Halifax Parkour Community

Simply Amazing!

2011-10-07T10:10:00.001-07:00

Back to the Past

2011-06-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

Parkour Video Mag

2011-05-09T05:54:00.000-07:00

I and Parkour

2011-04-12T07:33:00.001-07:00

Tempest Parkour and Freerunning Academy

2011-04-08T06:10:00.000-07:00

Parkour Short Film From Montreal

2011-01-13T13:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a short video from the wonderful folks in MTL. If your from Halifax you may recognise some one in the vid ;)

Parkour Literally 3!

2010-10-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

An Interview with Stephane Vigroux

2010-10-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

Here is an awesome video.
A BIG thanks to Stephane for putting these ideas into words

Amazing Parkour

2010-09-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

worth the watch!

Boombox Parkour

2010-09-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

The most fun you can have on a playground

Overcoming Obstacles by David Rusak

2010-09-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to an article done by one of our fellow practitioners David Rusak
Good Job! hope to see you out soon!

Finger Parkour

2010-08-31T13:28:00.001-07:00

Being Parkour Documentary

2010-06-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to the documentary "Being Parkour" by one of our community's participants Hamish Lambert

Here

Parkour Literally Part 2

2010-06-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

I LOVE PARKOUR!

2010-05-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Rain Has Stopped!

2010-04-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

Love it!
Another Naim Video

IN-BIG-EN

Niam

2010-03-02T10:38:00.001-08:00

Parkour Generations Rendezvous 4

2010-01-14T09:55:00.001-08:00

Learning to teach. Teaching to learn
by Andy Parkour Generations

How do you truly get better at something? Through human history we have developed a multitude of methods to educate ourselves in whichever disciplines we desire. Obviously there are techniques that work better than others, depending on the personality traits of the individual doing the learning, but personally I have always found that "hands on" training allows me to understand and comprehend concepts much faster than any other method I've tried. That said, I also feel that given enough time I am also able to learn just as well through simple observation and understanding. Clearly this was a mistake.

In 2008 I had been training with Parkour Generations for a few years at the academy and had naively felt comfortable enough in my abilities to believe that I was at a point in my parkour career to be able to pass my experience and knowledge on to others through teaching and coaching. Obviously I had been taught by Forrest and Dan as well as many of the others in the team and seen how they conduct the classes, so I'm sure I have the ability to do it, right? Hmmm....

I remember my first few classes quite vividly. One word. Disasters. I had suddenly entered a whole new realm of parkour and teaching. All of the training that I had done for myself was a fraction of the experience and understanding I needed to be able to teach it. So many questions had instantaneously entered my brain... The most simplest of things had now become the most complex! For instance... A step vault. Can I accurately explain every aspect of the mechanics behind the step vault? Do I know why we do it that way? Why not with the other foot? Other hand? Which foot do we lead with? Which foot do we land with? Where do the hips have to be? How do I teach a ten year old this? How do I capture the attention of a ten year old to be motivated to do this? How do I break this down for someone with little strength and experience? How do I progress, streamline and offer tips on the same technique to veteran traceurs to help them improve? What's the most likely place people will fall? Where do I stand to spot them? How do I get an entire group, of different abilities, to do this? How do I organise this? How do I make sure they all understand the correct way to do this? What must they watch out for? What are common mistakes? How do I deal with someone who just doesn't understand? What the hell is going on!?!?

Oh dear... I know nothing. My respect for the entire team had suddenly been multiplied by a thousand in a matter of about twenty seconds. I now understood the skill and experience it takes to teach an Academy class of fifty people while answering any questions and queries, reacting to different situations, ensuring everyone is safe, gaining maximum potential out of everyone, allowing everyone to have fun and keeping the classes upbeat and enjoyable!

Through the following year, along with the rest of the team, I have, on a daily basis, been put into many different and varied teaching scenarios which have tested all aspects of my parkour and teaching abilities. Some have gone better than others, but all of these situations have taught me more than I had ever hoped about myself, the discipline and my colleagues. Now I am beginning to feel more comfortable with teaching, but know I still have an eternity of learning to do.

The initial fears and frustrations have now faded away but the simple fact is that the more I teach, the more I learn and the more I learn, the more there is to be learnt. Being someone who thrives on knowledge, I guess this is a pretty good situation to be in. I'm just glad that I am in an environment that allows me to learn in the correct way.

