STANDARD
ISSUE STREET SURVIVAL
GEAR SINCE
2003
Welcome friends, The 10th of February 2011 marks Urban Freeflow’s 8th whole year in this crazy Parkour & Freerunning game. Hopefully if we’ve got our asses in gear, this issue will be released to coincide with the big day and we can then go off and have a little celebration of our own. I guess it’d be expected for me to take a long trip down memory lane and talk about all the amazing experiences we’ve had along the way, but I’ll save that for the 10th anniversary. Until then, it’s heads down and back to the daily grind as usual... ez@urbanfreeflow.com www.facebook.com/ezstyla www.urbanfreeflow.com www.facebook.com/urbanfreeflow www.twitter.com/urbanfreeflow www.youtube.com/glyphmedia
Issue 12 Contributors: François Constant Tony Chu George Mayfield Caleb Madrid Chad Bonanno Ben Franke Amos Rendao Brendan Dudley Daer Sanchez Brad Wendes Thanda Mutero David Walker-Kierluk Will Carman David Holbrook Jordan Hile Jason Triplett Jared Soule Michael Hartwig Humberto Bermúdez JC Greening James Baldwin Gaston Perez Martin
In this issue we spend some time with UF All Star athlete, Kie Willis for an in depth interview. We also catch up with Micah Sipin who at just 6.5 years old, already possess a skill set to make many older practitioners envious and frustrated in equal measures. There’s a pressure test of the Feiyue shoes by Brad Wendes, a piece on preparing for competition events by George ‘G-Force’ Mayfield plus a bunch of other stuff including some material from new (and very welcome) contributors to Jump Mag. Oh yeah, make sure you check out the latest edit from the Tapp Bros where their Fat Boy v Clown feud has been taken to a completely new level. Lastly, we’d like to send out some love to our friends at the Philippine Parkour & Freerunning Association for making and presenting us with this awesome cake. Om nom nom!
Enjoy.... Ez (Editor)
UF ad athlete: Chima Akenzua www.youtube.com/chimaxeno Photographer: Ez
JUMP MAGAZINE # 12 Copyright © The Urban Freeflow Network. All rights reserved. ‘Urban Freeflow’ and the ‘Glyph’ logo are registered trademarks of Urban Free Flow Ltd
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Front Cover Athlete: Charles POUJADE (France) www.youtube.com/CharlesPoujadePK Photographer: Franรงois CONSTANT www.flickr.com/photos/fore1
Wid Eriksen (Mexico) www.urbanrunners.net Photographer: Manuel Santiago www.flickr.com/photos/che251
Roll the Rocky theme tune........The eye of the tigerrrrrrrrrr!!! Photographer: Tony Chu www.tonychu.com
MICAH ANTONIO
Sipin
6.5
Life for Micah is one big playground Photographer: Tony Chu www.tonychu.com
Full name? Micah: Micah Antonio Sipin From where? Micah: Santa Clara, California, USA. Training for how long? Micah: Been training since I was 3. So almost 4 years. First saw Parkour/Freerunning where? Micah: I only ever saw it at Guardian Art. After you saw PK/FR for the first time at Guardian Art, what happened next? Micah: I went home and started jumping off my couch and then doing cartwheels <laughs>. What do you like most about PK/FR? Micah: I like that I am all alone when I do moves, because I know that no else can do them for me. But I also like the fighting that I do at Guardian Art too. What do your parents think about you doing PK/FR? Micah: My parents are scared most of the time because of all the flipping. But they get more scared when they see me fight. They also tell me all the time that I was born to do this <smiling>. How about school friends or teachers, do they know that you are a Freerunner? Micah: All of my friends and classmates know what I do. I get in trouble during recess a lot by the yard duties who keep telling me to stop flipping and climbing off of the playground obstacles<laughs>.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was born to do this.â&#x20AC;?
What do they think about it? Micah: Most of my friends think it is either scary or just really cool. But at school I wish I had more friends to train with. Tell us about what you do at Guardian Arts. From what I see in your videos, you are trained in both MMA and Freerunning. Can you explain how a regular class would work? Micah: We do stretching for about 15min and then we do a warm up with jumping and vaults or some kind of flow drill. Then we do sparring, grappling and work fighting moves and then we do tower climbing and flipping off of the towers and block flipping. Sometimes we just work a certain move like wall flips and bars depending on the day. Fridays are my favorite because we do Freerunning tournaments and the winner gets a dollar from Caleb. Last time Britney beat me, so this Friday I’m hoping to win. I also take part in some of the Adult class and it is fun getting to play and beat the adults sometimes <smiling>.
better every time I go to a class and it is a lot safer to train moves there. I have a bunch of friends there that I get to train my moves with, not like at school or my apartment where there aren’t so many people to train with. How many of you attend these classes? Micah: At Guardian Art there are a lot of students and I practise in the advanced younglings class. I practise at Guardian Art 4 times a week and sometimes adult class on Fridays for the Freerunning tournament. I also go to open gym on Saturday. Who are you heroes in Parkour, Freerunning and MMA? Quite simply all the people that are better than me <smiling>. When you’re older, what do you want to do as a job?? Micah: I want to teach at Guardian Art and maybe open another Guardian Art school.
“I WANT TO TEACH AT GUARDIAN ART”
What about your involvement in MMA? Micah: I like to see people get tapped out it looks funny <laughs>. I really like to grapple a lot, but my favorite is when we do full on sparring, I like to use shoulder rolls to get away from the person I am fighting and sometimes when on the ground fighting, I like to vault over them <laughs>.
I heard from Caleb that at a recent MMA competition you smoked 6 kids in a row all by submission. Is that right? Micah: Yeah, I have been fighting longer than them and they don’t know many of the moves yet. I felt bad because I made one of my opponents cry but we were friends afterwards. I showed him how to do some Freerunning on the stairs outside of the building where the tournament was being held. That’s great to hear. I’m guessing the classes at Guardian Arts are a lot of fun, right? Micah: Yeah, I like going there a lot because I get
Would you like to one day be an action hero in the movies sometime in the future? Micah: No, I want to do real flipping and fighting because in the movies it’s fake. To do moves for real is really hard. I want to be a real life hero, not a fake one <laughs>. Outside of PK/FR and MMA, do you take part in any other sports? Micah: No, I just like to eat ice cream <laughs>. I’m told that you are a big fan of watching videos on the internet. Are there any channels in particular that you watch regularly? Micah: I only watch Glyphmedia’s and Guardian Art’s Youtube channels. I watch Gylphmedia more because they always have new videos and it makes me want to just go and practise all the time. What’s your favourite PK/FR video? Micah: I watch the new video of Guardian Art that we just filmed over and over right now, but I like to watch the glyphmedia videos of the guys in Russia
Mom said that you should never hit girls. She forgot to mention anything about rear naked chokes though. Submit or sleep my precious! Photographer: Tony Chu www.tonychu.com
At Guardian Art itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ALL about the movement Photographer: Tony Chu www.tonychu.com
a lot as they are really good and funny. Do you enjoy watching bails videos? Micah: Yeah! They are sometimes very funny. I have bailed hard too, but Caleb has not put those out yet <laughs>. So far we’ve seen a whole bunch of videos with you in them. Any plans for future releases? Micah: I am working on my new video now. This video will have a lot more outdoor stuff, because we have been practising a lot on Sunday’s outside with Caleb and my other friends at Guardian Art. Have you had good feedback from the videos you’ve been in that are online? Micah: Yeah, most people say really nice things, but some say I don’t do Parkour right but when I look at the videos that that the haters put out, it’s clear that they can’t do much themselves, so it doesn’t make sense <laughing>. That’s the nature of the internet unfortunately. When we posted one of the Guardian Arts videos on Glyphmedia, a lot of people were wowed that a kid of your age could move so well. You were pulling inward fronts and 360 wallflips which is pretty special. Is it just training for you or do you try to learn particular moves? Micah: That is just my regular training right now. I can do those moves outside now too, but I am still a little scared. My new favorite move I am working on is a shoulder roll into side
“I have bailed hard too.”
Another day at the office for Micah. Something tells us that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to lead a very interesting life Photographer: Tony Chu www.tonychu.com
flip or front flip, but at the moment I don’t land it cleanly most of the time. What new moves are you working on right now? Micah: Backflip 720, 360 ledge grab, butterfly twist, two footed inward front, and double front flip on the mini tramp. I’m also doing flying armbars with falling hard on my back. If you could visit any place in the world to train, where would it be and why? Micah: Europe, because a lot of people like me are there. European people always say nice things to me on my video and it looks like you can climb on everything and not get in trouble like I do at school <laughs>. If you could train with any person or team anywhere in the world, who would it be and why? Micah: I don’t know, I like my friends at Guardian Art, I practised with Pip Anderson one time at Guardian Art and I punched him in the balls by accident <laughs>. We were trying to do a joke for a video and I was going to punch him in the tummy, but he was too tall and I accidently punched him in the nuts <laughing hysterically>.
training outside. Do you think that you will ever compete one day in a Freerunning event? Micah: I wish. I watch the World Freerun Championship videos all the time but I think I need to practice a lot more. At Guardian Art when we have Freerunning tournaments I pretend I am in one of those World Champs videos. I so want to beat Victor Lopez because people commented on my video saying that I am a smaller version of him. I am Micah Sipin not Victor Lopez!! <laughs>. Well if you aim high, you never know. What’s your favourite type of music? Micah: Hip hop and rock music. Do you own an ipod? If yes, what are your top 5 songs right now? Micah: No, but I want one so bad. My mom says I am too young and that I would just lose it. I like Rock that body, Black and yellow, Dynamite, Dj got us falling in love again, and I like Bullet for my valentine a lot, Caleb always plays that at Guardian Art.
“I’M A REAL LIFE VIDEO GAME!”
