Friday, October 05, 2007

How often do you train?

Or would it be easier for you to answer, 'How often don't you train?'

You might be counting up the hours and days now and coming up with an answer along the lines of "twice per week", "4 times per week but I do a bit everyday" or even "I train every day". What I want to explore and explain here are some things that I have noticed mentioned here and there in forums and in bits and pieces of articles, but I have never found it talked about in great detail or emphasised enough to reveal it to possibly be the easiest way to improve your Parkour.

The secret to improving in this discipline quickly becomes obvious to beginners. The formula is simple; the more you practice, the better you become. So how can we practice more when our demanding lifestyles and jobs seem to swallow more and more of our time each week?

When people begin their training, they often focus on the movements that they have seen either in videos, or in person of (particularly good) traceurs, that are out of the ordinary - and why not! They look so spectacular and different. But what they all regularly fail to notice are the movements that they, themselves, already do every day, also being done in a superior way in front of their eyes.

I was lucky enough to be invited along to a gym session earlier this week, near to where I live, to teach, answer questions and offer advice to a group of perhaps 25, 10-18 year olds who had been training for various amounts of time. Some had just started, others had perhaps two years or more training behind them already.

One of the things that I realised quite quickly is that everybody who asked for advice, asked how to do a particular part of a technique better, or for advice on a specific moment of the movement, but nobody asked what to do before the movement, after the movement or what to do whilst in the air.

It got me thinking back to when I started and I was exactly the same. I would focus on the split second of spectacular action when I watched a movement. Whether it was the contact of hands on the wall, the clearing of a rail or the moment where the hands grabbed a branch. That was the impressive part for me and the part I was trying to learn. I wasn't even considering the foot placement for the run up, my posture in the air or the landing.

At the session, nobody asked me how to land after a cat pass or how to begin the run up - only how to do the cat pass itself when they reach the obstacle. Which was interesting. This is completely normal and I'm glad it happened because it encouraged me to write this article and taught me a lot about my own progression and training.

I've mentioned before how frequently that I find people who have been practicing for a year or two who think they are very good now and mastering techniques, ready for bigger, higher, further challenges. But it is only after those first few years that people begin to appreciate just just how deep the Parkour root grows, underground, hidden where you cannot see it at first.

Over time I have come to realise that from the moment I begin my run up for a jump, every single step, swing of the arm and intake of air, up until the moment I stop moving after the obstacle(s), is a part of the technique I am doing and should be treated with equal importance. This is why precision and perfection is so important to me and why I repeat things over and over until I'm happy. The passing of the obstacle might be fine but perhaps there was a stutter in my run up or maybe I held my breath unconsciously half way through. If so, I need to do it again properly. I wouldn't consider something perfect until all of these issues are considered and addressed. Only then will I be satisfied.

I went on holiday two weeks ago with my parents and we spent a great deal of time going to different places, walking around and visiting local places of interest. Whilst out walking one evening by the beach, my mum asked me if I missed training as much as I usually do at home and she was surprised when I answered that I was training right at that moment. We were on a completely flat pavement just next to the beach with nothing that could really be considered an obstacle or obstruction for at least 100m in every direction (unless you include the sea).
She seemed confused and when I explained that I was working on my foot placement, and that when we reach that coke can around 10 metres ahead of us on the ground, I will be on my right leg, and the ball of my foot will be in line with it, she smiled and for a brief second was given a glimpse of just how deep the practice of Parkour can go. It was nice to hear her say that she never realised I trained so often. I reached the can with my right leg, ball of foot in line with it and picked it up to put in the next bin we found (for recycling, of course :P).

To get to the point, the purpose of this article is to express how I believe we can practice Parkour all day, every day. There is absolutely no excuse for not having enough time to practice, since I believe we can practice every time we 'do' anything.

Although I am not very good at this yet, lately I have been working on concentrating on my every movement, whilst doing an everyday task, such as eating, driving my car and walking around my room. I find that I can only keep this up for around ten to twenty minutes at a time before something distracts me momentarily, but that period of time is incredible. I feel more connected with my surroundings and the world in a way that is very refreshing to me. It seems to create more awareness and I feel very calm and centred during these times.

The idea is to pay more attention than usual and maintain a state of higher awareness as to what your body is doing and where you fit in to your surroundings. I was once introduced to a concept known as, 'Zanshin', through Shotokan Karate. It refers to a state of awareness - a state of relaxed alertness. I believe I have more use for this concept now in Parkour than I did practicing martial arts.

