Random thoughts at this precise time.

Where I am and where I am going.
For the last three weeks I have stopped doing conditioning routines and my focus has been purely on techniques. Although it is very important to do conditioning when starting off in parkour to have the strength, I am content with my strength at the present, but I want my technique up to match my strength level.

This week my jump distance has went up, and so has my mood and confidence. Therefore I am going to continue to train this way for the time being.

The weather and general environment has been excellent recently with lots of wind, rain and darkness falls in Glasgow about 3:30pm, so most my training is at night. Am I being sarcastic... Nope! I have been training the past few weeks in cold, dark and wet conditions and for the first time in the wetness I have been doing Parkour and not body weight strength conditioning.

Today for example I popped up the blind and looked out the window, and smiled. At one time I would have been annoyed and frustrated seeing rain and wetness, but today I just grinned. It was wet after a crazy down pour of rain and today was a Saturday Jam session in Glasgow. Despite the cold and wetness, I managed to do my biggest precision to date, as well as vaults, jumps, cats, cranes and balancing/walking on the wet rails.

I am finding training in the wet is heightening my senses and sharpening up my technique, as I do not want to slip and fall. I have to be very precise in my movement. Even in this very short time i feel I am adapting faster than I usually would, and my mind strength has improved, with higher concentration levels, faster instinct and an even more positive attitude to myself and to others.

I am becoming addicted to training in the wet now, due to the highly focussed mentality, almost like meditation at certain points. After training at Rottenrow I went back to the west end and drilled 51 wall climbs and 100 precisions all on my precision limit, plus one extra precision for you lot who where not there... A productive day!

If I can handle Parkour in the wet, then surely it will improve me when it becomes dry and I will feel even more confident as well as competent.

I still have a long long way to go, but i feel happy and can see and feel my current progression.

My new years resolution??
My new years resolution will be the same as last years one... "Not to have a resolution"... I am already doing what I need to do because it is relevant in my progression at this precise time in my Parkour journey.

Zeno

My Parkour highlights of 2007

Below are some of my Parkour highlights that was 2007.


JANUARY
Started Gymnastics for the first time in my life aged 28, to improve my form, flexibility and confidence in the way my body moves.


FEBRUARY

My first trip to Lisses in France with my Fiancée to visit the home of Parkour and the Dame Du Lac, which was an unforgettable experience. It was inspirational at the size and scale of some of the most famous obstacles and paths chosen by the best.


MARCH

My Being part of an article written by the Scottish Sun newspaper on Glasgow Parkour.
I Conqueored the baby cat at Wellington Church, Glasgow


APRIL
My first Edinburgh Jam with BJ, Pete, Gav & Rab on a gorgeous sunny day.
My first time ever doing Slackline with Liam Arnold.
Kettlebell training with David BJ Lang.
Nailing the Rail Kong to Precision at the Uni Library.


JUNE

The Eglinton Trip with Chris Grant, Paul Sayer and Sean Laverty, which was one of those sunny long lasting days with great training and fun, topped off with a freezing cold dip in the sea and juicy steak on the Barbeque.

AUGUST

The London trip with Chris Grant and David BJ Lang to see Dan Edwards and train in the evening with Forrest.


SEPTEMBER
Coaching the younger up and coming Traceurs at Unit 23 Parkour Workshop in Dumbarton with David BJ Lang, Chris Grant and Sean Laverty.

NOVEMBER

Participating in the K Swiss event with Chris Grant, Sean Laverty and Paul Sayer at the Fort Shopping Centre, Glasgow.

DECEMBER

The London trip with Chris Grant, David BJ Lang & Paul Sayer to train with the Yamakasi, Stephane Vigroux, Forrest, Johann Vigroux and the rest of the Parkour Coaching team at the Rendezvous 2 event. Also it was a pleasure to meet and chat to Blane and Dane DC Grant too.

Also in December I have began to practice Parkour in the rain with wet obstacles to sharpen my technique and mental abilities.