What’s been your favourite time in PK/FR so far? Micah: Open Gym is the best, because you get to practise moves whenever you want. Also the Freerunning tournaments on Friday’s at Guardian Art are awesome. Have you ever been injured? Micah: Yeah I twisted my ankle jumping out of the bathtub <laughs> and I’ve had a bloody nose from sparring a couple times. What are your favourite shoes to train in when outside? Micah: I like Target shoes because they are super light, and my mom likes them because they are only $20. I usually ruin shoes fast from playing and
Do you play video games and if yes, what system do you own? Micah: I don’t like video games as I find them boring, I’m a real life video game! <laughs>. That’s actually refreshing to hear. How about movies? Micah: I don’t have any favorites really. I would rather go practice. I fall asleep watching movies. Ok then, let’s skip the generic stuff and go back to training talk. We’ve seen a few videos of you that were mostly gym based. Do you train outside too? Micah: Yes, I can do almost all my moves outside. At school I practise a lot of precision jumping on empty bike racks and I always jump off the top of the playground and shoulder roll at recess, but I get in trouble from the teachers. Favourite techniques to drill?
Somewhere out there on Micahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey as he grows up, awaits a fat bully whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to get the biggest shock of his life Photographer: Tony Chu www.tonychu.com
Micah: Back 360 and triangle choke are my favourites. Least favourite thing to drill? Micah: Push ups. I hate them! Do you think that you’ll still be doing PK/FR n 10 years time? Micah: Yeah for sure! My parents told me that I should never stop because they say this is something I am really good at. Is there anything you don’t like about PK/FR? Micah: I just don’t like getting in trouble with the yard duties at school. If you can, explain what Parkour and Freerunning means to you? Micah: Huh, I still don’t get it why are there two names? <laughs>. <laughs> Ah, the innocence of youth. We can see that you’re itching to get back to your training, so here’s the last question....Do you think you have what it takes to be a future World Champ? Micah: Maybe, but my first dream is to be in Jump Magazine, so I can show all my family what I do in the Philippines and maybe inspire my cousins there too. Micah, I think we can arrange that. Thanks for your time and we really look forward to seeing big things from you in the future.
“I just want to be in Jump Mag.”
Caleb Madrid and Andy Nguyen stand proud at Guardian Art. Blood, sweat, tears and many flips later.... Photographer: Tony Chu www.tonychu.com
The Guardian Art school where Micah is currently a student, was created by Caleb Madrid and Andy Nguyen, who were a part of the world famous Ernie Reyes Next Generation Martial Arts demonstration team (now known as the West Coast Action Team). They are widely considered as being the innovators and pioneers of what is now known as XMA or Tricking. As members of this team, both Caleb and Andy were blessed with the opportunity to travel all around the World where they performed and trained with the top martial artists of their time, including such greats as Jackie Chan. In the early 90â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Caleb and Andy regularly used to perform in Paris, France, at the Bercy Martial Arts Festival and it was here that they met the Yamakasi and got their first taste of PK/FR type movements. Over time through sharing their experiences and knowledge in their own art forms, the Guardian Art training school was set up and as can be seen in the videos they release, their style openly embraces many different elements. Based in Silicon Valley, Northern California, their school tailors classes for kids, teens, adults and even senior citizens who train in Freerunning, Shinai and Submission Fighting. The overall aim of Guardian Art is to create a bridge between Freerunning and the fighting arts. More information about Guardian Art can be found here: www.guardianart.org/GuardianArt A selection of their videos can be found here: www.youtube.com/GuardianArt Special thanks to Caleb Madrid.
Thomas Tapp (USA) www.tappbrothers.com Photographer: Jonathan Tapp www.youtube.com/butterfingerman
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxhoeoOPs40
A COMPETITIVE STATE OF
by George ‘G-Force’ Mayfield
Whilst on your Freerunning journey maybe you’ve considered taking the competitive route? If you have, there are a number of events to aim for like the World Freerun Championships or Art of Motion. I’ve been lucky enough to have experienced both as a competitor and often get asked about how I prepared myself for them both mentally and physically, so I decided to make some notes to share here with the readers of Jump Mag. My experiences in competing started long before I got involved in Freeruning, as I’d been competing at a high level in athletics for many years. During that time I’ve learned through advice, research (and a fair amount of trial and error) what works best for me in getting my body ready to fulfil its full potential. In this article I will look at two timescales of preparation: The Build Up, which concerns the weeks leading up to an
event, and On The Day, which obviously deals with the big day itself. The Build Up Sleep Whilst attending a talk by an international triple jumper on how he prepares for big competitions, I was surprised to hear that the sleep you get the night before actually has little effect on your performance. What’s more important, he said, is that you get enough quality sleep in the weeks leading up to the event. Intrigued by this, I did some further research into the effect of sleep on optimal athletic performance. I came across an experiment carried out by Eve Van Cauter, PhD, from the University of Chicago Medical School, which tested the physical differences shown by 11 healthy men aged 18 – 27. For the first three nights of the study, the men slept eight hours per night; for the next six nights, they slept four hours per night and for the last
F MIND
seven nights, they slept 12 hours per night. The results were conclusive. After 4 hours sleep (the sleep deprivation period), their ability to break down food into usable energy decreased dramatically, whilst levels of a hormone linked with stress increased, which had negative effects such as impairing muscle recovery. Furthermore, after a week of sleep deprivation the men showed a rapid deterioration in their bodily functions, similar to that of an elderly person. Now I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know about you, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather go into a competition with the body of a young man than an old age pensioner! So getting into a healthy sleep pattern of 8 to 12 hours a few weeks prior to the event is definitely recommended. Nutrition Getting the right nutrition during the training period leading up to an event is crucial to your overall preparation. With the right intake of nutrients, you have the strong foundations in place on which to train your
body to the best of its abilities. So what should you be eating? Well everyone is different, so there is no exact diet that I can recommend, but what is certain is that the primary food source in your diet should be carbohydrates. These energy rich foods provide the fuel your muscles need in order to work at the high level you require in your training. Meals including pasta, bread, brown rice or whole grains should be consumed daily to build up and replenish energy stores. Furthermore, you should avoid fatty foods as they slow down the digestion of carbohydrates and do not promote energy storage. Protein should be consumed after exercise to help aid muscles recovery and energy storage, rather than before exercise, as a high level of protein can have the same effect as fatty foods. In the week leading up to the event it is important to load up on the carbohydrates, as you need to stock up your energy reserves ready to unleash on the big day.
Also drink plenty of fluids; preferably water, as hydration aids metabolism and is key to good performance. Training When I was given the opportunity to take part in a Redbull Art of Motion event, one of the first things I did was to have a trial run at one of my local spots, seeing how it felt to perform at a consistently high level for 2 minutes. After 1 minute I was wheezing like an old mule and the form on my tricks had dropped to that of an entry level noob. In a panic, my first thought was “Fuuuuuck!”. If I wanted to do myself justice at the event, I knew that I’d have to get my ass in gear and work at structuring my training properly. Now 2 minutes might not sound long, but most practitioners in their day to day training will only be performing at their highest level for maybe 1 or 2 moves at a time, or at most, a run lasting 30 seconds or so. What was clear to me was that
I needed to work on cardiovascular fitness and Freerunning specific muscular endurance. Now I’m not a believer in running on treadmills, I prefer to get out and about and have some fun with my training, so for my cardiovascular training I took to the hills for a mixture of fell running, river swimming and bike rides. I loved this period of training, as it never got boring and was a real challenge. For my muscular endurance I worked on drilling techniques in quick succession, ensuring that I maintained good form throughout. I’d do set runs of about 30 seconds, have a rest, and then repeat. In the gym I would also get myself really tired by doing sprints, and then try a difficult move, which at first resulted in a face-full of crash mat, but my body gradually adapted and eventually I was landing moves pretty cleanly even when fully out of breath.
On the day Nutrition Carbohydrates, carbohydrates, carbohydrates. Oh and did I mention some carbohydrates? That’s right, the higher your energy intake on the day the better. A few hours before the event, a nice meal of pasta, brown rice or bread should do the trick. At any competition I take part in, you’ll see me chilling with my plastic box full of pesto pasta getting the muscle fuel on board. That said, in the hour before the event you don’t want to be eating anything too heavy on the stomach. I suggest some sports energy drinks and fresh fruit just to notch your sugar levels up. It probably goes without saying, but drink as much fluid as you can on the day. Even if that means you have to dash to the toilet every 5 minutes, that fine, you’re just working on you’re A to B efficiency! But seriously, keeping well hydrated is vital. My athletics coach always
used to remind me of the statistic: 1% dehydration = 10% decrease in performance. An interesting point to mention is that exercise and also feeling nervous can suppress the thirst mechanism, meaning that you’re less likely to know when you need to rehydrate. I believe the best approach is to take on board a few gulps of water every minute or so just to be sure. Energy Conservation Energy conservation is massively important on the day of a competition, as you don’t want to deplete any of your energy stores before they are needed. I learned this the hard way at the Redbull Art of Motion event in Austria, where I trained my ass of the day before and subsequently had little left in the tank for the actual event itself. Sometimes you have to learn from your mistakes and I definitely did there. At the same event I observed Paul ‘Blue’ Joseph, who kept his hoody and jeans on for the whole trip. He was just chilling and
planning his run out in his head. This was clearly a winning formula, as when the time came, he tore up the course and claimed first place. At the World Freerun Championships a few months later I followed Blue’s example and reserved all my energy for actually competing, choosing the training time to just hang out with people and plan my runs, mentally visualizing them in my head rather than doing the moves themselves. When the time came to do my run I felt so much better physically than I had at the Art of Motion simply by conserving the energy that I had so preciously stored up over the training period for the opportune moment. Warmth Closely linked to energy conservation is keeping warm. With outdoor events, one of the worst things can be standing around all day, getting cold and seizing up. Your muscles are like elastic, and thus will be far more bouncy and responsive when they are nice and warm. On the day of the World Championships I wore a full tracksuit for most of the day, regardless of the fact that it
was scorching hot! As well as retaining body heat throughout the day, it’s also vital to do a full warm up about an hour before you’re scheduled to do your thing. For my warm ups, I like to go for a jog to get my heart rate up and get the blood flowing to my muscles. I then do a routine of dynamic stretching and a few basic plyometric exercises like hopping, lunging and jumping to get my muscles working. Once you’re feeling fully limbered up, its simply a case of maintaining that feeling by doing a few exercises every 10 minutes. Now you’re ready to get out there and kick some ass. Check out George’s Youtube channel here: www.youtube.com/georgemayfield10
Jos茅 Lanzilotta (Argentina) www.youtube.com/sacholz Photographer: Gast贸n Perez Martin
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;KNEES UPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Article by: James Baldwin M.Ost D.O.