You can try this now if you like, from wherever you are reading this. Consider walking to the nearest door. What is in the way? Perhaps there are people or chairs, a bed, a ball or stairs. Walk to the door and from the time you look away from the screen, focus on every single thing. Feel the intake of air as you prepare to move, focus on each muscle contracting as you stand, with just only enough force to shift the weight of your body on to your feet. Why have your arms moved? Return them to a neutral position. Turn purposefully, using the least amount of energy possible without unnecessary movement. How many steps will you need to take until you reach the first obstacle? Plan the distance of your steps appropriately so that you know which foot will be nearest to the obstacle when you reach it, decide how to move past it, move past it and continue to repeat this process until you reach the door. Now do it again from the beginning but with predetermined thought, simply move and be aware of everything your body is doing to get there. Move slowly but smoothly to begin with. It's almost a machine-like routine. If you look at Arnold Schwarzenegger's movements in Terminator 2, everything is ruthlessly efficient and every part of him seems to be moving for a reason, with purpose. No flailing limbs, no faltering on uneven ground, no reason to move at all unless that movement has a purpose to help him to achieve his goal.

I'm not suggesting that we all walk around like robots but this is a good example of a being moving with precision and purpose. It is this precision and purposeful movement that I am trying to practice every time I move, but it is difficult. I soon forget what I'm trying to do and lose concentration a little, but each time I try it I find I can do it for a little longer than the time before.

The benefits are numerous as they are vast. Not only will you conserve energy and be less likely to get injured as you move, you will also be improving every aspect of your Parkour, as your limbs learn to move with more precision. Most of us are guilty of using too much energy to complete every day tasks. Even to open a door, most of us open it more than we need to. Stop using handrails, you don't need them. Stop using elevators and escalators, you don't need them. They rob you of the one thing that we are trying to regain here, time to practice. If you must use an elevator, push the button with only enough force to make it light up. This kind of attitude and train of thought can be carried over in to every aspect of your life. Be methodical in everything that you choose to do.

For more examples of individuals moving with precision, watch Tom Cruise in Collateral or Matt Damon in the Bourne movies. It seems that actors can be very good at being precise when they want to thanks to their study of the human body in motion.

My ultimate goal is to move with precision and purpose, all day, every day. Whether I'm lifting a pen, practicing arm jumps or shopping for... bananas. This would conserve a great deal of energy, help to avoid accidents, teach me more about my body and generally allow me to train my body for up to 16 hours per day in a way that would directly improve my Parkour. Some might even argue that this is the very essence of Parkour itself. I would be simply trying to move with efficiency and precision all of the time, with no difference in mindset between going to the bathroom and passing a rail. Both should be done with equal concentration and precision by the student who wishes to achieve their potential in controlling their body whilst it is in motion.

I like to look around me when I am out in busy streets, I look at the way people walk and I often notice people who seem less caught up in bottlenecks and less likely to bump in to someone as they are moving through the sea of people. They move with more grace than the people around them. I wonder whether they are a martial artists or a dancers perhaps... for it seems that people who spend more time focusing on their movements, even through a hobby, move more efficiently even when they are not thinking about it.

If they could be conscious of this superior grace and realise why they reached their destinations quicker than the average person then they could truly begin to progress to elite levels in their chosen fields, by simply practicing more than other people do.

Perhaps we can do the same.

-Blane

33 comments:

Yves said...

"When I watched him move, after we had finished training, and observed him walk through crowded public streets, go up and down escalators, stairs, move in and out of vehicles etc., on the way back to his apartment, I noticed he strives for perfection when he moves anywhere! Even walking down the street, he does it fluidly, efficiently, and gracefully, always constantly aware of foot placement and body posture. When we were entering in and out of his elevator he would spin 360 degrees all of a sudden, and I realised that he never stopped doing Parkour. He was not the sort to ever trip up a gutter or kick his toe when walking, accidently knock over a drink, or stumble, he was always moving with complete efficiency."

;-)
http://www.parkourpedia.com/index.php?id=1,11,0,0,1,0


nice article


cheers,
yves

Anonymous said...

Nice article, really. I send You message on youtube, so if You have a time please reply.
take care

Anonymous said...

Argh my toast is cold now, i forgot about it as i read.

I cant believe you can be so far away from something and still know what foot will be where when you reach the obstical, i need to be like 3 or 4 meters away before i can tell/guess.

*eats some cold toast*

I hope you had a fun holiday too

*goes and makes more, heated, toast*

Rachacuca said...

Wassup, Blanne?