There are a million aspects to comprehend and I think it is imperative to have the physical fundamentals, spirit and ethos firmly cemented into your subconscious by spending time with those with the experience to make sure you are on the right path... otherwise, there is just too much that can be skewed, misinterpreted and misunderstood.

Daniel Ilabaca

2010-01-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

wow! was said at least 20 times while watching this video

Dvinsk clan and Oleg Vorslav video

2010-01-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

14 mins of amazement
Part 1

Part 2

A True Parkour Flip

2010-01-05T08:41:00.001-08:00

My Playground Preview

2009-12-18T07:28:00.000-08:00

Hey All,
David posted a link to a pretty amazing video preview called my play ground....you just have to watch!

MY PLAYGROUND - PREVIEW from KASPARWORKS on Vimeo.

<3 PARKOUR

Active Communities Champion Program' Award

2009-12-16T08:15:00.001-08:00

Hello all,
Let me take this moment to let the members of our community here in halifax know of the recognition we have recieved from the HRM and Active Halifax Communities. I am pleased to inform you that Halifax Parkour has been chosen to receive Active Halifax Communities 'Active Communities Champion Program' award. This award showcases individuals, groups and organizations in HRM that go above and beyond to increase physical activity for youth, family and the community within HRM.

ACTIVE Halifax Communities (AHC) exists for the purpose of increasing the number of physically active children, youth and families in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Through collaborative partnerships, AHC strives to mobilize communities to increase the number of active opportunities available. Key to this initiative is building awareness and advocacy, participation, and building community capacity for active living. Active Halifax is a partnership between HRM, Nova Scotia Health Promotion and Protection, the Halifax Regional School Board, and Capital Health.

Congrats to our community for making parkour for everyone.
Have a great day.

Parkour Unleashed!

2009-12-04T09:40:00.001-08:00

This is the best parkour video of all time!
his movements just are so....... natural and....... animalistic!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

More Naim

2009-11-16T10:48:00.001-08:00

Good training vid

Trash Story

2009-10-09T18:39:00.001-07:00

Simply Breathtaking

2009-08-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

If you do parkour this video is for you!
This video touches the untouchable it explains parkour without words.
it's 25 mins long and is also timeless.

watch full screen in HD!

David Belle Interview Continued

2009-07-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

David Belle "The Way"

David Belle speaking on what parkour is to him. This video is worth the watch because it touches on many things that are of importance in your training especially where he talks of parkour as a process for self-development and how to recognize the ego in your training, aswell as comparing yourself to others.
Very good!

Wise Words from David Belle

2009-07-21T07:30:00.001-07:00

Trace Elements in Austraila

2009-06-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

Amazing video pure parkour! non-stop movement
I especially love the tree work
enjoy

Winter Trainings from Joenkkoe (UK)

2009-05-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

You may have seen this video when it first came out two years ago, for a time it was unable to be found on youtube. now here it is online again...and it's still good without sound. Amazing climb ups! whole body movement controlled and relaxed
enjoy!

Silex from MTL

2009-05-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a short and sweet video of Silex a skilled practitioner from MTL, very smooth saut de chat precision
enjoy!

Dimmonk November 08

2009-05-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a video of dim monk from last fall just saw it the other day really liked it.

enjoy!

Tomber or not tomber

2009-04-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

Very nice!

Hollie from Leeds Postive Balance vid

2009-03-13T04:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a nice video featuring a tracer from across the pond, and put to the sound of Immortal Technique couldn't be better :)

for more of her videos you can find her youtube channel here

Two vid's from Brazil

2009-02-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

when I watch this video I am compelled to go outside and play! look for the "saut de slide"

three words:

WINTER IN BRAZIL!!

Parkour - The Nature Of Challenge

2009-02-22T05:58:00.000-08:00

Hey all,
Here is a nice documentary from the folks of northern parkour in Manchester in the UK
there's four parts but well worth the time.

Part1

Part2

Part3

Part4

Enjoy!

Northern Parkour (weapon of choice)

2009-01-21T18:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a nice long vid called Parkour weapon of choice. awesome spots and interesting movements.

