FLOW Workshop Day 1: Introductory Session

Urban Introductory Jam

Location: QC Circle

Injuries: a cement burn on each palm, bruise on right leg, another bruise on my ego :p

Faceplant: almost - thank goodness for spotters

Walls Climbed: .5 (yeah I need to work on that one)

Vault Score: I did better on this one, expect for that close-call faceplant - I have long legs, they get in the way >_<

Resulting muscle pains: *pops another Alaxan*

Verdict: Must summon my inner cat, and let my inner mermaid be, for now *sob*. Less Waterbending, more on Earth and Air




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So..I had my first taste of Parkour last Saturday with the PPFA (Philippine Parkour and FreeRunning Association)  Folks at QC Circle for their PPFA Flow Workshop 2010. 

Nervous noobs ^^;

Admittedly, this is isnt the type of physical activity I usually get involved in, me being more of a 'water-baby'. But hey, I've been intrigued by Parkour ever since, well, ever since I've heard of it, and so took the opportunity as soon as it presented itself.

The introductory session gave us noobs a taste of what the whole thing was about, complete with warm-ups, basic routines and moves. I wasn't actually expecting to be doing wall jumps anytime soon, but like they said it was a 'progression', and we'll probably get there eventually. That's not to say it wasnt an intimidating experience - you'd think it was easy to get over a wall less than 5 feet high, until you try.

Orientation

Warm-ups are always important

Some basic moves (it's like climbing a ladder, but much harder) As with most disciplines, you always start on the bottom rung (or in this case, the ground) and move up

 Our teachers (trainers? mentors?) were very nice - they talked us through the routines and were clear about the do's and dont's, and were very patient when we couldnt perform them right away. Most importantly, they were sincere about their craft as free runners, and that meant a great deal for those who were new to this activity.

Vaults! It's amazing really, we've been hopping over stuff like these since childhood, but when you try to do it 'consciously', you get scared XD

One of our teachers (and seasoned traceur - parkour practicioner) demonstrating a vault

This is a hell lot harder than it looks :p

From what I've learned so far though, parkour isn't just some street-smart 'cool' thing to do. It's not that very far from most martial arts - it's all about discipline, being aware of your capabilities and limitations, and knowing - and respecting - your surroundings. Most of all, it teaches a lot about humility. If all you want to do is show-off and be cool, this isnt the place for you.

I'm done with one session, and have eight more to go. 

That's eight more opportunities to get scrapes, bruises, faceplants, and who knows what else. 

Still, that's also eight more chances for me to learn about this 'art', which, by the way, is actually pretty amazing ^^

*photos from various sources