It's always nice to read your thoughts, very inspiring words.
I practise silent moves all the time, nut i never thought 'bout use les energy to do it. I'll concentrate on it for now on, specially when i'm out to buy some bananas.

take care,
cheers from Brazil,

Bruno Rachacuca.

Anonymous said...

I always try and walk in a fluid and accelerated pace. Not in a hurried style, but in a such a way that you are taking smooth and nimble steps.

This flow of movement trains the rest of the body to follow the same kind of process, which helps reaction times when faced with obstacles that might stray into your path, such as people, poles, etc.

The idea is to move past such objects in a smooth and calculated manner, as swiftly and steadily as possible, without ever coming in physical contact.

This also employs some of the same techniques that you mentioned, as well as what Yves said...

"When I watched him move, after we had finished training, and observed him walk through crowded public streets, go up and down escalators, stairs, move in and out of vehicles etc., on the way back to his apartment, I noticed he strives for perfection when he moves anywhere! Even walking down the street, he does it fluidly, efficiently, and gracefully, always constantly aware of foot placement and body posture. When we were entering in and out of his elevator he would spin 360 degrees all of a sudden, and I realised that he never stopped doing Parkour. He was not the sort to ever trip up a gutter or kick his toe when walking, accidently knock over a drink, or stumble, he was always moving with complete efficiency."

Anonymous said...

great article, as usual! I've actually been doing this recently, having just started at college i find myself swiftly through many crowds, but in streets and in corridors. for the past couple of weeks I've started predicting which foot will hit where, and whether i can fit through the gap between the 2 old ladies who are about to collide shoulders. it's good fun, and actually makes the otherwise mundane walks pass quicker. ive also started moving silently just around the house, so i found this article very interesting to read... though i have to say you often write these articles a few days after ive realised the very thoughts you bring up yourself! :P


by the way, you're now training with a friend of mine, andeh, take care of him, he's only Je-
...
little...

Bloobirds said...

Very nice article Blane =]
and one that i have thought about before but never really brought myself to focus upon...something this article has done for me.
Really is a shame that university was not for me, i was looking forward to training with you, learning from you. Perhaps i'll make the journey up there sometime soon, or you can come down to luton [it is only an hour drive, or there are trains that go straight from leicester to luton].
In the mean time i have all your blog posts to learn from =]
thanks,
Bloo

Anonymous said...

I think this is great article, but is it fun to consentrate in every thing? You can't read a magazine when you are eating, because you must consentrate fully to the eating. You can't even talk when you are eating if you want to consentrate to the eating perfectly. When you are walking wouldn't it be nicier to watch the enviroment than consentrate perfectly to walking?

I understand in short periods but all the time training expect when you are sleeping?

Anonymous said...

Very nice, Blane. I've been practicing this mentality for a few months now, and I agree, it is incredible in those moments of total concentration.

Have you ever read Dan Millman? Because this sounds like something from his writings, and that's where I picked up this mindset. One book in particular, Body Mind Mastery, focuses on a lot of things that I feel really embody the philosophy of parkour.

Check him out if you want, you'll probably find some shared ideas or new ones to add to your training.

All the best,
Eso

Bloobirds said...

at anonymous...
surely the idea Blane is putting across is to do this training while you do your normal things...
so not adapting your lifestyle to training, but encorporating training into the rest of your lifestyle...
so therefore, if you normally read or talk while you eat, then your body is probably naturally efficiently eating...but the idea is to concentrate on making the combined activity more efficient etc. than it normally is, i.e managing the time when you take mouthfulls more successfully to allow you to read more in the alloted time =]


----


just thought i'd update you to my day of this B.
did this all day, managing my movements as i was walking around the house, i.e. turning in the air as i jumped down the last couple of steps so i was facing the disired way as opposed to turning upon reaching the bottom. As i walked into different rooms i concentrated on my steps leading up to the door so that i was on the best foot as i went through the doorway and so that i was following the best path through the doorway. Concentrating on my driving as i returned home after taking my girlfriend back to hers i concentrated on each gear change, each preparation leading up to the corners, each little adjustment in the road surface was noted in plenty of time to prepare for it accordingly...i actually managed to shave 6 seconds off my best time home because of this, a time that i had thought to be my wall.

just thought you'd be interested in hearing my experiences so far =]
cheers,
Bloo x

Ben Nuttall said...

Very deep article. I felt like I connected with parts of it, other parts I felt like you were taking things too far, other parts I simply admired you for.

