Scotland Wide Workshop April 5th

Again i arrived around half 9, i wasn't intending to train or even stretch i was just keeping myself warm doing a few things untill the coaches arrived to sort it all out, well it started.

The first workout was really intense and very good, i was pleased with myself for completing it at the same time as everyone else.

After that i went to my first station with Mick, his section was concentrating on balancing, which i was not so good at, i did find a good way of getting onto the rail, though still not good at balancing myself to stay on it, i stayed on top for a total of 17 seconds, and managed to walk 12 steps.

The next conditioning section was even more intense and at this point i was starting to hurt but i pushed through it, i wasn't going to let this get the better of me, the very last thing i did was push up with a difference, when you get down to push yourself up, you wait for 30seconds then push yourself up, i was as close to the ground as i could get and i tried 2 or 3 times to get up and i couldn't, everyone else had done this already and i wasn't going to fail today, i took a deep breath and pushed as hard as i could, finally i had done it and got my 2 minute rest and then moved on.

My next sextion was with Zeno, his task i'm sure was climbing mostly, this was a good section, i worked on both my left and right sides to do the tasks set, only one thing was annoying me, i couldn't get any grip on the wall to "cat to climb-up" my feet kept slipping which worried me since i have Ariake shoes, supposed to have superior grip, we moved down to the rails to practice vaults, i was pretty good at this only one problem i had was the "french lazy" with my right leg going over my left, other than that i was ok.

The next conditioning was just as hard as the last, some things were really starting to hurt, but in a good way, i completed it and was happy with myself.

My next section was with Paul, he was working on foot-placement and precision, workong on 2 footed & single foot landings, left & right foot take off, it was really good and helped me with my landings.

The cool down was next with Bj ( Superman ), but it was really good and i did feel great after it, i wanted to stay longer and train a bit more, i did try a few things, but in the end i thought it best to go home and rest.

All in all the day was amamzing, thanks to all the GPK Coaching staff.

Everyone should appreciate the expericence that we have the oppertunity to take advantage of, obviously not in a bad way, but all of these guys are really good at parkour and they have made it their own choice to teach people the ture aspects of parkour in an arganized and more formal manner.

Grant, Zeno, Bj, Mick, Paul, Sean, Ryan, they are the guys who are going to make parkour in Glasgow a much better scene bringing in more people.

Saturday 29th March Jam

I got there around 9am and didn't actually start training till almost 11am, i found it really hard to focus, i did have a lot of things on my mind, in particular one, which wasn't helping me at all. Chris Grant gave me a bit of advice to help the focus problem and it did work after about 20minutes. Everything was going good and i was very happy after a while what i was doing, i did fall short of what i aimed for that day but considering how it all went i was pleased, because of the things on my mind i called it a day pretty early compared to when i usually leave around 6, looking forward to the Scotland Wide Workshop next saturday. i hope i will be far more focussed for this........

I have to be !!

Saturday 22nd March Jam

This jam was particulary good i think, i found myself doing a lot of things with the new guys, they worked really hard and although they could use a bit of focus attention they did well on the physical eliments. I arrived early as usual and was training on my own for a few hours before the new guys turned up and then my fellow practitioner joined me in teaching these new guys a few thigns they had to know before really getting into training, it was a bit harder than i thought, i have to research more and find a better source for use in training plans.

But for me personally i found that i understand more about parkour and why i am doing it, at first i was doing it because it was a new thing and looked really good, but now i know im doing it for myself....to teach myself what dedication and the strive for progression can do for me, i have found my meaning in parkour, i understand a lot more and have read and listened to a lot more points of view rather than of those who have a set opinion. In this my training has been lagging, taking some time from trainng i have only been training once a week and that is at the GPK jams, but with this once a week training, i feel the effects very quickly of my progression and i know what i have to do to push myself, never to say cant, but never push myself into something i cant deal with at that point in time. I now plan to train more often and more efficient, with more understanding of conditioning.

I have the best respect for the guy who has impacted me the most, to him i hold great thanks, at the time i didnt know what he was doing but now after that short time i know why he was pushing me, why he put that little confidence in me and i owe him thanks, because its after all that time that i have now realised what i have to put in.

I am one of the most inexperienced traceurs in GPK untill recently after a lot of newcomers, and if i dont start soon, i may never get to the highest potential i have, and its upto me to get it out.

At the moment i am still training once a week and will stick to this untill i have found my own regime to help with my training. For so long i have concentrated on technique and have come forward a bit, but not much, and i never understood why i wasn't progressing like anyone else, but now i know, and i plan to bring myself to become stronger and more confident in things i wish to accomplish.

GPK Jams

The last few jams have been really good with a good few improvements in a short space of time, last week on Saturday 15th jam there was a new guy there, me and a mate took him on and showed him a few things and watching him progress i understand why people want to teach it for a living the feeling is great knowing its your knowledge you are passing on.

The jam coming soon 22nd looks to be great with a lot of new comers so i'm hoping to keep them on track and give them a nice day of hard training, the first time i have ever thought of a plan for a jam, it will be fun to see how it goes and get feedback from the guys.

If all goes well, i will make more plans for jams and more technical and conditioning plans with the help of a few guys, it should boost progression and work rates at jams, there will be no obligation to train with the plan i have made they can go and do as they wish, this is merely to get the new guys into what they need to know, but as i say if all goes well, i'll keep trying it, i have limited experience so there is only so far i can go with any of the new traceurs which is bad for me cause after so long they will surpass the abilities i can teach and be on their own but at the same time this is a great feeling for me seing them succeed.

We will see ?

About Me

I began parkour in August 2007, back then i sort of knew what parkour was a knew that i had to work hard at it, but what i didnt expect was the amount of work and how deep the fundimentals take you.

Anyone can practice parkour, in that way its simple, but not everyone can know parkour, its something that some people can understand and others dismiss, its the difference between doing it for fun and doing it for yourself.

I would say i have always been "on track" with parkour, never going too fast or forcing anything onto myself or letting others force me. i have progressed a lot since last year, with my knowledge of parkour than anything else, and with the help at hand at training jams its very easy to pick up tips and get help, but i have always allowed myself to take everything as a new thing, never taking someones advice as confirmed, i keep it to my own and make my own choice, you cant practice parkour and hope to progress sheerly on the help that you can get, there must be self progression, you must be able to think, train and condition on your own.

i must make this very clear as every traceur should, THERE IS NO QUICK WAY OF PROGRESSING, if you wish to practice parkour on the basis of becoming great then to me you are in it for the wrong reasons, you cant be the best at something you dont undestand, and if your in it to become the best its obvious you dont understand it.

parkour is non competative, we (traceurs) do not compare each other on our abilities or rank each other in the same way, there are levels and that is it, the beginner to parkour, the novice and the experienced and the experts, now i use experts to describe the founders of parkour and the first generation taught by those and no one else, everyone else is experienced or very experienced in parkour.