute to our demise. With a combination of agility, strength, and wit that is unmatched by any other species that we know of, we have managed to come through the ages moving from strength to strength and to achieve the unachievable time and time again.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) our achievements of getting the most out of the least possible effort have come at a cost, as the desire to make life easier and easier has resulted in us doing less and less. This in turn has created a massive imbalance in our physical bodies and minds. Never before has disease been more of a threat to the human race as it is in the current moment. Never before has mental illness and depression taken the minds of so many people, with millions and millions of people around the world currently diagnosed with some sort of depression.

There are endless sources indicating that most socially detrimental human characteristics (such as drug addiction, Alcoholism, depression, and mental illnesses) are a direct or indirect side effect of the lack of physical activity, inspiration and enjoyment that we now miss out on in our everyday life as a result of our ever “improving” lifestyle. The human body was designed to be physically challenged on a daily basis. This is what we now call exercise, normally carried out in a gym by most modern people, and normally viewed as a “duty” due to the lack of inspiration in the mind of the person calling it that. Even on the modern day treadmills, you can choose to take your mind of the “dutiful pain” that you have to go through, by watching your choice of TV channel.

Lack of inspiration—a disease of mind and body
The fact is that aside from the very small percentage of the earth’s population who live in a constant state of inspiration, when it comes to MOVING (whatever form it may be) most humans do not get in the required exercise that they need. Now days it is all about “the next thing to do”, a stressful morning full of rush and hurry, to get the family ready on time. Then it is the car, the traffic that is there every morning still has a surprising and stressful effect on the people in it. Then it is work, and for most people this is a mundane task that they feel enslaved in due to the fact that bills need to be paid and debts settled. On weekends it is about escaping the tasks and stresses of the past 5 days. Some do it through lounging for as long as possible, others are inspired by their art form which takes them away (or more accurately, brings them back) and others use drugs or alcohol as a form of escape from all these man made “problems” that we now swim in on a daily basis.

Most people have forgotten what life feels like. All these “problems” that we come across in life really are not problems. They just feel like problems because these matters have become the centre of our lifestyles. For me, the feeling and freedom that I get when training Parkour dwarfs the problems that bothered me the previous day. For the Rock climber, the spectacular view that he gets to witness at the peak just makes his work problems sound silly. The sense of achievement one gets from tackling such a physical task makes all other tasks that a person may have in life, seem not only possible, but an enticing challenge. The afternoon walk that a person embarks on to watch the sun set and listen to the birds as they prepare for the evening is beautiful enough to make him realize just how much of a sin to himself it would be, to stress about some insignificant matter that may have arisen in recent days. These problems that I am talking about do not disappear; they simply become seen for what they are. The solution appears more simple and possible in the inspired mind, and the consequence of no possible solution becomes insignificant.

Due to lack of inspiration in whatever form it may be, humans have forgotten what the real pleasures of life are; to just live in the beauty that surrounds us. A lot of humans do not feel the confidence that their minds were designed to feel that come as a natural side effect of physical achievement. Is this not in itself a mental imbalance for the modern day human? What about the daily dose of natural “happy chemicals” that your body receives as a result of good exercise? Is that not contributing to a physical imbalance? Do you want to go to bed early enough to get up in the morning to go for a jog, in the cold and dark weather to just to watch the sunrise? The truth is that the experience in itself should be motivating enough for a person to do it.

What does it feel like to live with every cell in your body? How do those rock climbers travel the world climbing mountains for fun? Don’t they have normal life pressures that the rest of us have that subsequently hold me back? How do those guys find the time to go surfing before work every day? Aren’t they tired from yesterday’s workload that the boss off loaded onto us? How does that man find the energy and motivation to go to gym every afternoon to cycle for an hour? Doesn’t he get bored on that bike and bored of the unnecessary pain he puts his body through? How does he juggle his family, with his job, and still find time to go for a walk to watch the sunset every evening? Doesn’t he have to prepare for his presentation tomorrow at work that we all have to do? Regardless of their art form (or sport/inspiration/discipline/extramural activity/hobby) these people are all doing one thing. They are all MOVING, not because the doctor told them to, but because they are inspired to.