Loved the bit you said about the coke can on the beach ;-)

You seem to be something of a perfectionist, in a rather strict negative way - I mean I know you see it as vital to your lifestyle and that it's for your own good but it seems like you're the sort of person who can achieve something amazing and wouldn't be as happy about it as he should be, like you'd have something to complain about how it went, despite the overall achievement your cynical mindset would be to find criticism. I'm not sure how to react to this attitude. In a way I respect you for it but in a way I feel it's being too picky. Just imagine the same situation but between a trainer and an instructor, the trainer achieves something incredible but the instructor tells him he's a worthless piece of shit and he has to do it again because he breathed too heavily part way through the task. (Lol I'm sure you don't call yourself a worthless piece of shit for not breathing normally during a OAC...)

It's an obscure and almost unnerving attitude to training, but I respect the way it's about focus and channelling towards your overall target like the fucking Terminator.

Thanks for sharing that. I loved reading it.

Btw I'm heading to Leicester for a DMU Open Day on the weekend of the 27th. I might be stopping at a mate's for the weekend and would love to train if you or anyone will be around. I'll check here for a reply.

Cheers mate,

Ben

Chris 'Blane' Rowat said...

Yes Yves! That was one of the few sources I had read something like this... very nice article. When I first read that a few months ago it was like pouring cement on to some of the ideas I was having, it set them all in place. :D

I've replied to your Youtube message Pawel, good luck with the planche.

Hi Tez, I've not seen you in ages, have you been busy at college? Sorry about the cold toast, I'll do an audio version of my blog in future so you can eat your toast at the same time. :P My holiday was great thanks, I'll tell you about it when I see you!

Rachacuca, Let me know how the banana trips go, hope your training is going well down in Brazil.

Nice work Nick, that's exactly the kind of training 'm talking about. Keep it up.

Tom, in that case I thank you for not writing your ideas down when you think of them, or I would have nothing to talk about! Haha! :D
I completely agree that this is a lot more interesting than simply walking - it's quite challenging and often rewarding. I'll look after Andeh for you and ship him home safe when we're finished with him. :P

Bloo, it's a shame that uni wasn't for you but it's better to realise that in the beginning than waste any more time over it. My only regret is that I didn't get to train with you, something we'll need to sort out soon. :-)
Great to hear your experiences with this so far, it feels great when you're focusing on something so ordinary, in such an extraordinary way. For some reason driving does feel a lot better when you're in this mindset, gear changes and cornering seems a lot smoother so I'm not surprised you shaved 6 seconds off your best time!

Anonymous, you mentioned that this would mean you could not talk whilst eating but you could... this is simply a combination of two things and yet another thing you could practice, just as Bloo said.

Eso, I've not heard of Dan Millman until now, thanks for bringing him to my attention. I will check out that book as it sounds very interesting... thanks for that.

Ben, I completely understand your concerns that I could probably enjoy some things that are less than perfect more. The strange thing is Parkour is a lot of things to me, but fun comes a bit further down the list to me than a lot of people. I have really deep reasons for doing this and long term goals and when I reach them, I will be truly happy. But for now, I enjoy the almost negative mindset that tells me that I'm not good enough, my techniques are not clean enough and I'm not strong enough. It's what keeps me training as often as I do and when I notice results it becomes worth it.

It's true that I'm not happy with a technique, however amazing it might be, until it's perfect. But amazing is a point of view and it doesn't become truly amazing, to me, until it is perfect. Something inside me says 'could be better' and it's this voice that keeps me working and keeps me trying something until I'm happy.

That weekend of the 27th sounds like a plan, I should be around for sure. Email me a little closer to the time and we can make some concrete arrangements.

Thanks everyone.

*B*

Anonymous said...

Hello dear, I was at the Hinkley gymnastics on Tuesday and look forward to tomorrow.

-Zesk

Tobi said...

Hi Blane,
I always wonder about the way you train. If ANYONE trains every aspect of parkour, then you ;). Thanks for the article, keep it up!

Aaron said...

Nice article man. The concentration and awareness you are talking about is the same as that sought after during meditation. Except you seem to have come at this discovery from the opposite direction to me.

I started meditation before I even did Parkour and you're also right, it is the the same as the Zanshin taught before and after most Japanese martials arts sessions (to clear the mind and aid concentration). I knew immediately that to practice Parkour well and accurately, concentration and awareness would be essential so I try to apply it during training. Funnily enough, the opposite also works: Focusing on the movement and potential movement in techniques like precisions etc. is a form of meditation.

