Train Hard - Stay Humble

Where do I start?

Hi! I'm 16, saw a couple of awesome videos (and play Mirrors Edge a lot...) and am now really motivated to start Parkour.

Problem being, I'm not anywhere near SF, and I don't know of any groups around where I am. Are there any step by step instructions or reliable videos that can be recommended for beginners like me? Or, is there too much risk of me hurting myself by not finding a group to learn with?

Thanks in advance!

Hey, thanks for all the tips! I think I might be able to convince one of my friends to join me, and those videos are awesome. Thanks a ton!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Philosofist on December 22, 2008 at 8:05pm

Hey dude, glad to see a new tracuer. What you have to make sure is that your body is in condition for this, because this is a high impact discipline, and if you are doing things without conditioning first then you are taking a risk. I suggest you start with monday conditioning sessions, and basically any session is good for beginners, but particularly the gym session is great because you have close intruction and you follow a stretching and movmment course in a safe environment. It is okay to do solo training, but really, condition, condition, condition, especially your ankles. Over half the people I know that have done parkour have sprained them, which could take a month off for you. My personal opinion from personal experience has concluded me with 2 options.
1) Start with a Kong, the movement of flying yourself and distributing your weight makes it easier (for me) to learn other vaults (speed, dash, etc) because you rid yourself of the fear and you gain good technique, but it is a risk I would say to start this big, but I know a couple of people who did start with it and it has helped them with other hand related vaults in general immensely.
2)Start with whatever you feel most comfortable, it doesn't even have to be a "move" or a known vault with a name, like kong or dash. Personally I started with speed vautls as they are easy and make for good progression and probably have been more useful to me than any other vault so far.

Cheers, add me if you like ^^

Permalink Reply by BrodyB on December 22, 2008 at 8:35pm

I would also whole-heartedly recommend attending the Monday conditioning or gym sessions, but I understand airfare from South Carolina every week can be a bit much. :p

First of all, I recommend you train and practice with at least one other person. Not only does it give you someone else to give you feedback, but also if you get hurt (which will happen sooner or later) there's someone else there to help you. If you can't manage to find a group in your area, you'll have to settle with tutorial videos. Thankfully Hawaii's Urban Current Clan has a ton of really great tutorial videos on YouTube. Not nearly as good as someone there helping you through it, but they go through the progression leading up to every move.

The most important thing is to not dive right into anything you're not completely comfortable with. I've gotten injured a couple times doing things I didn't lead myself up to and was unsure if I was capable. Also keep in mind that Mirror's Edge has some crazy crap in it. You can not, in fact, run along a wall, jump to a surface directly next to you, and then do a vertical run due to the very nature of gravity. Practice as safely as you can.

Wish I could be of more help.

Permalink Reply by pyz.particle on December 22, 2008 at 8:58pm

Are you sure there are no groups around sc? look around, ask around, traceurs should be everywhere...
Practicing with yourself is cool, but its always nice (confidence boosting and advice mainly) to know a network of traceurs...

Permalink Reply by Sam on December 23, 2008 at 10:04pm

Hehe, yeah I understand that Mirror's Edge type stuff is absolutely insane, but I still just like the feeling of running, and doing vaults etc. would just make it that much more awesome.

Permalink Reply by Fyrel on December 22, 2008 at 10:08pm

I got started off Urban Current's tutorial videos; I find they're extremely helpful, as they take you through each movement step by step with drills to build your confidence.

Another thing I highly recommend is having a friend practice with you. It's invaluable to have somebody else watch you and tell you what you're doing wrong (or doing right!), and to spot you or provide a mental safety net.

Permalink Reply by Philosofist on December 24, 2008 at 6:37am

You're lucky you got your brother dude, wish I had a twin to pk with:(

Permalink Reply by hillexallen on December 23, 2008 at 1:13pm