Oh and for those of you who don't regularly check Blane's blog he has posted some FAQ which is a good read click the link on the right ---------->
or click here

The Power of Parkour

2008-12-09T08:30:00.001-08:00

Hey all,

Parkour is a truly amazing art! Since I began parkour over 5 years ago I have seen it create nothing but positivity in peoples lives, in many more ways than just physical health. I have seen people overcome shyness, change their perspectives, achieve things they never thought possible. Parkour continues to prove to me that it is a powerful transformational force in peoples lives. What lies beneath the movements, the attitude of parkour, has the ability to actualize what was at once thought impossible.

Recently one of our regular members named Gwen, has informed the community of the benefits she has received from her parkour practice, she started parkour over a year ago...... actually I think it would be better said in her words.

"When I started parkour, at age 61, my fall bone-density test showed that I had just slipped into osteoporosis. I set and appointment for another scan in a year and started doing parkour. I hung in all winter, every Sunday, because I love doing it. I do what works for me, and different people give me pointers as I need them. I can jump over short walls, though I always find it surprising, and I have developed a great love for the feeling of flying I get from going up or over a wall, jumping the length of a sidewalk square, and climbing along a railing. I have advanced, slowly, and wish I'd taken this up when I was 14 and running through the woods, skipping, and climbing walls and trees.

My bone-density scan, in November 08, showed that I had moved back up, to osteopenia, which means I have denser bones. After a year of doing parkour and taking a plant-based calcium, calcium aspartate, I have gone back up to where I was the year before I got osteoporosis. This is wonderful, conventional wisdom says it's not possible! I now do parkour twice a week whenever I can, only for an hour or an hour or a half, it's not such a big commitment, and I glow after every session, from the sheer joy of doing the activities and hanging out with such a splendid bunch of people."

This is a testament to the positive benefits that the practice of parkour can bring to anyone regardless of age sex or background, parkour is for everyone.

Let this story inspire you to keep growing and realize that nothing is impossible.

"Parkour.....a culture of the impossible"

Summer Training vid from Hungary

2008-12-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

Check it out!

Oh Canada

2008-11-13T07:44:00.000-08:00

Here is a video of some familiar faces (Dim monk, Silex!!) and some faces from fast motion...(think Mathieu Ledoux at the stade in MTL) in the Quebec area 2008!!

Some awesome training and fluid movements....Some of the places in this video look really really FUN
it's good to see you guys we are thinking of you here in the east
love
Halifax Parkour community

Efficiency Vid

2008-11-13T07:42:00.000-08:00

Very smooth movement.

Teghead Video

2008-10-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

This video I thought really showed the spirit of parkour

David Belle on Parkour

2008-09-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

"parkour represents everything to me"

The Chase

2008-09-17T10:14:00.001-07:00

Parkour.Net Closed

2008-06-18T08:40:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone,
If you haven't noticed yet on friday the 13th of June Parkour.net closed :(
Here are some parkour generations vids to soothe your troubles

to be honest however the closing of PK.net shouldn't trouble you too much, your training is what really matters and that can continue EVEN if the internet were to shut down.

Vigroux Bro's

2008-04-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

Amazing and Inspiring

2008-03-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a video from one of the members of Divinsk Clan showing some rail work.
Thinking outside the box
Great job

Two more for your viewing enjoyment

2008-02-14T15:44:00.000-08:00

a NEW and awesome video of David Belle

Porto_NB_finale_
Uploaded by airmout

yet another video worth watching

Escape

2008-02-14T05:43:00.000-08:00

Hey all,
This video is different from what most parkour videos are, But I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Quiet Relaxed Training

2008-01-29T08:29:00.000-08:00

Hey all
Here's a quiet little training video for some inspiration.
you may notice the spots from some of Blane's videos

Parkour Generations Training in the Rain

2007-12-05T09:04:00.000-08:00

Since we have been having some cold snowy days as of late, I hope this video will give you some inspiration. Remember to always train safely.
Enjoy

BBC North - Parkour

2007-11-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

Hey all,
This is a great video covering parkour and the trace parkour gathering that took place last summer. I love that they show how the authorities are not concerned or threatened by the practice of parkour in public spaces. I believe this is because of the disciplined and respectful attitude that many people who practice parkour demonstrate
Enjoy

Barefoot Training

2007-10-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

Very Inspirational!
This is a video of a member of the TCT which demonstrates very dedicated and precise training, he is only 15 years old!
Remember that when training, safety should come first especially when training barefoot, make sure that your not going to be in places with broken glass etc. and build the strength up slowly to avoid risk and injury.

That said this video is amazing

ENJOY!!!!