Quadriceps Muscles Femur
Quadriceps Tendon
Patella Articular Cartilage Lateral Condyle Posterior Cruciate Ligament Anterior Cruciate Ligament Lateral Collateral Ligament
Medial Collateral Ligament Meniscus Patellar Tendon Ligament
Fibula Tibia Anatomy: Tibia (The larger of the 2 bones in the calf; constitutes the lower half of the knee joint). Quadriceps (A large muscle group on the front of the thigh consisting of 4 separate muscles). Patella Tendon (A tendon running between the base of the patella (kneecap) and the front of the tibia). Cartilage (A rubber, flexible connective tissue found in most joints. Tibial Tuberosity: Elevated area on the front of the tibia, attachment site for the patella tendon).
Osgood Schlatter Disease. Continuing our theme of sports injuries; this month we focus on an injury that affects the younger generation of Freerunner. OSD or Osgood Schlatter Disease was the first injury I came across when I began Freerunning; a condition that seemed to be relatively common within the sport. OSD results from damage to the soft growing bone around the knee. OSD is a fairly common condition in younger athletes and one that a number of Freerunners have complained about at one point or another. Technically OSD is not a sports injury, yet its predilection for adolescent sports people merits its inclusion in these articles. Young, growing adult’s bones contain areas called growth plates; bands of cartilage where new bone is formed. Over time this allows the bone to elongate and thus increase in size. This is the principle process behind the natural growth that occurs in childhood which finishes at 25 years when the last growth plate closes. This process is by no means linear and though it occurs gradually it can also increase slightly during certain periods. The cartilage growth plates are quite soft and are more readily damaged than mature bone. In OSD small fragments splinter from the soft growth plate of the tibia; this is the result of a combined growth spurt and the pull exerted by the quadriceps on the patella tendon – which is attached to the growth plate. Whilst not technically a sports injury, it is more common in athletic individuals because their greater quadriceps development further increases the pull on the tibia.
recommended once symptoms are controlled and pain has decreased. 3) STRAP: Usage of either a knee strap or Cho-Pat knee strap for 6-8 weeks post injury is beneficial in some individuals. 4) STRENGTHEN: Once pain has subsided then it is worth beginning a course of quadriceps strengthening. Whilst OSD can be very painful, stopping your training is not the answer. The more you train, the more it will hurt; but the amount of training you do won’t affect how long the condition takes to improve. None the less, it is best to avoid exercise for the first 3 days after pain begins. Pain is going to be your main training guideline, try to exercise whilst the knee is pain free, once it starts to hurt switch to some different techniques. If you find that is only 20 minutes, stick to 20 minutes – eventually the length of this pain free period will increase and training sessions will get longer. Avoid the techniques that induce pain – deep squats tend to be the worst, so reduce the height of jumps and take care to limit the amount of precisions in your training; Kong vaults and Cranes may also present some difficulty.
“Currently my biggest inspiration is Daniel Ilabaca” OSD
Soreness and pain begin gradually; usually without injury or trauma and are worse after exercise and at rest. Pain is quite specific and is localised to the tibial tuberosity (below the kneecap). OSD may affect one knee or both and tends to occur around 12-16 years of age in boys and 10-12 years in girls. There may also be some mild swelling and palpable tenderness just below the knee, on the front of the tibia. If significant swelling and worsening knee pain present with other symptoms such as night pain or fever it is worth seeking out a medical opinion. Always get things checked out if you aren’t sure. Street Care: There are several steps you can follow to limit the discomfort of OSD: 1) ICE: Apply ice to the affected area before and after training. 2) STRETCH: Hamstrings should be thoroughly stretched after training. Quadriceps stretching is
OSD is a temporary condition, which resolves when the growth plate closes. Pain typically lasts several weeks to a few months, but in some cases may persist for up to 2 years; for that reason it is worth taking the time to examine your training schedule. Switch some of the running and jumping for cycling and swimming, your body will be challenged by the change in exercise types, which is a great chance to improve your stamina, endurance, and in the case of swimming – upper body strength. Master handstands, or shred your forearms with some climbing, this is the opportunity to hit those underdeveloped areas. Remember OSD is temporary it won’t last for ever; but whilst it does try to see it as a chance to improve yourself in ways you had neglected until now. James Baldwin graduated with Distinction from the British College of Osteopathic Medicine. He works from his Epsom and Fetcham practises in Surrey, for more information regarding treatments be sure to check out: www.baldwin-osteopathy.co.uk
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
A very ambitious build is currently in effect in Los Angeles right now, where the creation of the Tempest Freerunning Academy has blossomed from a pipe dream to becoming stone cold reality. X-Games and Camp Woodward ramp designer, Nate Wessel, was brought in to provide his expertise and from what can be seen here, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shaping up to be something very special indeed. Freerunning heaven? Only time will tell if it turns out to be, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be a lot of fun finding out. To be continued.... Keep an eye on the Tempest website for more details. www.tempestfreerunning.com Image courtesy of Chad Bonanno www.chadbonanno.com
Jason Mello (USA) www.youtube.com/jaymello85 Photographer: Ben Franke www.benfranke.com
To fail is not simply to be human. To fail is to exist. Failure is an essential element of the learning process, and failure in Parkour usually involves a good bail.
advanced classes, you might be thrown 50 to 100 times during an hour-long class, and if you haven’t seriously studied Ukemi, avoiding injury is nearly impossible.
You probably get a good laugh or cringe when you see the bail Mary’s in each issue of Jump, but yours is coming, and bail Mary’s aren’t just for noobs. Maybe it’s happened to you a few times already, and even then, there’s always the horizon. You will fall. No ifs, only when, and when those times come, there isn’t a chance to think, only to react.
The first revelation I had of the relevance and importance of Ukemi in Parkour was the day I attempted a fairly big (for me) Kong to rail precision to gainer 540 on concrete. Upon landing on the rail, one of my feet slipped out (ironically caused by stiffness due to the fear of falling), and a natural reaction was resurrected from the depths of my subconscious, muscle memory carved out through years of Aikido and Brazilian Jiu jitsu: I spread the impact of the concrete evenly along the meaty parts of the full length of my body with a break fall. A few seconds of shock wore off, and I could only laugh at how I had narrowly escaped a nasty injury.
Many people know this about the danger of falling down. For this reason, suit-clad onlookers often guess at our being as we swiftly move above them. They wonder if we have a death wish, if we’re missing part of our brains, or if we’re just simply crazy extreme sport types destined for permanent injuries. Superimposed over our quiet landings, they are seeing the alternate realities of all the things that could have easily gone wrong. What they often don’t know is that we are prepared to react to these miscalculations like undershooting a precision at height, over rotating flips, etc… We don’t need a perfect landing, just within a certain range.
In this particular situation, Danny Ilabaca’s philosophy “Choose not to fall” is very applicable, but no matter how positive your thinking or to what degree you can control fear and hesitation, everyone falls, including Ilabaca, David Belle, and insert the name of your Parkour/ Freerunning hero here.
ART
Soon after this fall, I was also privileged to have experienced the all-time classic Kong -> hands slip -> knees jacked -> upside down -> hopefully not going for a precision on Parkour is not reserved for this one -> yup, I was adrenaline addicts going for a precision, and searching out the most it’s a huge rock… creative way from point A Again, muscle memory to point Death. In instantly kicked in. The comparison to soccer, next thing I knew, I was By Amos Rendao - www.apexmovement.com snowboarding, crouching like a ninja next skateboarding, martial to the rock that would arts, and video games, it’s surely have been the one of the safest things winner in the collision I’ve ever done. There are with my body. In my plenty of reasons for this, but for now, envision yourself blurry memory of the almost-bail Mary, I had helplessly sprinting towards a running jump. You’re now only a few watched myself manipulate a dive roll to veer off steps away from take off - isn’t it nice that you don’t have sideways, avoiding the rock and all the injuries that to worry about some jerk slide tackling your meniscus would have come with it. Once again, laughter, even into oblivion or hoping that your skateboard doesn’t though I was giving away my ninja crouched position to malfunction? Safety in Parkour depends on individual passers-by. body control, an ability to practice within one’s present limits, checking surfaces, and listening to one’s body. The many falls I’ve taken and their outcomes compel me And for me, the defining element of this individual to continue studying Ukemi and adapting it to Parkour, responsibility, which makes Parkour safer and a but because we aren’t dealing with just flat mats, as in a sustainable practice closer to a martial art, is the practice dojo, this new variation of the art of falling must of Ukemi: the art of falling. expand and evolve to work for our highly complex falling scenarios on concrete. As I’ve developed my own I first encountered the practice of Ukemi (pronounced abilities, taught these concepts in our classes here at ‘oo’-’keh’-’mee’ or \ü-‘ke-mē\) in an Aikikai Aikido dojo APEX Movement Boulder, and developed drills and in Boulder, Colorado. Ukemi is a Japanese word that methods for those who don’t come from an Aikido, BJJ, means literally “receiving [with/through] the body” [1], or Judo background, I’ve seen an overwhelming amount but it’s often interpreted in martial arts as “the art of of success already. Whether it’s my own training, falling” [2]. Ukemi is a necessary component of martial seeing those around me fall well, or hearing others tell arts like Aikido, Brazilian Jiu jitsu, and Judo. In Aikido, me about how these techniques have saved them an it dominates the early stages of training. In more injury or worse, I feel that Ukemi isn’t just something
THE ART OF
FALLING
In readiness for a slipped precision Photography: Brendan Dudley www.brendandudley.com/parkour
Recovery from a failed Kong vault attempt Photography: Brendan Dudley www.brendandudley.com/parkour
from which the Parkour community could presently benefit, but might be necessary as our discipline evolves to levels no one can presently fathom. You will fall. And after that, you will fall again. Here are some ways that the art of falling has aided me in studying Parkour: 1) Falling well makes my practice even more sustainable. 2) Ukemi helps me deal with fear, uncertainty, and hesitation. There are many techniques and combinations that I’m not afraid to do, not because I’m one of those freaks of nature that doesn’t experience fear, but because I know I can deal with most any outcome and fall that would resort from an unwanted slip or miscalculation. 3) Having far less injuries ensures a strong and steady progression. 4) My practice is far more enjoyable. I generally experience more laughter and fun, rather than seriousness clouded with fear. The study of Ukemi didn’t just change Parkour for me, it changed my entire experience of moving, i.e. everyday life. Here are some ways: 1) I have at least one epic bicycle fall a year, with a lot of small fun ones on the side. It’s an easy dive roll or side roll, but hard convincing onlookers I’m ok. 2) A few times I’ve had my feet kicked out from under me while playing soccer. Once I made it back to my feet so quickly that I was able to steal the ball from the person who stole it from me. He was a little surprised. 3) Sometimes I trip over my own feet or an object I wasn’t aware of. Unstable rocks and ice will get the best of me from time to time. 4) Most days I encounter other ninjas in public, and in the rare event I’m thrown during an altercation, I can recover quickly and safely. Quick note: My friend, Jake Smith, just told me that he slipped on ice and naturally twisted away from his head-towards-ground-trajectory to get one foot under him for a graceful, almost b-twist-landing recovery. To a surprised onlooker, this may have seemed as if he casually threw a tornado kick before getting into his car. YES! So how would this adaptation of Ukemi work with Parkour? Upon experimenting and being a guinea pig to a degree, I’ve started realising that there exists a technique for every possible trajectory,
velocity, direction, and orientation of the falling person to the ground, wall, rail, etc... I call this the falling continuum. For example, if your toes slip out on a precision and you catch the rail at your waste, you could dissipate most of the impact by continuing your momentum over the railing with a gate vault. If you were to catch a knee or foot on a kong vault and couldn’t get your feet under you, but your hips were not popped up high enough for a dive roll, the intermediary falling technique would involve reaching for the ground with one foot, not to absorb impact, but instead raise your hips as you go into the dive roll variation. In that same scenario, if your hips were popped up so high that you couldn’t dive roll, you would prepare your positioning for a break fall as you went over your head. Furthermore, if you were to have clipped your legs even harder or if you had more height in which you over rotated, the most coveted piece of this particular falling continuum would be the pulling into a flip then opening up for a soft landing on your feet. Sounds crazy, but I’ve witnessed this rarity first hand. Within the practice of Ukemi, there are even small details such as breathing correctly so as to avoid getting the wind knocked out of you, or worse, possibly damaging your lungs. From hand positioning, to p re-visualization, to air awareness in order to always know where the ground is, etc… Ukemi in Parkour has the potential to be a vast study.