This is the reason why the more accomplished and long-standing traceurs are chilled out, serene and clear-thinking. They have been practicing so long that their minds are far more clear of the crap that muddies our thinking than the average person on the street.

Anyway, my point is that anybody who wants to develop their 'Parkour mind' should do Parkour. But to quicken it's development, you should also meditate. Look into Buddhism. You don't have to be a Buddhist to meditate (I'm not) but most temples teach meditation classes to anybody who wants to learn.

4564984680464 said...

Interesting and intriguing as always. Don't know what to say other than thank you.

Your ponderings are invaluable as a source or inspiration.

Kieran

TraceurZeno said...

I enjoyed and can fully relate to what you are saying Blane.

Thanks for taking the time to communicate these real valid points and thoughts.

Zeno

Anonymous said...

Ben - I have to disagree with your opinion about the "negativeness" of that kind of thinking ("... perfectionist, in a rather strict n e g a t i v e way"). The negative way would be to think - "I didn't do it properly, I'm worthless". Many people who think like that give up their training after a year or two. They just consider themselves not good enough to do the technique properly and simply give up.
Now, thinking "I didn't do it properly, I have to do this again" is IMO the best way of pushing yourself for further training. In fact the jump/vault etc. will NEVER be perfect. That's why you have to train all the time, all aspects of your discipline (Parkour in this case). The goal of all of us should be to become a perfect traceur - but this will never happen. But I think that by trying to achieve the impossible we can get as close to it as possible when we'll become "out" in one of the aspects of our training.
I know that there shouldn't be a point when you say "that's it, I'm too old / my health condition isn't well enough to train any more" and I completely agree with that. But come on, do you imagine yourself doing cat leap or climbing an X meters high wall when being 70-80 years old? I know there are other aspects that you can still train and "use" in your life but you won't be able to run across the city/woods for your whole life. When "the time" comes, when your training will become more "passive" (I mean - you still train but in different way) you will be able to look back knowing you did your best and you still have to do your best now.
I'm getting a little away from the main topic, so I'll cut my thoughts here - I hope you get the picture of what I'm trying to say.

Peace

dirk said...

Very nice article, enjoyed reading it.

I do similar things. Reading a book while walking, while balancing on a curb, while listening to music and the surroundings at the same time. It's hard to focus on so many senses at the same time, but it's getting better every day.

Also I do similar things. Instead of repeating a vaulta for 100 times a day, I do it for 20 days, one a day. When I come from school I purposedly do a jump over my weak side, and oh boy, has it improved!

hope we'll meet some day,
Dirk

R.Trader said...

Well this is a first time thing for me, Im Riz a traceur in training from Chicago. To start, I must say that you have an unbelievable amount of skill and finesse however, thats not all you also have an excellent thought process and your ideas are very inspiring. Keep on being amazing

-Riz

p.s. can you please tell me how to train for precisions and muscle ups my email is inventorriz@gmail.com

bushina said...

Good work discovering this on your own! I know exactly what you mean by this. Try to empty your head of all thoughts and let your consciousness do the work, this is what saves energy, the mind working in sync with your body. It`s is proven that if you stop the thoughts for a mere 7 seconds you save so much energy! When your consciousness is in the now moment you become stronger, faster, sharper, every move is well controlled because you`re in the NOW moment! Neither past nor future matters, because the NOW is the most real thing possible. Sure i have to congratulate you because i have a teacher who is showing me the way, and you do this by your own. It`s simply natural for our consciousness to follow the flow of nature. Murihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido told his students to try and surprise him (attack him)whenever they wish. He did this to increase his conscious awareness. There are some principles that i would like to talk with you about. ko6nica@yahoo.com
Best of luck in the future. ^_^

Unknown said...

hey blane, it's been a while since my last comment, but i got a few questions. I have found out the hard way that i don't have near the leg strength required to do much of anything, are there really any good ways to build this? (i tried to do a standing jump as far as i could and only managed about 4 1/2 maybe five feet). Also when practicing wall flips and climbs i do this gay little stutter step when im a few feet away before i jump. Then i lose all my momentum and bail out of a move. I don't understand how to do the approach to many of the moves.

FYI: im the guy from Gretna Nebraska.

Ben Nuttall said...

Ok thanks Blane, I'll email you closer to the 27th and we'll arrange something. Where do you usually meet up?

I knew you'd have something to say in response to my comment, and I stand firm in my original position; I completely respect you for your methods.