These people are constantly living. An inspired human being is a happy human being with direction. I can confidently say that they are inspired because only inspiration from deep down within can give you the strength needed to carry out these tasks. What would all these people be doing if they had lost their inspiration? My bet says that they would join the rest of the population in the world today who have nothing to live for but the fear of what the future holds. Would they become a statistic on depression, a statistic on Alcoholism, A criminal statistic, a cancer statistic, a statistic on obesity and high blood pressure? For children, what would lack of inspiration amount to? Them becoming statistics of boredom and everything else that stems from boredom? How would that affect their children eventually? Who would these people become if they suddenly stopped being themselves? And just how powerful is a community of inspired individuals?

Find your inspiration in life. It is not only one thing but it can be many things simultaneously. The reason why I believe Parkour will become an extremely popular form of human exercise and inspiration to the modern man is because of its convenience. You need a pair of running shoes (if you like), and a free mind to guide you through your environment. In a cramp society, this safe and beautiful art form offers a way out for humans of all ages to become one with their modern day surroundings, to re-balance the body thus offering health, and to combat depression and boredom that take up occupation in an un-inspired mind.

Each passion is as good as the next and is even the same as the next. It is all inspiration. Parkour is this same inspiration, in its most raw and convenient form; being inspired by simply moving. Officially, Parkour is defined by “moving from point A to point B in the most efficient possible manor”. But for me, in its most pure form, regardless of the human labels that have been placed on this art form, it is about finding inspiration in movement, it is a state of mind.

The movements differ to those of a surfer, and to those of a kung fu artist. But the essence is the same. The art form provides modern day children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly, with a source of inspiration, confidence, achievement and health. Parkour is the product of an intelligent, inspired and cramped modern day society. Research shows that where there is an active Parkour community, things change for the better. The youth that participate become happier. They find new family, brothers and sisters who they train with every day. They not only find a need for health, but they lose the need for, and no longer see pleasure, in destroying their health. Just this change in a couple of hundred teenagers has the power to affect an entire community for years to come, even generations. It can be done for free, anywhere, any time, with or without shoes, and with anyone.

For some reason the mass population will rather “invest” in harmful medication or mind altering chemicals such as Ritalin to counter the negative side effects of an inactive, unhealthy, or imbalanced lifestyle, instead of going straight to the root of the problem and rectifying the imbalance from there.

What is your inspiration, which inspires you to keep on moving?

Comunicating The Positive Values That Parkour Strives To Uphold--Parkour Meets Public Judgement!

Communicating the positive values that Parkour strives to uphold—Parkour meets public judgement!

I decided to write this short piece on what, in my opinion, is the easiest way to train in public in South Africa. I believe that it is each and every one of ours responsibility as Traceurs to ensure that we do not bring any bad publicity to PK in the country. It takes one bad incident to shut down an entire training facility, which often has a knock on effect with other public places. Since Parkour is still relatively new in South Africa, I think that we should all learn from past mistakes and help strive to create a positive and pleasant national (and international) view in the minds of others, on what Parkour is all about.

Training in public is where PK meets the world and stands before countless eyes for judgement, whether we like it or not. Since the PK spirit, or the essence of Parkour is a pure and completely Utilitarian one (some may chose to disagree), it is important that we allow this to be known to the public through our actions and interactions with them and our environments we use to train. A human being can see the difference between a noble act and an act of vandalism, and no good person will willingly prevent a group or community from expressing themselves when the only thing that they have to offer to the community is health, respect, love, and voluntary work. Unfortunately these aspects of Parkour are often not seen by public authorities and only the scuff marks and broken bones are associated with the “new craze called Parkour”.
Here I would like to throw some ideas around that have really worked well with me, on how to communicate the positive attributes to the public during training sessions.

Respect:
Although we may not understand how it is disrespectful to run up a wall that may even be durable, old and dirty, to someone else you may just look like a drunken man walking the streets at night with his friends, bored and looking for some excitement. Even explaining to a security guard, that you are a Freerunner or Traceur will not work because your explanation will just confirm his original thoughts.

When we bear this in mind, it becomes clear that when a security guard or an owner of a building approaches you in an aggressive or distressed manor, it is because this person generally is distressed or feels as though he needs to be aggressive to make his point clear. I found that the best thing to do here is to communicate what you are doing to this person by showing him. I normally just say “sorry, we are only exercising and trying to stay fit”. Then stop whatever it was that pissed the dude off so much and tell him that you won’t do it again. Then right away replace it with an exercise that this person can recognize and relate to as exercise instead of mischievousness. Push ups or squats would be a good idea.