Parkour Coaching Indoor Training

2007-09-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

Another video from parkour coaching
For those of you wondering about activities that can be done at home watch carefully the conditioning aspect of this vid for some good ideas.
Enjoy

Trace '07 Gathering in the UK

2007-08-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

Looks like it was an amazing experience for those who attended.
enjoy!

Jin's 4 mile cat crawl for charity

2007-08-20T07:26:00.003-07:00

Amazing job! Much Respect!

Chronicle Herald Article

2007-07-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hey All,
We had a very kind lady named Tara Patriquin come out to one of the regular meets and ask some questions about parkour and our community here. It was a very plesant talk and a very good article came out of it. To view the article:

Click Here

Happy Training!

Parkour Coaching

2007-06-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
Here is a video featuring some very experienced Traceurs with 7-20+ years experience
ENJOY!!

A Taste of Parkour

2007-05-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

If you parkour in Halifax you most likely know Jack. Jack turned 11 on April 24th, for his birthday he recieved a Parkour cake. It took a while to get the photo, but here it is(I'm sure it tasted as good as it looks)

Happy Belated Birthday!

Jump Westminster and Positive Futures

2007-05-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Jump Westminster highlights the development of Parkour as an activity to engage and encouarge children to be physically active. Featuring Forrest, Dan Edwardes and Stephane Vigroux of Parkour Coaching in association with Westminster Council’s Positive Futures Team, parkour is used to teach the young people about respect, discipline and how to look at their environment differently.

PARKOUR IS NON COMPETITIVE

2007-05-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

This community supports PARKOUR, not COMPETITION -
Run Without Rivals!

The members of this community stand firmly against the idea of organized parkour competition.

Our reasons:

ONE:
We don't believe in elites.
We don't believe in any form of selection among practitioners.
We don't believe in the necessity of any form of hierarchy of performance among practitioners.
We believe to be "the best" doesn't mean anything in parkour, because winning or losing don't mean anything in parkour philosophy.We do not accept such a drive as part of the parkour philosophy.

Instead, we believe the drive to train should always and only come from within.We strive to be stronger for ourselves and others, not against people, but with and for others.Therefore, we reject and disregard any form of rivalry between practitioners.Instead, we value mutual respect and solidarity in making progress as individuals and as a community.

TWO:
We believe it stands against the philosophy of parkour to compete to win or earn anything that is not part of parkour values, such as medals, prizes, trophies, money, fame, recognition, or glory.
Same goes about showing off for a crowd.

Instead, we look for priceless and beneficial outcomes to our actions.We also look for benefits we all can share.
We are givers, not takers.

THREE:
Competition encourages the unready to sacrifice their health for early victories, or to reach a ranking that has no true meaning.
It forces elite competitors to constantly and repeatedly endanger their most precious good, health, because of obsession and obligation of victory, and whatever is at stake as a direct consequence of it, including money, rank or status, pride, and also professional or sponsoring contracts and profitable commercial deals.
It leads competitive practitioners to unbalance their training and focus only on the specific skills needed to win, leading to chronic injuries.D
espite official denials, doping is most of the time involved in every level of competition, that money is involved or not.
We believe the physical consequences of competing at high level goes against the philosophy of parkour which emphasizes on moderation and the necessity of enduring.

Instead, parkour is a humble, patient and lifelong discipline, and the human body requires incremental conditioning to ensure its resistance and longevity.Moderation is a truly important value of parkour and an indispensable quality in order to preserve oneself and for the body to endure.Therefore, we reject whatever goes against moderation and that impairs the body.

FOUR:
Parkour doesn't belong to corporations, sponsors, medias, and people sitting at home to watch.
We believe we must not accept activities and plans that are abusively called parkour, that misuse its name and hijack its image to draw public and medias attention to something that is NOT parkour, despite the resistance of the majority of the community against such intentions.
Instead, we affirm parkour is a non-competitive discipline that belong to all practitioners, to the local communities, to the teams and friends, and to the human race as a whole.

We believe we must stand together against ambitions that do not reflect the original philosophy of parkour and that are disrespectful to the parkour philosophy and the parkour community.

Competition is not inevitable - it is just another obstacle! Support original parkour, keep our discipline free!

(written by TK17/Erwan)

Community Vid

2007-05-10T07:58:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

This video has been up on youtube for a while and it hasn't been posted yet so here it is.