learning how to fall correctly and focusing on correcting mistakes that must happen in our process of growth. Our injury rates will go down, we’ll further the divide between jackass extreme sports and Parkour in the public mind, fear will be rare and rational. Imagine the soft gaze of a traceuse about to take on the impossible without the slightest hint of fear in her eyes. This is the path of the harmony between Ukemi and Parkour. If we neglect learning how to fall well, there will always exist that nagging abyss of all the things that can go wrong that we’re not able to deal with. Instead, that intangible obstacle should be one that we train on regularly, a holistic embrace of movement with the inclusion of those inevitable things that will go wrong as we learn. If we embrace failure and falling, there is nothing left to fear, only challenges to be met and fun to be had. Unfortunately, your resources for bringing Ukemi into your regular training in Parkour are fairly limited during this nascent era, but here are some options: 1) If you live in or around the Boulder/Denver, Colorado area, you can attend “Ukemi: The Art of Falling” at APEX Movement Boulder. 2) If you don’t have access to this, I suggest finding an aikido or judo school near you. Learn the many variations of rolls, how to break fall, etc… and adapt those to concrete and other scenarios for Parkour. 3) You can also organize an Ukemi seminar with technique methods, concepts, drills, and progressions taught at your location. Send an email to me at the bottom of this article. 4) If you would like to be updated about the release of an upcoming book on this subject, send an email to my email address below with the subject title “Book Update.”
“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.” ~Mary Pickford
Another piece of this falling continuum can be expressed in the idea of falling 360 degrees. Imagine a landing spot as the center point in a circle. Depending on the direction towards a feet first landing on that spot, a person could roll accordingly. From forward roll to side roll, there is a seamless transition. From side roll to back roll exists that same fluid transition, and so on, 360 degrees.
Not every piece of the falling continuum will involve a soft landing in which you laugh at your newfound invincibility, but it will always be better than the alternative of leaving your head and spine vulnerable or letting the fall stop in a small point on your body. For instance, break falls on concrete rarely feel good, but will always be better than landing on your tail bone or posting an arm out (which is you asking the ground to be as creative as possible in breaking your arm for you). As we train in the art of Parkour/Freerunning, we learn to embrace obstacles, and many of us stop there. Let us embrace failure, the inevitable mistakes, one of the most human things we can do: falling. Imagine our potential if we treat falling as Aikido and Judo treat it: from day one,
Please feel free in making your voices heard by dropping your opinion on this article via email at: amosrendao@gmail.com To learn more about my school, check out APEX Movement at: www.apexmovement.com *Special thanks to: Kevin Crouse, Ryan Ford, Katie Kirkwood, Ken Kao, Brendan Dudley, Pete Strayer, Robyn Sikkema. For their help, perspective, and resources.
Luis “Dash” Hernández (Mexico) www.urbanrunners.net Photographer: Daer Sanchez www.flickr.com/photos/daersanchez
Any vid n qua
Intern differen of an this vid Island an
Steel & Shobu (Spain)
Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re loving the Galizian Urban Project guys right now. They are currently on their scene seems to be overflowing with creativity and skill. This video featur & Shobu of GUP as they venture to Barcelona, to hook up with members from the Born To Trace and Air Generation teams. Whilst there they manage to fit in some quality training and plenty of fooling around. Luckily, th camera at hand to capture everything and share with us all. If this edit doesn you want to get out there to train, you are clinically brain dead. www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5qM0jFq7N4
Reunion (France)
deo with an opening title of ‘Parkour is the best fucking thing in the World’ just needs to be watched. Luckily in this instance, it’s backed up by some feel good ality content to do the title justice. It features a host of practitioners but most prominent amongst them all is Axel Dupre, who we first met at the Session nationale event we staged in Paris (Summer 2010). Let’s just say that he was nt. He had skills aplenty for sure, but his style of moving didn’t follow the way nyone else. It was only through speaking to Valentin Dubois (director/editor of deo) that we realised why he’s so unique....It’s because he’s based on Reunion nd he watches very few videos. This had led to him being creative without too many outside influences and it definitely shows in his style of moving. www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFlo5Nk1xtQ
fire and res Steel
y hey had a n’t make
Taken at the ‘Finding Your Way’ female jam hosted by Traceur Project (Mexico) www.traceurproject.com Photographer: Humberto Bermúdez www.flickr.com/photos/betoxt
Jonathan Tapp (USA) www.youtube.com/butterfingerman Photographer: Thomas Tapp www.tappbrothers.com
YOUR CURRENT SAFE BOUNDARIES WERE ONCE UNKNOWN FRONTIERS
Three pairs of Feiyueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to test between Brad, Thanda and Harry.
UNDERPRESSURE By Brad Wendes - www.teamkinetix.co.uk
The first time I saw the Feiyue (pronounced; fay-u-wee) martial arts shoes in a Parkour/Freerunning capacity, was in 2006 when I was in New York with Ez. We were both given a pair of these ‘plimsolls’ by Shifu Shi Yan Ming, (a 34th Generation Shaolin Monk) at the New York Shaolin Temple. On first impression the soles were thin and lacked any serious support. In fact, the rubber on the sole was so soft it seemed like it would wear out in a day, so I never bothered using mine to train in. The following year I was in Moreton and saw Daniel Ilabacca training in a pair of Feiyue shoes and suddenly I could see first-hand the benefit in these ulra-light, ultra-flexible shoes. Plus at that time they were still ultra-cheap to buy. Throughout the summer of 2007 I wore my Feiyue shoes to train in every day with no problems at all. Although these shoes aren’t specifically made for Parkour and aren’t readily available on the high street, there are still many practitioners in the scene who swear by them. So I decided to go back to wearing my Feiyues for a week to find out how they’d stand up to a pressure test. Joining me in the test are Harry Murden and Thanda Mutero.
Comfort
These shoes are essentially canvas plimsolls with a solid rubber sole glued on. They’re soft, flexible and ultra light. The newer Feiyues are slightly narrower than the older ones, but they’re still pretty damn comfortable. They’re not a high-end running shoe, far from it. As such the fit isn’t perfect. I like to lace mine up quite tight so they’re really snug on my feet, as when you wear them in they really do take on the shape of your foot.
SCORE: 3.5 out of 5 Considering there are no high-tech components, they really do score well.
Thanda strides between walls Photographer: Brad Wendes
Kong to precision from Brad Photographer: Thanda Mutero
Style
Since the traditional Chinese Feiyue brand was bought by a French company a few years ago, they’ve been pitched more as a fashion brand. Pumps, converse and plimsolls have all become quite fashionable pieces of footwear most recently and keeping in line with the fashion end of things, the Feiyue shoes are now available online in pretty much any colour you can think of. They’re also available in hi-top and leather. If you really cant find anything to suit you, just buy a pair of pure white canvas ones and personalise them yourself. I still wear my black Feiyue shoes out on the town at the weekend. They’re comfortable and look equally great with joggers or a pair of jeans.
SCORE: 5 out of 5
Definitely something for everyone here.
Weight
A massive plus point for the Feiyues is their weight. The sole itself is quite a thick lump of soft rubber but the upper is just canvas. As you wear them in the sole will quickly wear down and reduce the weight. Most of the weight is in the sole of the shoe and this helps make them very well-balanced.
SCORE: 4 out of 5
Like a sports car, no frills, just functional components.