You get to squeeze in some extra conditioning and you also get to show the person that what you are doing is actually only positive. After you have made your physical point say thanks to him for understanding and tell the dude to enjoy his night shift and move onto the next spot. The next time you bump into that guard on duty, at least you respected his wishes and at the same time educated him as to what you and your friends are about. He will probably be left with such an “arb” memory of the night he bumped into those weird dudes that can’t afford gym contracts that the next time he sees you it will be a much more positive meeting.

As long as you have respected his authority and communicated in his language what you are doing (exercise in case you don’t know), then you have laid the foundation for a good relationship. The guy can’t call management because a few people are doing push ups on public property.

Damaging property is definitely not cool—Honesty and responsibility
Plainly said if you damage the property then it’s as good as banning yourself, and not only yourself but the entire PK community. This being said, it is important that you inspect your surfaces and rails to ensure that they can hold your weight. The idea is to LEAVE NO TRACE! Not caring about whether something breaks is not only disrespectful to the owners or management, but is disrespectful to the PK community as it is our training facility that is being damaged.

If something is ever broken (and it happens all the time) then the right thing to do is to take responsibility for it and pay for it to be fixed. This act will impress who ever it is that is in charge and again the Utilitarian aspect of PK is communicated in this action. It might cost money but money is money and that’s all it will be. I even would go as far as staying off clearly visible, plastered walls. These types of walls that stand out clearly will definitely attract attention if there are scuff marks on it. Just like all our other human actions, our PK actions towards our environment need to be sustainable! If they are not then there is imbalance which has no place in a Traceurs vocabulary.

Keep your playground clean—Willingness to give back thanklessly and contribute positively
If I am a security guard or the managing agent of a shopping mall, and I see a whole bunch of young men and woman cleaning up bits of litter as they train and improve themselves physically, I am definitely going to have a brighter outlook on the youth of today! Even if you get banned from a shopping complex, go back to keep it clean it regularly. The world could do with more people helping out when they are not asked or not benefiting in anyway. Karma a bitch they say, but only if you are saying it! A group of people giving back to their communities will be acknowledged and who knows, you may be rewarded with your playground again.

Even if you are allowed to train in a certain area, clean it up! It won’t cost you a thing and these actions are the kinds of actions that the world needs more of. Take pride in the state of this planet, it is your playground after all!

Turn the other cheek—Politeness
I would completely avoid showing any aggressive behaviour, any type of defence, any vulgar language, or any physical abuse (yes, punches and kicks to the head), towards any authority when being confronted. All you are doing is training and if they don’t like it then just say sorry and leave with a smile. It’s better to make a friend then an enemy, especially when the friend can potentially unlock a new training ground! There are too many arguments and wars based on misunderstanding.

Enlightening this person through your actions will be the only way that you can help him understand what it is that we are doing. Beating or abusing this knowledge into him simply doesn’t work. It just attacks his ego which is a sure way to make an enemy, and not just for you, but for the entire international PK community.

Stay in the shadows—Be humble
I know that at this one shopping centre that we sometimes train at, the guards said that we can train there as long as we don’t attract a crowd. So stay in the shadows and train in small groups. Try and make it as easy as possible for the security guards to pretend that you are not there! Remember that these guards have superiors to answer to. If they feel as thought they will get into trouble the next morning because of something that you did that they failed to stop, then they are not only going to stop your training, but in all fairness to them, they HAVE to stop your training. Make is easy for them to leave you alone.

Conclusion
This may seem all obvious or all airy fairy stuff, but seriously, these are the only interactions that Traceurs have with figures of authority. The better the impression you leave them with, the higher we hold the community up. If we can avoid all the negative connotations such as scuff marks and instead replace them in the minds of onlookers with the virtues such as love, respect, health, willingness to give, willingness to teach, willingness to help, honesty and many more, then we as a Parkour community can help them to help us do so much more for the world!

Overtraining - An Athletes Worst Nightmare!

We have all heard of it, and we have all been warned against it, and yet time and time again we all fall into it. The dreading state of over training!