I would like to thank my Fiancée and to all who I trained with, met and chatted with, for a memorable year, and I wish them all the best in strength, courage, love, self improvement and happyness in 2008.

Zeno

Rendezvous 2

This blog entry is from a thread I posted on Parkour.net today and summed my feelings on Rendezvous 2, which was an event held by Parkour Coaching team and the Yamakasi.

Rendezvous 2 was magical evening where like minded Traceurs and Traceuses learned and pushed their abilities in mind and movement after a killer warm-up.

I went to this event to learn and I personally learned a lot about myself and what I need to train on. The scaffolding towers that where constructed where superb to pass round, above and through. And was one of my favourite obstacles to execute my movement on and watch others too.

I thought the 5 workshops that where laid on in this event where very well thought out. The number of people who attended was perfect, so we all had space to learn and move, move and learn and little time to stand still. The music and training vibe was perfect!

I would like to personally Thank Dan, Forrest, Stephane, Johann, Kazuma and the rest of the Parkour Coaching for making this event possible.

I would personally like to thank the Yamakasi for their teachings and encouragement.

Well done to everyone who attended and pushed themselves!

From a tired, positively sore and very happy Zeno.

P.S. I would like to thank my training partners Chris Grant, David BJ Lang & Paul Sayer, whom made the 4:30am travel and flight from Glasgow to London, and on the same day, the 8 hour brutal bus trip back home to Glasgow worthwhile, with the good banter and team spirit.

The Spirit of Parkour and how is it a way of life for me.

I have been doing a lot of thinking before, during and after my training and thinking why do I do Parkour and why I feel so passionate it?

I started Parkour after seeing it on the TV (when I use to watch TV). I was impressed by the fluid movement, strength and power being executed. It reminded me also of when I was a kid, jumping wall gaps and climbing walls and trees, but on a more serious and higher level. So I browsed the internet looking for Parkour group in my area, and was happy to find Glasgow Parkour where I met up with local Traceurs and my journey began...

I knew it would take a long time and hard work to achieve a descent level of Parkour. And that I would have to be patient too, in letting my mind and body develop together.

The reason I do Parkour is:
* Improve myself
* Positive inspiration
* Survival skill (help, chase and escape)
* Beat Stress
* To learn and to teach

Improve myself
A Traceur’s/Traceues’s journey is an infinite ascending and path. On this difficult path are many rewards (body, mind & spirit) with true greatness as well as hard times, much like life really.

It is good to move or reflect on your environment knowing you are competent of your abilities. And should you have a weakness, challenge it!!! Improve on it. I feel if you are strong in body and mind then you will be strong in spirit. Positive things happen to positive people.

Positive inspiration
I take inspiration from my Traceurs and Traceuses I train with. I take inspiration from Traceurs and Traceuses I have met, chatted to and watched videos of from all over the world. In return I like to give back that positive energy back , and keep a balance.

Survival skill
Parkour in its essence is a survival skill on whether to help, chase or escape. And therefore a Traceur/Traceuse should be always training, even when not training. What do I mean by that? Well I train most days of the week I am out either practicing technical moves or body conditioning. However my Parkour training does not stop when I get home or go about other duties in life. I am always thinking about my movement and my surrounding environment. I could be in a restaurant or on a form of transport; I will be thinking and running over in my mind routes of escape or arrival.

It is always important to be always thinking about your movement (before, during and after), and when you become strong, skilled and useful you will no longer need to think, you will just know. On various occasions I have spent time teaching an individual the importance of landing quietly and correctly, only to watch them perform another move such as a cat leap, so happy they made the leap; they forget and land all loud and sloppy. Parkour should always be a state of mind so be aware of it and yourself at all times.