Tic tac to cat leap from Brad with no grip issues whatsoever Photographer: Thanda Mutero
Thanda prepares to land a precison Photographer: Brad Wendes
Shock Absorbency
Here’s the first real down point to the Feiyues. There’s no insole to speak of, no high-tech features to soften impact, just a lump of rubber under your foot. If you’re just into jumping off high things (not that we’d ever advocate this type of behaviour) these are probably not the shoe for you. If you condition yourself effectively, train good landing technique and strengthen your feet by wearing progressively thinner soles over a period of time, the Feiyue shoes could be a good full-time shoe. I wouldn’t suggest suddenly switiching your nice thick Si-18 shoes and going straight out in these. You definitely need to ease into them.
SCORE: 2.5 out of 5 Take getting used to.
Grip
High surface area, nice soft non-marking rubber outsole. These shoes really are like superglue on most surfaces. Sadly that same soft rubber can wear through quicker than most other shoes youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have worn. The Feiyue shoes have enough grip to make them great on almost every surface youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll encounter... rails, marble, brick, concrete, wood... all stuck to with ease. As a nice bonus the soft compound wears away easily as you train, so while you have immense grip landing precisions and balancing on rails, you still have the ability to slide when landing cat leaps (ankles saved).
SCORE: 4.5 out of 5 If only they lasted longer.
The Feiyue shoes really stick like glue Photographer: Thanda Mutero
Harry flips out due to being frozen out of the spotlight Photographer: Thanda Mutero
Value
On the official Feiyue website the shoes sell for around €50, other online retailers sell them for £35 - £50. The cheapest I could find them (aside from used ones on Ebay) was for £10.99 on Amazon. Be wary of fakes as they fall apart even quicker – real Feiyues have a red circle on the sole and say ‘Feiyue’ on the tongue. For £10.99 you can’t really go wrong, I’d pick them over the Kalenji Success every time. The Feiyue shoes do take a little wearing in and they do wear out quicker than running shoes, but I still think they’re a worthwhile purchase.
SCORE: 3.5 out of 5
If you can get them cheap, go for it!
Overall
Well I still love my Feiyue shoes. They’re not for everyone, and not something for beginners to wear every day. They are light, flexible, grippy and look good. But they wear away too quickly for most people. I’d buy a couple of pairs at a time to be on the safe side. They’re great for balance work, footwork drills, climbing and general training. If you’re training hard and wear them out quickly, there’s plenty of ways to avoid having to buy a new pair every month; when my sole first wore through I used some ‘Shoe Goo’ to patch the hole. The next time a pair wore through I cut some rubber from a dead pair of Feiyues and superglued it into the hole on the sole. There’s plenty of online stores selling Feiyue shoes quite cheap, so it’d definitely be worth getting a pair to try them out.
SCORE: 4 out of 5
If they’re good enough for the monks at the Shaolin Temple, they’re good enough for me. For more info on the Feiyue range visit: www.feiyue-shoes.com
Whilst the Feiyue shoes arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t perfect, they have more than enough plus points to make them worth checking out Photographer: Brad Wendes
Please introduce yourself: I’m Billy Navarrete from Guam - (in the Pacific Ocean, U.S. Territory, population of 180,000, located 13 degrees N/144 degrees E). I am a representative of Guam Parkour Association as an assistant coach and am currently studying at the University of Guam to become an Elementary School Teacher. I chose Elementary so I can positively inspire the next generation of traceurs/traceusses in the correct practices with this discipline of Parkour. How did you get into Parkour? Somewhere around 2006, when Youtube hit Guam, I watched the “Urban Ninja” and wanted to move about the environment like him. However, I learned about David Belle, studied the true meaning of Parkour, and became fully inspired to train. Since then, I have gained a different perspective about life and appreciate this gift of movement. Who are your inspirations for Parkour? Of course, David Belle & Daniel Ilabaca. My awesome friends from Guam Parkour inspire me as well. What do you love about Parkour? Parkour is completely different compared to any discipline, sport, or art form. It never gets boring to me because there is always something to improve. It has taught me to examine and appreciate architecture. I also love how Parkour is the cheapest hobby to get into, because all you really need is a good pair of shoes. Actually, shoes aren’t entirely necessary, because bare foot training is good too. Are you also into Freerunning? Yes, Freerunning is fun! It’s best to vary your movements when you master them, so you can develop your own style. Although, I believe Parkour is the fundamental for freerunning, I enjoy both Parkour and Freerunning equally. Why do you dedicate time to the Guam Parkour Association ? Many people conceive Parkour as something dangerous and easily misinterpret it as some sort of negative activity like running away from cops, jumping off high platforms, or trespassing on peoples properties. Therefore, I dedicate my time to the Guam Parkour Association which was established to provide a positive future for Parkour within our community. Our GUPK founder and coaches volunteer their time to promote safe training, positive
Under the spotlight
Billy Navarrete
attitudes, and respect towards others and the environment. In doing so we believe we can eliminate the misconceptions that hold this positive discipline back. How is Guam Parkour Association helping out the community? I must introduce the other GUPK coaches - Nico Espulgar, Jamie Morton, Tom Johnson, Jason Triplett. Our duty is to educate safe practices for our fast growing community of traceurs/traceuses. We encourage preserving our bodies and respecting our environment. Our motto is “Leave the place better than when you arrived.” When we train, we do our very best to clean up the environment, respecting every tree, wall, bench, rock, etc. For the youth, we promote a positive alternative other than joining gangs, drinking alcohol, and smoking; nonetheless, we strongly encourage a more active lifestyle whether it is with training in Parkour or any other discipline. Why is Guam Parkour considered an ‘Association’? Guam Parkour Assn (GUPK) & Hawaii Parkour (HIPK) are affiliated through, ‘Urban Current’, a team of first generation traceurs, lead by Ozzi Quinterro in the Hawaiian Islands. GUPK & HIPK are two growing communities in the Pacific Region that work together to promote correct practices with Parkour while upholding it’s philosophy. What are your hopes for the future of Parkour on Guam? Firstly, I hope Guam officials & the public receive GUPK’s message, that Parkour is a positive discipline. Secondly, I really hope that our government will build a Parkour park, so kids have a place to go. Training in the gym is quite costly, so I’d prefer to have a space to train where money isn’t an issue. Thirdly, Guam has a laid back party culture, so obesity rates are pretty high here and not to mention, the digital age with video games and the internet is greatly impacting this generation, I hope Parkour can inspire a more active culture here in Guam.
Billy Navarrete (Guam) Photographer: Jason Triplett www.guampk.com
Tyler Hamilton (USA) Photographer: Michael Hartwig www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qux7pnm9U04
www.perthfreerunners.com
Taylor Collins (USA) Photographer: Jared Soule www.loneconspiracy.wordpress.com
Tom Wharton should probably consider becoming a skater because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clearly attempting a nosegrind here. When taking into account that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throwing in a backflip for added flair, we think that he definitely deserves some extra props. Be sure to crank up the sound up for that crunch.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r34E0EEJUqM
Lee Tinnion (England) www.youtube.com/tintinleeboy Photographer: David Holbrook www.dynamixextreme.com
Jonathan Tapp (USA) Photographer: Thomas Tapp www.tappbrothers.com
Okay, everyone all together now… “Happy Birthday Urban Freeflow!” As I reflect on this special occasion, I begin to recall how important UF has been to my life, as I am sure it has been to many of you out there in the community. UF was my first stop on the World Wide Web seven years ago when I searched the word “Parkour”, and I have remained ever since. Through the years, we have watched UF grow, as well as our sport and ourselves. The Glyph Community has permanently marked itself in the book of history, establishing unique features that have lasted throughout Urban Freeflow’s lifetime, while at the same time we have seen it change and evolve into the ultimate beast it is today. On many levels, Urban Freeflow has become an important element in the universal belief held by the traceur/freerunner community. It is part of our philosophy. However, our philosophy includes more members than just the PK/FR community. Our shared beliefs stem back to the ancient ancestors of movement. But don’t despair! Though there may be “nothing new under the sun”, originality is not of greatest importance. It is not the uniqueness of the belief that matters, but when that belief is put into action. Our Greco-Roman and African tribal relatives moved and thought with purpose. George Hebert’s “natural method” is still influencing movement one hundred years after its birth. Now, the PK/FR community is reinventing the urban landscape through our movement within it, almost making the concrete jungle as natural as the Congo. And this is what makes our movement so important and unique in today’s zombie, unoriginal world. As we observe history, we begin to realize that our movement includes thousands of years worth of brave men and women, but our current time and environment makes our philosophy important.
more than just physical training. I mean, when was the last time you heard footballers discussing their beliefs on the environment? We are much more than a sport, we have a philosophy, and an ancient one at that. Philosophy comes from the Greeks and literally means “love of wisdom”, but the Greeks were by far not the only ones to have a philosophy. Throughout the growth of Parkour/Freerunning, many of our core beliefs can be traced to Taoist thought, French philosophy, tribal cultures, as well as Greek beliefs. This feature will expose these traceur truths and see how it is connected to the history of wisdom and what it adds to the ongoing conversation of thinkers. But this won’t be possible unless we have your help. Plato believed philosophy is not a lecturer scolding students; it is a conversation between equals in order to discover truth. Foucault called this “frottement”. Each month, a question will be posed to you, the Parkour/Freerunning community. Your answers will be examined and presented here, as well as other philosophers’ thoughts on the issue. Further readings will be listed for all of those hungering for more. And as always, your feedback and questions will be considered as well.
THE PHILOSOPHER’S LANDING
OUR PHILOSOPHY
BY: JC ‘SAGE’ GREENING
Since this time and place are of greatest importance, then so is knowing what it is that we believe as a community. Though there may be differences, there is a foundation of truth that we stand on. The same can be said for our movement: though we all have unique ways of moving, we all must learn how to do a proper landing first. Thus, we have the Philosopher’s Landing. This will be a monthly feature that will examine the basic beliefs of our community of traceurs. And as we observed in last month’s Chima interview, we need to reflect on our beliefs so the new members know we don’t use Parkour to run from the police (or at least, not just to run from the police). Parkour/Freerunning is a way of living, not exercising. It is a way of connecting to our environment and community. This is a unique sport that requires
all glad you were born!