With Parkour, Freerunning, and other related exercise, over training can be an extremely difficult bridge to cross, purely because the nature of Parkour is so appealing! Who could ask for more then an intense jam amongst friends in a well set out environment (or a challenging and relatively bear environment for that matter)? You start your session off with your headphones in your ear, warming up, getting your muscles prepared for what is going to be the most intense series of personal goals and challenges that you will need to overcome. You have butterflies jamming in the pit stomach, and as you begin your session you swiftly run through all the meditations and visualizations that you have spent the last few days in, preparing for what is about to unfold before you.

You have been living for this, every second of every moment of every day since the last jam. All your goals that you have set over the past few days lay before you, waiting to be achieved, all the obstacles and boundaries that you have created to overcome, are waiting in for you to happen to them. Your mind is one with your body and all your senses, at least to the best of your body’s capability, because you are over trained! And what do you do? Put your shoes back in your bag and head off home to watch another episode of Top Gear? No, you ignore the symptoms and continue with the jam. And this will go on for as long as it takes for you to either come down with a serious bout of flu, or an injury.

The best way to overcome any obstacle that we may encounter in life is to understand your obstacle. You need to know the texture of it’s surface, the gradient of its slope, the stability of its structure, and only after you have all these facts, can you devise a method of overcoming it. Knowledge in all forms is power, and this article serves to equip every reader with enough knowledge, to ensure that you never slip into the dreaded cycle of over training.

Over training is a particular state that your body falls into when you are not allowing yourself an adequate amount of rest for the amount of training you do. In other words it is too much work and not enough recovery. During training your muscles break down and get weaker. It is then during the resting period that follows, that your body begins to rebuild itself to a point where it was stronger then before the training session. A good metaphor would be a building that is broken down by an earth quake. Now in order to build the building again, stronger then before so that the next earthquake doesn’t break it down as easily, the builders will need adequate time to work on the project before the next earthquake strikes. In this case and luckily for you, you have got control over the frequency and intensity of these earthquakes.

Symptoms of overtraining are physical, and psychological, with the psychological symptoms much more distinct and easier for an athlete to identify. Mood swings, depression, sleepless nights, irritability, insecurity, defiance, hallucination, negative feelings or loss of enjoyment towards your sport, and mental fatigue are some of the psychological symptoms that athletes experience. Physiological symptoms are an increase in your resting heart rate, flu-like symptoms, aches and pains, injuries, headaches, joint stiffness, and generally low energy levels. You may also notice that during your training sessions you feel a disruption in the flow of your movements, an increase in your mistakes, reduced strength, power, endurance, and speed, and an increase in the time needed to recover. The chances are that if you have experienced more the one or two of these symptoms, then you should seriously consider the possibility that you may be over trained. Try to identify any other factors that may contribute to these symptoms so as to rule out any other possibilities and be sure about your diagnosis. If the conclusion is that you have been experiencing some or all of these symptoms, and there are no other possible causes for them, then you need to take the first step onto the path of recovery before you harm your body any further.

Training in an over trained state, no matter how tempting, is an extremely risky task especially when it comes to Freerunning and Parkour, as the two arts require acute mental awareness and require the athlete to constantly be alert. Apart from this, performance is hampered dramatically during an over trained state which when paired up with a sloppy mental status, is a disaster waiting to happen.

As a Traceur, thinking back, I have spent weeks and perhaps even months in an over trained state. When I think back over all the injuries that my body has endured, and I pin them onto the respective movements responsible, surprisingly the simple precision jump is the main culprit. This is because although this movement appears inferior and simple, it requires as much if not more skill and focus then any of the other movements we practice. Temporary laps in concentration can spell disaster in capital letters for you!

So the negative side affects of over training are not just the symptoms of overtraining, but also the increased risk of something bad happening to you as a result of those symptoms. Traceurs and Freerunners need to ensure that their bodies and minds are in top shape at every session in order to progress and train safely at each session.

Treating an over trained body

Rest, rest and more rest is the only way to treat an over trained body. The problem is that when a lot of athletes think of rest they don’t see the word as synonymous with “strengthening”. When your body is resting it is growing stronger! The exact antidote to an over trained state is different for different people, and it will vary depending on how long you have been over trained for. A person who has been over trained for a few weeks (2-5) should be ok taking 7 to 10 days off training, and then slowly getting back into a routine that is light and that involves at least one days rest between sessions. Slowly building this back up over the next couple of months will give your body the rest and gradual strengthening it needs to get itself back into top gear again.