Sorry for the crappy quality it was edited in Movie Maker ARRRGH!!!
enjoy

The Future of Parkour -Blane

2007-04-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

Hey All,
Here is an article I found on PK.net written by Blane. It's a long article but I think that it is a MUST read for all members of our community.
Please read

Dilution

Dilution:

a) The process of making weaker or less concentrated
b) A dilute or weakened condition.
c) A diluted substance.

I've not posted for a while as my mind has been busy and it's only now that I feel I want to share the outcome of my thoughts. This entry may offend you, it may seem like it's directed at you and maybe it is.

I can live with being disliked for telling the truth, but I can not continue living with this opinion and not sharing it with the people I think it might help. I know I am not the only one who shares the following opinions and I feel it is worthwhile voicing them if it changes just one person's mindset and helps them. This is primarily for a friend of mine who I haven't trained with in a little while. A friend who seems to have become a little down with his training, a little distant, a little worried that he's not as good as other people. This is for him and all of the other people who feel disheartened watching the people around them do things they cannot... and also for the newcomers to Parkour.

Yesterday was my 1300th day of practicing Parkour. I'm not a big believer in anniversaries but it was on this day that the thoughts of two weeks came together and fused to become solid in my head.

I started training 1301 days ago on September 10, 2003, the day after Jump London aired for the first time on Channel 4 and it's amazing to think how much has happened and how much my life has changed since then.

I vividly remember the very first training session I had, 185 weeks and 6 days ago. It was with my good friend at the time, Tom, and we were both so excited from watching Jump London and wanted to jump right in and get started! I remember trying some vaults, small jumps through a gap in a moving swing and I remember the first real experience of fear in Parkour as I jumped off the roof of a local gymnastics club and rolled on the grass. It was terrifying at the time and I think it was around 12ft high. I did this because I thought this is what Parkour was, jumping off high things and living to tell the tale the next day. Oh how far we’ve all come since then... or have we?

Now as most people will tell you, the days after your first session are hellish. Who remembers that unspeakable sensation of pain just walking up a flight of stairs in the days following your first real hardcore session? I remember my quads feeling like they had been assaulted by a gang of angry thugs with baseball bats for 2 weeks.

These days there is a wealth of great information available for people starting out in the discipline that I did not have access to in the beginning of my training. It was mostly trial and error, with a large dose of the latter. But despite the benefits that learning from past experiences of veteran traceurs can bring, I can't help but wonder if there are consequences to this.

I realise how difficult it must have been for David Belle and all of the other original traceurs of Lisses as they plunged forward in darkness over 15 years ago having no idea what they were doing or where it would lead. They slowly carved a path in a new direction and lit it up along the way for people to follow. It took many years for those guys to create the most basic movements and refine them to the extent that almost any obstacle could be overcome using just a handful of varying techniques and it is a truly remarkable accomplishment. An epic journey that a new traceur of today can bypass, almost, as they learn 10 new techniques in 2 months, that would have taken perhaps 5 years worth of training back in Lisses in the early 90's to achieve.

So at the rate we are developing, progressing and learning, surely we will catch up to them carving in the distance and be able to help them light up the path, right?

No, I don't think so.

I think we are travelling so quickly along that same path that we are going to run out of fuel before we reach them. They are looking behind them and see us in the distance and I think they are probably hoping we reach them to help the discipline grow, but I don't think many people of future generations ever will.
To quote Stephane Vigroux, "I think for many people it has to be more personal... everybody's moving... I'm really happy for them... but too quickly, too fast, too easy, too much show... too much."

There are guys who have been training for less than a year that are doing bigger and further things than guys who have been training for four years and I believe this is mainly due to the library of knowledge available now. This may sound good in principle, that as the generations go on, we will have new guys able to sidestep the trial and error process and just stick to what has been proven to work, to get to a good level in Parkour. But I'm worried.

I think that the trial and error approach taught the original traceurs of Lisses a vast amount about themselves and injected them with a creativity and passion and courage that is being forgotten today and is being replaced with 'by the book' training. Not only do I believe that their mental and physical adeptness is far superior to my own, I believe this will be further diluted as the generations go by and the future traceurs begin their training. People now have lists of movements to learn and tick them off as they do them and quickly move on to something new, something bigger, something more impressive.