Tash - Just so you know I'm not telling Blane he's wrong for taking this attitude. As I said I totally respect the guy. Anything he does in his training scheme has to be doing him some good or he wouldn't be where he is today!

Ben

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I recently read your article.
It was just the right moment for reading. I quite ill (stomach ache ...) at the moment and the doctor say I must not do any sports for probably 6 weeks.
I will try this kind of training during my everyday tasks!
Thank u

Unknown said...

how, are you doing man?
Here's my email so you can answer my last post: >alex.rockwell@gmail.com<
But yeah i definitely need some help, Thanks Blane.


Alex R

Something from Nothing said...

Hey man, good read, been meanign to read it for a while.

You've really put across well things I've noticed etc. The beuty is to be medetating through every movement. Being aware, persistantly mainting our attention on the HERE and NOW.

I'll message you some book that would interest you no doubt they have helped me along my path.

"But it is only after those first few years that people begin to appreciate just just how deep the Parkour root grows, underground, hidden where you cannot see it at first."

Very true, took me 2 Years to understand and my eyes opened to what Parkour was. I was in London, Jason and Owen had gone home, I felt tired, went to play in the kids park, just moving around, and in those moments, BANG movement was flowing through me, everything was ready, able and aware. Anyway, hopefully we can have some good discussions in the near future.

I you hav't read my recent post, I think you'll enjoy, pretty simple but just put into print lessons I try to teach to others. More to follow. http://www.parkourbrad.blogspot.com

Take care

Brad

Anonymous said...

hello from Israel.
i've got to say, these are amazing conclusions,
this can be useful not only for parkour but for every thing youre doing in life.
listen, i have a question for you, how do ou combine work and training?
what is your job? (don't feel like you have to answer this question, it's just my curiosity)

Chris 'Blane' Rowat said...

Great advice Aaron, thanks for contributing. Meditation is certainly something I'm looking in to more and more these days.

Tash, I completely agree. It's not a negative thing to criticise your techniques and never be happy with anything less than perfect - it's simply a great way to ensure you're not giving up on something before you should.

Thanks for your kind words Riz, I would happy to help you with your precisions and muscle ups... I've sent you an email. :-)

I've also sent you an email H3l. You seem much more knowledgeable in this subject than I so thanks for leaving your thoughts here. I'd definitely be interested in hearing more of your experiences and lessons from your teacher. I sent you an email today!

Hi Alex. Email me at Blane_UK@hotmail.com and remind me of your questions... I'll help you out to the best of my ability. Hope training is going well in Gretna!

Whoever the anonymous poster was, I hope you're recovering from your illness and that this type of training is helping you to recover.

Hey Brad, nice to hear from you again. I've just read your blog post and there's definitely some good advice in there for people trying to break down some of the more complex processes in Parkour. Great work and thanks for sharing your experiences.

Hi Ilia, I combine work and training by working during the day and training in the evening. I don't work weekends so I can train all day then. Eventually I'd like to teach Parkour full time but right now, I work with computers... :|
Hope your training is going well, it amazes me how wide spread the discipline is now. Pretty much every city has their own practitioners and it's truly a fantastic thing.

-Blane

Anonymous said...

This put me in mind of a quote from David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest about movement, relation to objects, and Marlon Brando.

Read more here: http://www.confectious.net/thinking/archives/2006/03/aimless-thinkin.html

Anonymous said...

I found your blog by the mention of it in the Freerunner issue- and I am glad I have. As much as I love parkour-training is challenging because of other commitments in my everyday life. Your post really puts a different perspective that obstacle. Very good insight.

Unknown said...

What you are focusing on is something that more advanced yogis have. The practice of knowing your body, and from practice developing a subconcious awareness of everything your body does allowing you to focus on your surroundings.
I practiced yoga every day for 4 months last year and was able to focus my mind much more clearly on my surroundings as well as being able to feel everything in my body. I have since been unable to practice the yoga postures, but your article encourages me to regain the practice of knowing and feeling your body, and being able to focus more clearly.

Aleck said...

i try to practice as much as possible. it's a little hard because i'm only 13, so i cant test my body as much as older traceurs. but i do my best.

Slava said...

Hello Blane!

I am curious to ask you about this concentration on the moment, which you can already conciously keep till 20min. For me, it is much easier to control one, then you are doing less movements. Actually, it suppose to be like this, cause the more you need to keep on attention: moves, views, voices etc, the harder it is to do. So I am very interested in your concentration on the moment - are you able to have the same level of feeling here and now as you just walk the street as well as speek to somebody or do some more complex jump?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and time!