In worse cases, it can take several months for a person to fully recover. Despite this, one must always remember that the longer you live in denial, the worse it will get and the longer the recovery process. It is always better to under train then to over train. By simply following these guidelines, you will be able to nurse yourself back to full strength:

• Ensure that you are getting at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night to allow your body to re-build and recover. Remember your body grows mostly at night so the closer you can get to 9 ours sleep the better!
• Ensure that you are consuming at least 2 grams of protein per kilogram that you weigh so that your muscles are able to rebuild adequately.
• Be sure to keep hydrated constantly by taking in no less then 2 litres of water per day.
  Increase you carbohydrate intake to around 65% of your daily calorie intake to ensure that you body has enough energy resources to take what it needs from.
• Ensure that in addition to you servings of fruit a vegetables, you take a good multivitamin.
• Lastly, and most importantly, make sure that you are not stressed out at work, or at home! Recovering from a state of overtraining is as much of a psychological matter as it is a physiological matter, which is why I recommend light yoga classes or simple meditation techniques that can be practiced daily.

After following these guidelines for 7 to 10 days of rest, slowly get back into well balanced routine, training one day on followed by one day off, while increasing you workload slightly and constantly. Remember for next time that prevention is better then cure and so in the long run it is always better to under train then to over train!

Working Together With Yourself For Progression

The only thing that is certain in life is that there will always be some form of progression taking place all the time in any situation. Even if one plant is dying, it will be dying at the progression of another action. In other words, something will always be growing at another things expense. The trick to enjoying maximum progression with minimal sacrifice is to control the progression of all the opposing factors that play a part in improvement.

When we take this idea and put it in a Parkour setting, we look at the mind progressing in conjunction with the body’s progression. As you will see, there is a perfect rate to which these two factors need to progress at, in order to obtain maximum results in your training while limiting injuries and other set backs to a minimum. To illustrate, I will begin with the first example of the “body progressing faster then the mind.”


When the body leaves the mind behind in training

When the body leaves the mind behind it means that the body is able to move on to the next level of training, whatever that level may be, but your mind is simply not ready to take on the next set of challenges and obstacles. It is important to realize when you find yourself in this state then you need to know that changes need to be made to your routine. Another phrase for this particular position is “comfort zone”. A person in this particular state would be in their comfort zone.

You may be asking yourself “how the hell did I get myself into a comfort zone?” and the answer is that although you may have ensured that your sessions have been regular, your body has caught up to the current goals and obstacle set by your mind, and you have improved your physical strength to a point where your body is no longer being challenged by the movements that you are practicing. Being in this position is quite common for traceurs, and also proves quite hard to get out of. Although the risk of injury will have decreased only slightly, the rate of progression is slowed down massively at this cost.

If you find yourself in this position you will find that your body is physically ready to take on more challenges, but not mentally. In order for you to avoid colliding with a situation like this, one needs to ensure that the mind is being conditioned for the next set of challenges constantly and consistently through visualization, goal setting and meditation. Visualization and many types of meditation are crucial for combating a type of comfort zone.


When the mind advances past the body

This is the complete opposite of the situation that I have just explained above, and is also a lot more detrimental for an athlete to be in, as this state can result in all types of injuries related to over training. We often see this in excited and keen individuals who just want to come in and learn everything there is to be learnt as quickly as possible, without first allowing their body to condition itself.

Often the will to achieve a certain movement overcomes the body’s desire to rest, and in most cases this imbalance will actually result in the athlete not even feeling his/her body crying for a break. This imbalance of the mind and body ratio will have the same result as the previous situation; slow progression, but this time due to injury.

The only way to avoid getting yourself into this state is to realize the importance of rest! Rest is the only thing that will get you on the road to improvement, and it is only during this time that your body is actually strengthening. Give your body the much deserved time that it needs to evolve to its new conformities and you will be able to improve your strength, fitness, flexibility and flow, consistently!


The perfect balance of mind body harmony

When the mind and body are perfectly balanced with one another, and are completely aware of one another’s’ positions, growth and improvement can continue at the best rate. I cannot stress this fact more! One will either find himself with mental blocks, injuries, or a mixture of both, if this balance is not achieved.


So here is what to look out for when assessing your current mental and physical state:

Listening to your body talking
This is the most important thing that you can do when trying to determine if there is an imbalance. Your body will let you know simply by telling you in the form of joint pains, shin splints, sleepless nights, anxiety, and many more indicators of over training. Take a rest, eat well and only hit the concrete when you feel 100% again!