The best way to get respected in the Parkour community today seems to be doing the biggest and best things with the minimum amount of training to get there. As long as you do it, it doesn't matter how sloppy it was, how slow the climb up was, how precise the landing was or how much damage it did to the person. Everybody spreads the word that "X" did "Y" so they must be better than “Z” since they have only been training for “W” months! This approach can quickly escalate and recently I feel it has been destroying the true nature of Parkour. People are doing things to be recognised by other people and it’s tough for the people working hard and progressing steadily to see this going on around them. They feel pressured in to attempting things beyond their level when they see it happening and that’s not their fault.

To me, Parkour is a long and worthwhile campaign - not one short, epic battle.

I'm not only worried about the mental progression and creativity of new practitioners being sacrificed, I'm equally concerned about the physical costs of such textbook progression.

Like myself, some of you may have memories of a granddad who was the only one in the family that could open the pickle jar at dinner time, despite his advanced years. This 'granddad strength' I speak of was no miracle - it was the product of 60 years of manual labour and a strength produced from many years of repetitive muscle use.

I'm concerned that the shortcuts available to today's practitioners might rob them of the irreplaceable muscular development that the Lisses traceurs have, the deep rooted neurological pathways and the vast amount of muscle memory that no book, article or spoken word can give to them. The granddad strength.

We all know you can condition your body from the beginning of your training and this will help your technical ability but I still feel people are moving too quickly and progressing too fast. I regularly see things being done by newer traceurs that guys with years of experience haven't done and sometimes the more experienced guys feel bad... often they find themselves questioning their training and wondering why they aren't as good, wondering where they got left behind and wondering why everybody seems to be better than them.

People have come to me, literally depressed about their training and looking for advice and asking where they went wrong, wondering what the newer guys have that they don't. The answer I've given to these people is simple. The new practitioners doing the massive jumps, the impressive techniques, the big, the hard, the long, the far etc. have ignited a fuse that will see them burn out years before they might want to, simply because their bodies are not ready for what they are doing. It's not just a question of knees, what about the damage being done to the shoulders of new guys doing big drops from branch to branch? What about their elbows?

What will be the long-term effects of this?

What will be the long-term effects of doing 12ft level arm jumps when the shoulders haven't experienced 10,000 smaller ones?

What will be the long-term effects of dropping 15ft to concrete when the legs haven't experienced 10,000, 5ft drops?

Time will tell.

Look at the best traceurs in the world. Go to Lisses and see them, talk to them, train with them and learn from them. They are not the best because they are genetically gifted or were crazy to try all the new things when they were younger and they are not the best because they progressed quickly. They are the best and the strongest because the progressed steadily. They built layer upon layer of armour on their bodies over years and years, repeating things thousands of times and not rushing the process. They have deep rooted granddad strength and resilience and resistance to injury that comes from gradual progression.

Various interviews with David have all asked about injuries and David has shaken his head and said his knees are fine, his arms are fine, he has no pain. This is after 18 years of training. By contrast, today we have guys with one year of training behind them taking months out with knee problems, shoulder dislocations, tendonitis... surgery to repair the body before 20 years of age. Is this a coincidence? Or is this because we are pushing too hard, too fast, trying to be the best and compare to others?

Parkour is a personal journey and one that is hard work. There are no shortcuts and there are no quick fixes. If you want 'to be and to last' then I suggest you take a long hard look at your training and ask yourself if you are doing this for fun, for a few years until you can settle down and get a job, get married, have kids and retire. If so then do what you want, do the massive jumps, do everything you want to do and don't look back. Just be aware that you are having an effect on the others who are in this for the long haul and working hard to get strong. Try to bear this in mind when you say “I did this, so why don’t you?” to them.

But if you want to truly discipline your body, become strong and last in Parkour then you must not compare yourself to anybody else. It can be too tempting to get talked in to doing something beyond your level when you see less experienced people doing it. Be the bigger man/woman and realise the damage they are doing to themselves and take pride in knowing you didn't succumb to peer pressure. In 10 years when they're walking with a cane, you will be able to do that jump a hundred times without generating a bead of sweat.

I’m not sure how we can help the future generations of traceurs and the future of Parkour. By providing them with our experience we can prepare them but it must not become a substitute for trial and error or we will all become clones of our teachers. There must remain an element of trial and error and an element of exploration. They must also be allowed to progress in their own time without feeling the pressure of people around them. I’m going to make it a personal goal of mine to help the people I see feeling pressured in to doing something they don’t want to, it would be great if some people reading this could take the time to join me.