When I am in work, I will walk past the lift/elevator and take the stairs, and ascend or descend smooth and quiet, thinking of ways to take less steps or how I turn. Even when I am sitting down or resting, I will mentally go over a move, and see it in my mind, overcoming the obstacle. And when I mentally visualise I will incorporate my senses to make it all the more vivid, such as how the texture of obstacle would feel or the rhythm of my movement, what sound my hands and feet would make when in contact with my obstacle, and any smells such foliage, sea air and certain obstacles just have a unique odour, which most of us do not even think about and should. We should connect our senses to our movement and obstacles to increase our alertness and better our chances at survival.


Beat Stress
One of the beautiful aspects of Parkour is the ability to switch off your mind from everyday external problems, and just focus all your attention to the moment of your Parkour. Yes exercise in itself is a fantastic physical stress reliever but it is good to mentally escape too. It is magical to have fun and always be a kid at heart regardless of age, and strike the balance also in ing the discipline of Parkour seriouly too. When your movement is of the highest purity and is just natural instinct, then you do not even have to think, you just know and move freely. That is the path of enlightenment.

Many Traceurs and Traceuses will agree that there is a strong connection between over coming obstacles in Parkour and obstacles in life. Parkour allows you to see your obstacle, analyse it, and provide the solution with the end product overcoming the obstacle. In obstacles in life you become more possitve at handing stress and problems around you, you , provide a solution and take that path.

The only frustrating aspect in Parkour is not conquering the obstacle; however there is an easy answer. You are not ready for it. You go back to your training, you mentally run over it in your mind. You practice, practice and more practice until you are both mentally and physically capable. You make that move and you over come that physical obstacle and that mental obstacle in your mind; you feel amazing, you feel proud and you grow from that experience. And if you have great training partners, then they are proud of you too. Likewise when I watch my fellow Traceurs over come an obstacle significant to them, I am happy and proud of them. Only then do you really begin to feel what proper training and pushing your abilities can do wonders for the body and mind.

To learn and to teach
There is always something to learn and master in Parkour. Your vision, environment and you as a practitioner evolve. It is important to put what you have learned into practice, in different environments and circumstances. Let’s say someone was chasing you. Yes you could do a turn vault, drop down, roll and run onto a cat leap, but what if one of your arms where broken or fractured? Can you vault or roll left and right side? Can you perform your movement using just one hand for example?

I enjoy teaching and even more learning. I am going to Rendezvous 2 next week in London to train with Dan, Forrest, Stephane and Johann Vigroux, The Yamakasi plus more of the best Traceurs and Traceuses there is. I am not going there to show off what I can do or just execute what I am comfortable with. I am going there to learn, train hard, absorb the positive energy and chat with like minded friends. And I know I will return grateful and continue my journey.

I feel it is important not to have a big ego, and think you know it all. It is important to remember that there is always something to learn, regardless of how good you think you are. It is equally important to teach well too, as one time you were a beginner and how grateful you were to have someone to teach and guide you, regardless of age, race or gender.

All that I have written above is why I am so passionate about, why it is a state of mind and a way of life for me.

Zeno

Getting Results in strength and fitness

I want to keep this post short and straight to the point!

Often I receive comments, emails and messages asking what condition routines do I do, what number of reps and sets should they should do...

To achieve good results in strength and fitness requires discipline, time and constant stimulus; along with adequate rest and good nutrition. The body when doing the same exercises, all the time will adapt fast to a particular movement and try to execute the exercise with as little energy as possible. Your body will try to become lazy. So it is very important to keep varying your routines, temperature and environments (constant stimulus & constant challenge).

Try to keep your mind and the body just out of its comfort zone. And when you finish exercising, replenish your energy levels with carbohydrates, lots of quality protein and rest.

At the end of day, to be strong and fit depends on the individual, their ability, their genetics and the variety of exercises so their training regime. We live in a society that expects fast results in anything in life. There is no secret. It takes time, a will, creative improvisation and hard work, but it is worth it!!!

Train Well

Zeno

Footwear for Parkour

Whilst the experienced Traceur may say it is down to the Traceur and not the trainers, I beleive the type of trainers play an important tool for a Traceur to move confidently, queitly and with sensitivity through his/her environment. It is important to be confident in the shoe you use.