Analyze the affects of your training sessions
When your body is always running on full tank, and you are never finding yourself as stiff as you used to when you first started, then that is the perfect indication that you are in your comfort zone, and you need to start picking up the pace.

Increase the intensity of your session in any way possible, using the feedback that your body gives you
When you realize that you are in a comfort zone then slowly increase the duration of your sessions. Try that back tuck or that gainer and push the boundary! Do that high drop off that you have been thinking of for far too long! Move your wall flip from the grass to the tar! This will also provide you with confidence to carry with you to all other aspects of your training. The longer you leave yourself in this state of mind the harder it will be to get out of it. The trick is not the rate in which you improve, but the consistency of your improvements, and the consistency of fresh challenges!

Correct your path without delay by balancing your routine again
When your mind is leading the way with too much of a lead then your body will start experiencing symptoms of over training. It wants you to achieve what ever it is that it sets out to achieve, but your body is just not there yet. The best way to combat this is to take one long break (7 to 14 days is recommendable, although in some cases athletes need to take even longer when injuries are part of the equation) where you would do plenty of visualization techniques to keep the energy there. You will find that once you have let your body rest out and catch up; you will feel better and stronger then ever.


Conclusion:

Simply by balancing between these two states, you can carefully tailor make your training routine, to fit your mind body balance. Remember, if you want to get the most out of your training, then finding this balancing point and maintaining it is of utmost importance!

Peace out and train safe!

The Mind Body Connection

The general rule of the thumb when doing most things is that if you don’t feel that you are ready to do something, then it should not be attempted. This article goes into the “mind” aspect of an action, and the outcome thereof.

I believe that there are two components to doing any action; the first component that needs to be present is the physical capabilities needed for a person’s body to physically and successfully carry out the back flip. In other words, your body needs to first become physically able to do a certain movement, before you WILL be physically able to perform a certain movement.

The body

A lot of people would think that I have just needlessly stated the obvious, but a lot of people still underestimate or incorrectly assume the current condition of their body. It took me months (over three months) to learn a back-tuck (and I am still trying to improve it today). As soon as I had the back-tuck under my belt, my side flip was easy to learn followed by a front flip, then b-twist, then gainer, and so on and so forth.

I had to ask myself why the relatively easy back-tuck took so ling to learn, but the harder tricks came so easily, and the answer is that I should have been spending two of those three months conditioning my body for the back flip, before actually attempting it. By the time it came to learning the others, my body had already gone through over six months of Parkour conditioning, and not just three, and so it was relatively easy for my muscles to carry our the necessary movements needed for the tricks.

If your body is not conditioned properly for a certain movement then doing the movement will only lead to injuries, which could have been avoided.

So the first of the two components is the body side of things, namely conditioning. Always make sure that your body is adequately conditioned before trying to attempt a certain movement.

The mind

The second and equally as important is the mind aspect! “If your mind aint in it then you just aint gonna win it!”

Not being completely mindful of your actions can be a result of many things and aspects, but I think that the main aspect is one of confidence. A successful movement needs to take place in a mindful state. So if you are half way round in a back flip and you suddenly find yourself thinking about the fall, or about not falling, or about guarding your head so you don’t fall, or about not extending the jump before the tuck so that you don’t fall from too high, then you will only fall on your head, for as long as you are thinking, you are not doing.

So to carry out a successful movement your mind needs to be one with your body, and in agreement with one another with regards to which muscles need to contract at which times. If you are still “thinking”, you will not be “doing” what you need to do next.

Yes, practice the move in your head over and over again before going through it, when you do the trick or the particular movement, you need to know what is going to happen and how it is going to feel, so that instead of wondering what to do next, your mind is free to just guide your body through what will happen next.
Going into a trick with no confidence is the biggest contribution to an unsettled mind. Because when you go into a movement with no confidence, you are not even thinking of the trick or movement, but only of the consequences of not doing the movement correctly. So instead of thinking about what the movement feels like, your mind is preparing your body for they fall!

I recommend meditation practices of most kinds, to help strengthen I mind. I have always thought that an athlete, who does not train his mind, is only running on half of his potential. Visualization and meditation help strengthen a mind and will therefore help you guide your thoughts when it comes to training.

A healthy, strong, confident mind, paired up with a healthy, strong, confident body, is the key to strong, injury free, practice and improvement!