To summarise the two points in the above article...

1.) If you’re new to Parkour, research as much as possible and learn from the people who have walked the path before you, but do not lose your creativity and ability to think for yourself. Try new things, explore different methods and progress at your own pace. What you need to remember is that the people before you have more physical experience that has built what I refer to as ‘granddad strength’ and that cannot be taught or passed on. You can rush the theory but you cannot take shortcuts on the practical stage if you want to last in this discipline.

2.) If you are more experienced in Parkour and feel like newer people are better than you, do not feel pressured in to pushing yourself too hard or doing things just because they are. Try to warn them of the dangers of trying things beyond their bodies’ conditioned state - even if they can do something, doesn’t mean they should. They are learning faster than you due to the wealth of information before them, due to your hard work.

If you care for the future of Parkour then it is your duty to help them to progress sensibly and remind them that they should slow down when you think they are going too fast. If we do not do this, Parkour will slowly die as its practitioners become weaker and weaker duplicates of past traceurs due to injury, overtraining and joint destruction.

Are you going to help to dilute Parkour and the new traceurs, Or are you going help to concentrate it and strengthen them?

"Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." - William Butler Yeats

-Blane

Wed Training Vid

2007-04-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
Here's a video that Devin shot yesterday and edited a little something together

Enjoy

Sunday Regular Training

2007-04-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
Sunday Training was awesome! A big shout out to everyone that came out. Here are some pictures that a photographer named Courtney Amirault took later on in the day and sent them to us recently.
Enjoy

Also for those of you wondering where that footage is that was shot on sunday it's beeing edited as I type and will be up on the blog soon.

Teige and Calum Training Video

2007-03-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
This is a video of Teige and Calum from the UK this video was shot March 10th some really good stuff in there. Worth the watch.

enjoy

Training Photos

2007-02-24T05:47:00.001-08:00

DimMonk's 2006 vid

2007-01-29T15:34:00.000-08:00

Just saw this amazing video of a fellow traceur from Gatineau,
who we met him in Montreal,named DimMonk, top form as always.
very inspiring. I know you will enjoy it!

DimMonk2006 - video powered by Metacafe

Sober Freaks

2007-01-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

Hey All,
The Halifax parkour community was asked to be featured for the pilot of an internet television show called Sober Freaks. It's a show highlighting things people can do as an alternative to Drugs and Alcohol. You can find it on Untv.ca or link to it Here

Parkour article on Myconnect.ca

2007-01-27T08:08:00.000-08:00

Hey all,
The Halifax Parkour community recieved an e-mail today from Chris Conrad who has done an article on Parkour in Halifax for a blog sponsored by the Chronicle Herald Newspaper.

The article is entitled PARKOUR or “What are Those Young Folk Doing by the Citadel Hill Clocktower?” I think the article is very well stated and adds to the increasing positive image of parkour. It's a good read and well worth your time.

Read it here

(No Words Just Watch)

2007-01-22T17:47:00.000-08:00

...enjoy :)

Montreal Video

2007-01-19T18:20:00.000-08:00

Hey all,
Here is a video of the Halifax parkour community's visit to Montreal. Nothing amazing just more of a fond memory vid :P

A big thanks to everyone that made us feel welcome.

David Belle and Friends in Madagascar

2006-12-12T10:44:00.000-08:00

Hey all just saw this on Parkour.net check it out!

Strength Training Ideas for Parkour

2006-11-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

Hey all, heres a nice long (8mins) training vid from the guys at www.northernparkour.com
Check it out

Montreal Version 2.0

2006-11-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

as some of you in the community know there was a group of six that made a "roadtrip" to Montreal last weekend. which was a BLAST! met a lot of really awesome people. To many to name on this blog (you know who you are :) Thanks for the great time! Hopefully we will be back soon
Here are some pictures that were sent to us from your friendly neighborhood Silex :P

This is Dimmonk, TitGars, Silex, and Kai very dedicated and well skilled traceurs

Kyle, Glenn, Tanja,
Steve, Ian, and Rachel

We also have some footage of the trip and more photos that will be put up in the near future.

