We started with a very thorough warmup (Bryan teaches parkour class in a gym, so he's got the warmup down to a science), focusing on leg and hip mobility and dynamic flexibility. Then we learned basic shoulder rolls to protect our spines and reduce impact when we land from higher jumps, or forward dives. I'm not ready to try dives yet, but I'll get there soon.
Next we moved on to speed vaults, kong vaults (I used to be afraid of these...always thought I would catch my toes and smash my face. I'm glad I got over that fear! Now I just need to learn to keep running once I land), lazy vault, precision jumps, and kip-ups. I also learned the mechanics of a front handspring, which I'll be trying very soon. I was also inspired to start my handstand practice again. I'll have to write about hand balancing soon!
This form of efficient movement was originally developed by Georges Hébert, a member of the French Marines. He wrote the book, La methode Naturelle, his treatise on efficient movement in both urban and natural environments. Now it seems to be split into two separate methods...one called Parkour, which means "the sport of moving along a route, typically in a city, trying to get around or through various obstacles in the quickest and most efficient manner possible, as by jumping, climbing, or running: his amazing parkour skills." The other method, MovNat (Movement Naturelle), named and made popular by Erwan Le Corre, is based on efficient movement in a natural environment.
Anyway, my experience was an awesome one. I plan on going to as many jams as I can from now on and working on my skills when I can't! It's definitely something to check out. We can all benefit from the ability to move better in our environments.
Check out NorCal Parkour's website.
Here's MovNat's website.
Here's American Parkour's definition of Parkour.
Here's the video of my first parkour adventure...and there will be many more!
Train Smart!
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