So without further ado, please contact me and let me know your answers to this question: why do you do Parkour/Freerunning? Please contact me via email or Facebook, both of which are listed below. It is an honor to be a part of this philosophy, community, and Urban Freeflow, and I look forward to 2011. And once again, Happy Birthday Urban Freeflow – we are
Suggested Further Readings: Plato – The Republic; Foucault – The History of Sexuality Vol. 2; Lao Tzu – Tao Te Ching. JC “Sage” Greening can be reached via email at: greening.5@wright.edu or Facebook at: www.facebook.com/jcgreening
Maximiliano Bolognino (Argentina) Photographer: Gaston Perez Martin www.youtube.com/ma73o
We asked members of the community via our Facebook wall, what was the funniest thing any member of the public had ever called them while training? To kickstart things we gave an example of one time while I (Ez) was training with Bam in Guidlford, UK. He was preparing to do an ambitious precision from a rail and was in the zone getting ready. At the same time there were a load of cars waiting at the traffic lights and as they waited, the drivers of the vehicles all looked on as Bam prepared himself. Just as the lights turned green, one of the drivers slowly wound his window down and calmly muttered “Wanker” before driving off. Priceless stuff! Here’s a selection of others.... Once a policeman stopped me. Then he looked at me and after few minutes he said “Well you’ve done nothing illegal but that doesn’t make you innocent, just get out of here.” - Sourav Samanta One day while I was training some tricks, a little kid (like 5 years old) came close to me and asked me to teach him how to fly. - Alan Reyes I got called a twat, a dick, a monkey boy, a prick, a faggot, a fucking idiot. - Scott ‘Boo’ Wright This homeless guy was like, “Spidey, u gonna bust your ass doin dat” - Jake Russo I got called a Jew. I have no clue why? - Alex Yakul Melusky When someone saw me fail a precision on a rail that resulted in my balls hurting for a while, a member of the public came up to me and said “You must have an iron scrotum.” - Jack Davy
I had a 4 year-old toddle up to me once, look up with this huge smile on his face and ask, “Are you a ninja, can I be one?” I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or give the kid a hug. - David Walker-Kierluk I’ve been called a ninja, spiderman, monkey, base jumper, freestyler... and a retard. - Gary Surreal Lawrence I got “Insane asshole” and a gal called us “Ninjacide” that’s my favourite. - David Isunza This guy rolled down his car window to yell “You can suck my balls.” - Jake Wurst I got called a “Circus freak” whilst just maintaining a handstand.” - Stephen Holler “Fag!” - Jeff Pritchard I got called a “Cunt” but I get called that anyway. - Rory Paterson I was doing a precisions on a a little curb and some woman going to her car looked at my friend and me and said “Damn car jacker” . - Kyle Montenegro “You’ve got bigger tits than my missus’ aimed at one of my friends training with his shirt off. That made our day. - Gyen Ming Angel A “nob-head” by my Dad on the phone when I rang to tell him I’d somehow not died, after landing on my head at Snamproggeti House. - Darryl Kensley
Benjamin Priyadamkol (Canada) www.youtube.com/westlondonparkour Photographer: David Walker-Kierluk
Jack Ledbury (England) Photographer: Will Carman www.carmanography.tumblr.com
An interview with UF All Star athlete, Kie Willis Photography and Interview: Ez
WHAT’CHU
TALKIN’ ‘BOUT
WILLIS?
Feel free to introduce yourself… Kie: My name is Kie Willis, I’m from Cambridge, UK, and I’m currently 22 years old. How long have you been in the game? Kie: About five and a half years now. Where did you first get a glimpse of Parkour? Kie: A few of my friends and I saw Jump Britain and we were like “yeah, that looks sick” and about that time I was pretty big into my athletics, so I was thinking it’d be quite cool to jump down some stairs <laughs>. Athletics? To be honest, I never had you down as being into track & field. What exactly did you do? Kie: I competed at county level for Somerset and did long jump and long distance running. I’m impressed. Where did it all go wrong then? Only kidding. Going back to seeing Jump Britain and being inspired to find some steps to jump down, what were the first ‘steps’ taken to start practising properly? Kie: The day after Jump Britain aired we were all at school jumping down some stairs. So that’s how we rolled <laughs>. In the evening we went out and tried some basic arm jumps and tried to replicate some of the things we’d seen on TV like cat passes, side vaults, turn vaults and all that kind of shit. Mainly the basics.
Kie: Oh no, I still carried on. When I was a kid I was also big into skateboarding and was used to getting a lot of injuries. Like, every day while practising, my deck would hit me in the shins or whatever and sprained ankles were pretty much standard. So when it came to Parkour, it was no big issue to deal with. It was kind of expected. When you first got into Parkour, how many of you were doing it together? Kie: Initially there were about 4 of us but they didn’t stick with it and as their interest faded, some twins called Boris and Jack Thompson-Roylance stepped up. These days they are much more into the filmmaking side of things but Jack still trains. What was the hook for you, that held your interest? Kie: Erm….I dunno, it kind of felt like a combination of skating and athletics. It had the style of skateboarding where it was cool, underground and urban but it also had a real sense of athleticism in the sense that you needed strength and stamina to actually do any of the movements.
“IT TOOK A HELL OF A LOT OF TRAINING TO BUILD UP MY STRENGTH”
Any horror stories or was it all good? Kie: Actually, a friend tried to attempt an arm jump and his feet hit the wall earlier than his hands, so he fell straight back and majorly bruised his elbows.
I’m guessing you all laughed your heads off to show your support? Kie: Oh yeah, we took the piss out of him so much <laughs>. How about you, was it a seamless learning experience? Kie: Not really. You see, I seem to have really weak toes which still affects me now and from doing one too many arm jumps, I’d find that my toes would really hurt. Then every now and again I’d try some really big arm jumps which were probably beyond my level at the time and it’d be a case of shit, another broken toe. Actually broken? Kie: Yeah, I wouldn’t be able to walk for a couple of weeks. Good old days <laughs>. It obviously hasn’t deterred you a great deal then?
Did you find that your athletics background actually helped you? Kie: Sort of. When I started off we never really did a lot of movements at any one time, so the training didn’t really see us acquiring any levels of stamina. From athletics, my stamina was pretty much all I had to bring to the table. I was horrendously weak in my upper body area though and couldn’t pull myself up on a wall or anything.
Not at all? Kie: No, it didn’t matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t. It took a hell of a lot of hard training to build up my strength in order to be able to do so. So when you got into your Parkour properly, did you drop the athletics training altogether? Kie: I was already starting to move away from athletics anyway. As you get older it’s not seen to be cool to be doing that at school <laughs>. You’re originally from Exeter, right? Kie: No, I’m actually from a place called Glastonbury. What prompted you to move from there to Cambridge of all places? Kie: Well I was looking to move out anyway and a friend of mine lived in Cambridge, so I moved in with her. In addition, I knew that it was a good scene for training and at the time, my regular training spots in Exeter were beginning to die out. As a result, I was became less motivated to train, so a complete change of scenery was
Stride to Cat Leap Where: Vauxhall, London
A diving kong that halted the traffic and nearly got him an ASBO Where: Walworth, London
Strides to running precision Where: Stone Walls, Near Elephant & Castle
definitely a good thing.
Kie: Not in the slightest.
Most people that have known you for a while will state that your level was pretty high anyway but when you moved to Cambridge, there was a marked improvement in your skill level. Would you agree? Kie: Yeah, I train a lot with Phil Doyle who’s a really nice guy but he’s so harsh to people when they don’t try things when they should. There will be times when I can’t push myself to try things and he gives me so much shit about it. He unintentionally pulls this face that just makes you feel like crap and while some people would be put off by that, it actually pushes me on. Don’t get me wrong though, we’re talking about things that you should be able to do and not things that are out of your reach. Sometimes a little push is a good thing.
How about the term Freerunning? Kie: Honestly, I don’t really give a shit what people call it. It’s completely a matter of opinion at the end of the day. For me, it’s just movement.
What noticeable difference have you seen in your own game since moving there? Kie: To be honest, I think a lot is owed to the architecture there. In Exeter the areas only really allowed for standing movements and there were very few running jump opportunities. Whereas in Cambridge, there’s a lot more on the running side and the rail side of things. So my technique has improved greatly on landings, with my sense of touch, control and more importantly, my running jump power has increased massively.
Where is your favourite spot to train at? Kie: I do like Vauxhall a lot but I’m not sure if that would be my favourite. It’s possibly the bus tree in Cambridge because it’s nothing like your normal place to train at. The textures and layout are just so different and there isn’t a tree like it anywhere else. How much time would you generally spend training there? Kie: In the summer it’s without a doubt the place I spend most of my time. There are so many levels to it and up on the higher levels you can work on your confidence and control, but at lower levels you can work on fast variation movements between upper body and lower body. It’s sick!
“IT’S PURELY CONFIDENCE IN YOUR ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO DO IT”
Who inspired you to train in the beginning? Kie: In the very beginning it was Urban Freeflow and Danny Ilabaca. Nowadays I’m inspired by fellow UF All Star team mate, Shade Zlat from Russia, who’s a beast that’s come out of nowhere. Actually, a lot of the things I’m seeing from Eastern Europe right now, is inspiring me a lot.
Why do you think the Eastern European scene is blowing up right now? Kie: I think a lot is down to the architecture. They seem to have a lot of bar setups and everything else is more open planned and doesn’t really allow so much for strides and precisions like in the UK. So they go off into this creative process to make up for it and are coming out with some beastly moves. What does Parkour mean to you? Kie: It’s like that A to B efficiency of movement thing only to be used to save someone’s baby or some shit. It’s about taking the fastest route possible regardless of whether that’s by bus or by jumping over a wall <laughs>. So the actual word doesn’t mean much then?
When I was there, you were doing a lot of precision work high up. Does the fear factor come into play at all? Kie: Yes a lot <laughs>. The stuff up high isn’t really that hard. It’s purely confidence in your ability to able to do it. None of the gaps are horrendously far, so there’s no real risk of falling as long as you’re experienced and know what you’re doing.