Training Video From Estonia

2006-11-12T06:42:00.000-08:00

Hey All,
Found this on Parkour-videos.
Enjoy!

gotta love that music! :P

Montreal Trip

2006-10-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
Recently Glenn made an unexpected trip to montreal for a wedding. Luckily while he was there he was able to meet and train with some very cool memebers of the Montreal parkour community. Also he got to hang out with his brother who he hasn't seen in many a month. took a lot of pictures......only a few good ones :P
Here they are.

This is the hotel I stayed at the first night. Awesome!! I was on the 24th floor

This is the view from the window of the hotel

My brother in front of the Stadium the second day I was there just when we got of the subway.

The stairs where I found everyone training...there is no one here now because it was taken by my bro while I was on my way around the stadium

this was the start of the voyage around the incredibly huge olympic stadium

Reverse view of the fountian where Bert (my bro) was infront of when we first got there...Bert is so cool he had barely 3 hours sleep in 3 days and still just waited around for me to get done training so that we could still hang out!

This is Silex and myself, she is awesome. Very dedicted to parkour, she was the one that lead me around the stadium showing me the different places to train...I wish I could have gone to more places in Montreal...next time!

Dim monk (aka Steven) also showed up. A very good hearted person who is also very dedicated to parkour, and it shows through his movement. I also met Drunkmonk unfortunaltly his ankle was slightly injuried while I was there, and because the wedding went late we couldn't hang out as much as would have like, but he still showed up at the stadium later on, which was really cool.
These were taken on the day I was leaving, me and my two brothers Bert and Scott just hung around did a little pk and wait for the train.

Chinatown

The only good mocha I had the whole time I was away ( I love you Steve-O-Reno's)taken at the University on sainte-cathrine street.

The B man doing a jump

Me likes :)

In one of many surplus stores we ended up in was this CRAZY Alien sculpture made entirely out of scrap metal.

It was huge! Just imagine how long this would have taken.

Last photo of me at this crazy tube thing at one of many universities

It was a great trip. Can't wait to go back....which should be sooner rather than latter!:)

Ross-Karl-Sam From TCT Summer Training

2006-10-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Another video worth watching, These guys are very fluid.

Ian in Scotland

2006-10-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
Earlier this year one of Halifax's finest "the Great and Wonderfull!!! IAN DUNCAN!!!" made a voyage across the pond to a place we all call Scotland where he was preforming his other, other passtime Bagpiping! While he was there however he did have time (I think only like one day) to get some training in. He sent me these pictures a while ago but i've been a lazyass in getting them up on the blog. so without further ado here they are!

I really like this one! Ian looks like and animal jumping down from the trees

and for those of you who know the joke

are you feeling board?? Don't want to Pk by yourself today?? well then why don't you try the AMAZING Ian in a can!!! just two sprays and you'll have yourself and Ian in no time.

Owen From TCT and TT

2006-10-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hey heres a good little find from (lil')Ian of Owen from the Cambridge tracers and also from Team Traceur Wicket stuff....it's a MUST watch!!
Thanks Ian

Regular Sunday Meet 09/03/06

2006-09-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

back row:Rebecca, Lauren, Rae, Julia, Bianca, Tanja, and Kristin Bottom Row:Jordan, Tyson, Kyle photographed by some bum!

Hey all, It was a great training today. It was good to have so many of the woman tracers in Halfiax come out at the same time. Enjoy the pic

Very Sweet Video From Madrid

2006-08-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

Saw this video on Parkour.net today. Very nice flow especially for only 16months of trainning.

Jesus - Level up
Uploaded by jesus111

compliment du parkour by DB

2006-08-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

Hey all!
This is the first post of the Halifax Parkour community's Blog and this will be a good one.

On Saturday Halifaxparkour.com recieved an e-mail intitled "compliment du parkour by DB"
here is what was said:

"Bravo pour votre site et la partie pédagogique qui explique les différentes technique.Jolie travail et attention au risques d'accidents soyez vigilants surtout avec les plus jeunes et bravo à Glenn qui d'après ce que l'on m'a dit est un véritable passionné.
bon courage à tous JF and DB"

Translated:
"Cheers for your site and the teaching part which explains the different technique. Pretty work and attention with the risks of accidents, be vigilant especially with young people and cheers with Glenn who according to what one said to me is truely impassioned. good courage with all JF and DB"

This is one of the biggest honors that our community could ever recieve. We should all appreciate the time that was taken to let us know of the good job we are doing here in Halifax, and train even more diligently.

I hope this will brighten up your day:)