How about fave spots to train at outside of the UK? Kie: Some of the spots in Basel, Switzerland are really nice. The architecture is all new and modern, so a lot of the walls are very similar to Vauxhall in London, which is ideal. If you had the chance, where would you like to visit in order to train? Kie: Oleg’s playground in Daugavpils, Latvia. A lot of people say it’s much smaller than it appears in the videos. Who would you like most to train with that you haven’t met yet? Kie: Jason Paul from Germany. He seems like a nice guy and has a similar way of moving to me yet at the same time, so different. I feel like I could learn a lot from him. Least favourite place to train so far? Kie: Glastonbury where I started off. There’s a lower wall and a higher wall that allowed for an arm jump and a 180 arm jump. That is pretty much it. It’s such a shit place <laughs>.
A moment of reflection before scaling his way up high Where: The Bus Tree, Cambridge
C’mon, at least you had two walls. Couldn’t you make the most out of a crap situation? Kie: Yeah, you try to be as creative as possible but at the end of the day it was still just two fucking walls and it was so shit <laughs>. Fair enough but one of the most common emails we get is from kids saying that they have nowhere to train in their areas. You should be offering words of advice here. Kie: Well I have seen a guy in a video using hay bails to vault over on a farm and he’s being creative by using his dads tractor to jump off of. Glastonbury is better than that but it’s still shit <laughs>. Words of wisdom right there <laughs>. Ok, who in your opinion is someone to keep an eye on in the future? Kie: Max Cave from Horsham. He’s 17 or 18 and he’s got a nice level. I’ve watched his reel a fair few times. Does it inspire you to see people coming through the ranks? Kie: I wouldn’t say that I’m inspired. I’m certainly entertained but you see so many videos coming out that it’s really hard for one single video to really inspire you. Are you an advocate of the Youtube scene? Kie: Oh yeah, I watch about 20 videos a day but it’s hard to really make an impact with a video these days. Storm did that quite well and we were lucky with the Professor Longhair, Big Chief video which got a lot of publicity.
choreographed piece. When it was released, it had a flood of hits and went down well. Didn’t Ashton Kutcher tweet it on twitter? Kie: Yeah, Ashton Kutcher tweeted it and it ended up on CNN, which generated a lot of interest. From there it took off virally and funnily enough, Phil’s mum had it sent to her from a friend and that was the first time she’d ever seen it <laughs>. In general the feedback has been good then? Kie: Yeah, pretty much everyone that’s watched it has given props, which is nice. Also, because it was shot in Cambridge, a lot of people there are aware of it and say “Oh I saw you on Youtube.” It’s pretty cool. Is there anyone you particularly follow on Youtube? Kie: Shade Zlat when he isn’t putting out a new 10 minute video every day <laughs>. Callum and Sacha Powell from Brighton and Visive Productions put out some good material. Talking of Cambridge, it’s well documented that there have been issues there with police and council officials. Did the video do anything to help or worsen matters? Kie: I spoke to some PCSO’s the other day who said that they’d seen it on the Redtube TV show and that they thought it was hilarious. Most of the PCSO’s are really ok guys and I’d say that I’m friends with, but it’s not really the police that is the problem. The problem comes through the public and their perception is warped because of some dodgy newspaper articles, so they don’t like what we do.
“ASHTON KUTCHER TWEETED IT AND IT ENDED UP ON CNN”
Tell us a bit about that video. Kie: Basically Scott Bass goes around filming us in Cambridge, which we’re ok with. He started off as a kid with a camera and not much knowledge and as he built up, he got better equipment and started making better videos. Because the videos had people like Phil Doyle in them, they started to get more and more views. So we’re like, ok we’ve got this base where Scott had a channel so we can put a video out there. The problem was that we hated pretty much every video he’s produced either because of the soundtrack or the editing. So we were like “Ok Scott, we appreciate your camera skills or whatever, but we’re going to use you essentially as a tripod and cameraman where me and Phil are going to make our own video.” So we started out with the intention of capturing some of the best stuff we could do in Cambridge, make a portfolio principally for ourselves and essentially, produce a video that we actually liked. Over a couple of months if we both felt fine and had a nice day, we’d go out and try to find stuff to do that we both liked that could fit us both in. Kind of like a
That’s a real shame. Through the recognition you’ve received as professional athletes, have you found that it’s easier to train there these days and be left alone? Kie: Sadly it’s still the same. Has this had an adverse affect on the scene as a whole? A while back the Cambridge scene was buzzing and was rife with activity. Kie: The original lot who used to train are now older, finishing college, moving onto university and facing up to other responsibilities in life outside of Parkour. Saying that, I was out the other day and there were many more kids out training than there usually are. Do you see this as a positive or a negative? Kie: In a selfish way, it’s a negative because being kids they will no doubt get into trouble by going onto private property etc. It all comes back on us and makes it more difficult. On the plus side of things it’s good to see more
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all a matter of confidence for Kie when training at height Where: The Bus Tree, Cambridge
High up on a rooftop, this spot was an Aladdinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cave for any Freerunner. Best of all, it was completely under cover which was ideal for th Where: Cambridge
hose rainy days
Precision control Where: Rinsed-Max, London
people out there training though. You can’t win them all. Cambridge aside, what’s your opinion of the UK scene in general? Kie: To be honest, I’m in my own little world. I have a few friends in London and Liverpool that I train with but I’m not that in touch with the scene in the sense that I don’t really care enough. I know it sounds selfish but that’s not intentional. People can go off and do what they want. I have no influence over that or want any influence. The people I’ve met have always been positive, have a laugh and seem respectful to authorities like the police, so it’s cool. So I take it that you’re not really into the whole jam scenario then? Kie: Jams are good to begin with. My first ever jam was the UF PK 11 one about 3 years ago and it was the first time I’d ever been to a big gathering and it was amazing. This was when I was still living in Glastonbury where there were only four of us training on our two walls <laughs> so to go from that to seeing 250 people training in one spot, was like “Woah!”. However, once you’ve been training for a while, going to the big jams turns into more of a social gathering and you don’t spend so much time training. It’s more a case of just catching up with friends. The social side of things is always important though, right? Kie: It’s always good to network and have friends in so many different places and through Parkour, I’ve made many friends.
Kie: I don’t have a valid opinion where beginners are concerned because I never went into a gym environment until I’d already been training for 3 years. I guess a beginner starting in a gym could develop a false sense of security. What’s your approach to gym training? Kie: I tend to train techniques that I’d want to be able to do outside as opposed to just going mad. How come you’re not so active on Youtube these days? Kie: I’m quite lazy and don’t have a good quality camera. Also, if you are out training it tends to interrupt that, so if you go out with the intention of filming it can turn into being quite a mission. Not something you overly enjoy doing then? Kie: Nah, I don’t mind others filming and Scott used to do that quite a bit and put out videos. It’s good to be captured because when you’re doing the moves it’s hard to envisage how they actually look. So it’s always good to be able to see how you move and it allows you to analyze different aspects of your game and helps you progress.
“I END UP GETTING FRUSTRATED MORE OFTEN THAN NOT”
What’s your opinion of the world scene? Kie: It’s interesting because for a long time it seemed like the UK was where it was at and you had a few people in America stepping up. But now you see scenes flourishing in Spain, Brazil, Mexico and so much quality coming out of Eastern Europe. It’s really healthy. Do you find yourself analyzing styles from different scenes and cherry picking bits for yourself? Kie: I tend to watch them all as a whole and do what I enjoy. Right now I’m into high bar stuff. How much time do you spend in the gym? Kie: It varies so much. In Cambridge we have no gym and the closest is an hour drive away, so if we have someone to drive us we might be in the gym up to 8 times a month for a couple of months and then there might be another 5 months before we do it again. Opinions of gym sessions as part of regular Parkour training, good or bad?
Are you critical of your own work? Kie: <laughs> Oh yeah, it really pisses me off to watch myself. I do watch myself in order to analyze how I’m moving, but I often think I could do so much better, so I end up getting frustrated more often than not.
But surely you enjoy the positive feedback you get? I remember when you put the blindfold video out and even though it was simplistic, it generated so much positivity. Kie: Oh yeah, it’s always nice to see that people like what you’re doing. I guess it’s good publicity if you’re trying to make a career out of it, but if I never put out videos I’d still carry on as normal. Do you enjoy the pro side of things in terms of getting opportunities to travel? Kie: So many people spend a fortune doing it off their own backs but here we are having people actually paying us to go to places. It’s great. At the end of the day, going somewhere to do Parkour as a job doesn’t really feel like work. When you look at regular people doing their 9 to 5 job, you know that they feel like they’re working and having to earn their money. Most enjoyable pro engagement to date? Kie: Last year I did this circus type production with Cirque Bijou where a trials bike rider called Andre and I did our Man v Machine display. We had to adapt our
Strides to a cat leap at the end of Kieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s run at his favourite London hotspot Where: Vauxhall, London
performance to a circus environment and it was so much fun to do. The people behind the production were so professional and definitely the most organised of any company I’ve worked with yet. Which pro engagement has been the least enjoyable? Kie: The one in Dubai was a farce. We put so much effort into the choreography and the main guy would come and watch our rehearsals, say it was sick and then the next day would come back and ask us to change it. Then when we finally delivered a piece that they were fully happy with, they decided that the overall show was too long and decided to chop pieces out. As a result we got cut out and sent home. I think that was a polite way of them telling everyone to piss off. There were so many things wrong about that whole experience but the biggest gaffe was having us all kitted out in black with balaclava’s when performing in front of the Sheikh. His bodyguards were completely freaking out <laughs>. Kie: True <laughs> but I felt like we’d been milked dry and then spat out. Unfortunately, that’s part and parcel of the pro game. How about competition, do you have any aspirations to be a competing athlete on the circuit? Kie: I’d quite like to compete just for the experience. Also, it’s great publicity if you’re trying to make a career in Freerunning and if the pro route is one that you are looking to take, it’s highly likely that you’ll have to compete at some point unless you are very lucky.
What would you say are your strengths? Kie: I guess it would be power but not in an excessive way and I’d also say flow. When I say flow, I don’t mean like the Eastern European guys who flow in a kind of creative dance way. With me it’s more of the Parkour A to B way with a British flavour, where there are lots of strides and fast linking together of moves. And weaknesses? Kie: Definitely acrobatics with my flips etc. My moves in that department are pretty basic. What about paying homage to the birthplace of Parkour? You’ve been to Lisses, right? Kie: Yeah, we all went over to Paris last summer for UF’s Session Internationale event, which was really cool. A couple of my friends were staying at the F1 hotel in Lisses, so I ended up staying there for an extra week to train at Evry with a few guys I’d met at Session Internationale. I never went there because it was the birthplace. I just went because it was another good place to train.
“I FELT LIKE WE’D BEEN MILKED DRY AND THEN SPAT OUT”
Do I detect a hint of skepticism there? Kie: Hmmm to be honest, if I were able to influence things, I’d be happy if there were no competitions at all. However, seeing as there are competitions and I have no influence <laughs> I’d be happy to step up. Ideally the kind of competitions I’d like to see would be more like Ninja Warrior which in my opinion, would make so much sense from a Parkour perspective. How about Wipeout? Kie: Yes, that’d be so sick <laughs>. Talking of your overall game, how much importance would you place on the attributes of flow, power, speed and technique? Kie: Erm…..Flow is probably the least important of the lot because I think you can compensate for lack of flow with power and control. But overall, everything relates in the sense that your perfect kind of movement would be an equal balance of all of them.
Did you get a chance to session the Dame Du Lac? Kie: Yeah that was a funny one because I’d been training on it and had just come off. As I walked across the grass, a load of police came over and started throwing smoke bombs and spraying people with CS spray <laughs>. For real? Kie: Yeah, about 9 or 10 people got sprayed and Charlie Eastman from the UK, got sprayed right in the face.
Did they get a proper police beatdown? Kie: No unfortunately not. That would have been so funny if they had <laughs>. I was really lucky to escape it all because I wear contact lenses and if I’d been sprayed, I’d have been completely fucked for the rest of the week! Not a perfect Lisses experience then? Kie: Let’s just say that it was interesting <laughs>. No seriously, I just went there to train in new spots and train with new people and none of it was to do with the heritage of the place. Didn’t you jump the Manpower gap in Evry? Kie: Yeah I did. I think it’s a little bit overrated and I wouldn’t recommend it, as there’s a fair bit of impact upon landing. I don’t think it’s really worth it. That said, the airtime you get is pretty cool. Definitely the highest drop I’ve taken so far. What was running through your mind before you did it? Kie: Because it was so high, I was just making mental
Diving kong across a stairway into the path of rush hour traffic. Standard Where: Walworth, London
Running precision and cat leap opportunities aplenty. Just after this was taken, the police arrived to stick their noses in Where: Cambridge
If thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a ladder hanging down from a rooftop, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be rude not to climb it Where: Heygate Estate, Elephant & Castle, London
calculations and rationalizing whether or not it was worth doing. It didn’t seem particularly far and there seemed like very little could go wrong.
do. It’s something I’m relatively good at, so yeah, I might as well make a career out of it and enjoy it as much as possible.
What was the impact like on the legs? Kie: Actually, it wasn’t that bad as there’s about 12 inches of pebbles to land on which is like having a crash mat and it pushes you perfectly in the right direction to roll. Funnily enough, there was a French guy with me and at the time I was wearing a pair of fucked up K-Swiss with massive holes in the toes. He couldn’t believe I was going to do it in such shitty trainers, which was quite amusing <laughs>.
What’s the motivation for you to get out and train through the typically crap UK weather? Kie: It’s always been about challenges for me. Mostly they are mental challenges though, as I already know I have the physical ability.
Reckon anyone will ever flip across it? Kie: Massive props to anyone who does. It’s definitely doable as the distance isn’t that great. I can imagine someone doing a running front and over-rotating into a horrendous face plant of pebbles though <laughs>. What drove you to want to do the Manpower gap in the first place? Kie: I don’t know really. I guess the fact that David Belle and so many other people have done it so many times, proves that it’s the perfect roof gap. Also, I hadn’t done any kind of height drops for such a long time but knew that I had the level and strength to do it. Also, I’d kind of forgotten what it felt like to be in the air for so long, so I considered it worth doing and not a real risk.
Any injuries recently? Kie: The last one was about 3 years ago when I broke my ankle. I was in a cast for five and a half weeks and I had to use crutches. About 6 weeks after that I was able to start doing some light training. Did it take you long to get your level back again? Kie: From injury to the point I got back to my level, I’d say it was about 5 months in total. A frustrating time for you?
“I DON’T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO DO”
Outside of your PK/FR training, do you do any other form of physical activity? Kie: Yeah, there’s a climbing wall near me and I go there with Phil Doyle maybe once a week. I used to street skate a lot but don’t do much these days. When it comes to your training, do you follow a strict regime? Kie: No it’s totally random and I just do what I feel like doing. I do try to go out at least 5 days a week for a couple of hours at a time.
Do you view yourself as an athlete or is it more a lifestyle thing? Kie: I definitely don’t view myself as an athlete. Being an athlete you need to have a strict diet regime and properly structured training and I don’t really have any of that. On the other hand though, I’m not just some kid trying shit out. I have a strong level of control and everything I do is calculated. So what does it all mean to you? Kie: I do it because I don’t really have anything else to
Kie: Actually it was kind of fun because it made me focus on things like my sense of touch. Obviously I had to be careful with my ankle but as a result, it made my touch so much better.
Ok let’s say that you’ve suffered some kind of injury to your knees and you’re doctor advises you that your days of training in Parkour and Freerunning are over. What impact would that have on you? Kie: It’d be immensely frustrating as I’m obviously trying to build a career around it but at the end of the day, you’ve just got to get on with it I suppose. I’d probably go to Uni and study graphic design or something. What is your goal with Parkour & Freerunning right now? Kie: I don’t really have a long term goal to be honest. Ideally it’d be to make enough money to be able to get by and continue doing what I’m doing. I don’t tend to think too much into the future and deal with things as they happen. Do you spend time teaching at all? Kie: I used to but not these days. To be honest, I don’t really enjoy it as I’m not patient enough. I’m the kind of person who’d want my students to be amazing straight away <laughs>. Seeing as what we’re doing is a street movement, what’s your overall opinion of classes? Kie: I think that people who seek out classes are never
Blind running precision Where: Vauxhall, London
going to end up being any good. It’s ok if you’re looking at it from a fitness or conditioning perspective but for those who want to be good, they need to get out there and actually do it. As long as you don’t make any horrendous mistakes, you’ll learn so much from trial and error. I certainly wasn’t taught in any class. Let’s talk about shoes, any particular favourite to train in? Kie: For trainers my favourite is by far the K-Swiss Si-18 Rannell but they’ve been temporarily discontinued. They’re tennis shoes though, so what makes them so good? Kie: If you look at a shoe like the Five Ten, the grip is too good and is solid, so when you do a cat leap, you stick whether you want to or not. With the K-Swiss, they allow for a bit of slip which is what you want and the density of the foam on the sole is perfect. It’s not too thick and not too thin but also provides adequate shock resistance. They also look good so you don’t end up looking like a prick in the way you would when wearing Kalenji’s. Seeing as they’ve been discontinued, what’s your shoe of choice right now? Kie: I’m testing out a bunch of stuff but right now I’m rocking the Asics GT Ultra, which have also been discontinued and are hard to get hold of <laughs>. It’s so frustrating. On a lighter note, favourite music? Kie: A bit of dubstep, hip hop, classical.
Kie: Oh man, people are bitching about other people all the time. Does that annoy you? Kie: It’s annoying that people care so much. Also, the whole Parkour v Freeruning thing pisses me off so bad. It clearly doesn’t matter at all. For anyone out there with aspirations of being a pro in this game, any words to pass down? Kie: Yeah, it’s not plain sailing and is hard work. There are so many people trying to make it and there are a hell of a lot of people with talent who haven’t made it. All I’ll say is good luck but be prepared for the reality and all the hustling that’s needed. If you were at a spot and saw a noob trying something that was beyond their level, would you step up to correct them? Kie: It’s hard to gauge if it’s beyond their level and also a bit arrogant to go up to someone and start preaching. If they weren’t doing anything where they were at risk of injury, I’d probably let them get on with it. Sometimes you need to be left alone to find things out the hard way. It helps you progress.
“I HATE THE IDEA OF HAVING TO DO A 9 TO 5 JOB SO MUCH”
Aren’t you a keen musician too? Kie: Yeah, I play guitar, trumpet and am now learning to play the piano. Favourite film? Kie: Prestige with Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson. Best film ever! Things that make Kie Willis happy? Kie: My cat. It’s a retarded kitten and you can throw it at the curtains and it just sticks <laughs>, Xbox playing Call of Duty, playing the piano, hanging with my girlfriend, training. Pretty much everything I’m doing in my life right now is what makes me happy. On the flipside, what makes Kie Willis angry? Kie: I hate the idea of having to do a 9 to 5 job so much. Even if something happens where I’m unable to do Parkour any more, I’d still find something to do that meant I wouldn’t have to work in a proper job. Have you encountered much negativity in the scene?
you’d see in Assassin’s Creed.
Did you learn the hard way? Kie: I’ve had my fair share of scrapes and bruises but I’d like to think that my approach on the whole, has been sensible. Fave techniques to drill? Kie: Running precisions. Especially when there’s a precarious drop on the other side. I like the stuff
Least favourite technique to drill? Kie: I’d say it was summersaults mainly because I’m not very good at them, so I find it all frustrating. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against flips at all. I’m just not very good with learning all the twists. Seeing as we’re here shooting in London today, what’s your opinion of Imax <laughs>? Kie: It’s good but has been rinsed so much that it’s hard to find new things to do there. You end up trying all different variations just to be different but it’s pretty much all been covered. Right, well we’re going to leave you to go off and be creative. Thanks for taking the time out to chat. Kie: All good, dude. Kie’s Youtube channel can be found at: www.youtube.com/kieistheone
One of Kieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite techniques to drill is a running precision to a rail with a drop on the other side Where: Elephant & Castle, London
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ISSUE #13 RUSSIA