Grip Confidence - Quietness - Sensitivity
I like to know there is little chance I will not slip/slide when I land on a rail or wall, which will free up any doubt in my mind. So a trainer with great grip is very high in my list.

I like to move and land as quietly as I can, and while landing properly is down to good technique. A good Traceur landing wearing DC's and a good Traceur wearing Nike Free's the sound of the landing will be much more quiet wearing Nike Free's.

When moving around in my environment, I like to feel what is beneath my feet through my shoes. I like to feel the friction of the surface as well as any curvature and edge of any given surface. This increased feeling heightens my overall sensitivity and impoves the feedback i need to move and feel my path.

At the beginning...
I remember the first time I done Pakrour with my DC Skate shoes, and thought they were good because they had a big flat chunky sole. Now looking back they were like running about with big rubber bricks on my feet.

After a month in the DC's, I went out and bought my first decent pair of trainers that were more suited to Parkour. They were Nike Air Pegasus 2005. They where light weight and had a superior grip, which improved my Parkour considerably.

As any Traceur who trains constantly will tell you, your trainers do not last long in Parkour. And since my early days in Parkour I have went through 5 pairs of trainers. And now I am onto the new Ariake trainer from KSWISS.

Below are the trainers I have used and what I thought the Pro's and Con's.

DC's
Pro's: Good for rail balancing due to flat sole

Con's: Heavy, lack of sensitivity & poor grip.


Nike Air Pegasus 2005
Pro's: Light weight, superior grip & good ventilation.

Con's: Plastic parts on sole can make rail work slippy and dangerous.


Nike Dart IV's
Pro's: Light weight, last long, good ventilation & price

Con's: The grip when new is waxy and takes a while to become good at traction.


Nike Dart III's

Pro's: Light weight, last long, good ventilation & price

Con's: The grip when new is waxy and takes a while to become good at traction & the stitching comes loose too quickly.

KSWISS Ariake
So now I am on to the Ariake from KSWISS, which is a trainer that is purposely built for Parkour/Free running and is endorsed by Sebastien Foucan.

My first impression of these trainers is, they are one of the best looking trainers with nice attention to detail. The sole from the middle to the front is smooth and reminds me of a tyre tread in a F1 racing car. I know for sure that these will be grippy despite being smooth, as the type of rubber on this sole has a sticky/gripping property to it.

KSwiss Ariake
Pro's: Stylish Looks (Although not important), Excellent Grip!!

Con's: Too rigid (will not wrap around rails), lack of sensitivty (for feeling edges and curves), the ventilation could be better & Expensive.

After testing these trainers for just less than 2 months this is what I thought. I really loved the grip on these trainers; they allowed me to forget any doubt of sliding and gave me confidence in trying bigger and more challenging things. However they are rigid in their construction, which made my landings recognisably louder and heavier. Also the lack of flexibility has not allowed me to wrap my feet on rails during precisions; which in turn has sacrificed the sensitivity from the shoe. I found my feet sweating a lot from the poor ventilation as well, although the white KSwiss Ariake have perforated holes in the side and so may have better ventilation.

***Update 10th January***
I originally found the K-Swiss trainers to be dangerous in the wet, however I have adapted by specifically training in the rain. And I have found by sharpening up my technique in the wet they are not as dangerous in the wet as I once thought. This is just my personal opinion and down to the way i train. So please be careful if you train in the wet.

***Update 8th February***

Nike Free 5.0 v2

I recently purchased my Nike Free's last week and love them!!!

I will give a proper write up of these trainers in a couple of months time.

Pro's: Amazing feedback on the sensitivity, Very Flexible, Ultra lightweight.

Con's: Not for the inexperienced Traceur who has not mastered their landings. Also... Due to the design flaw unsupporting of the foot, should the foot roll over sideways there is a very high chance of spraining or breaking your ankle. And this can be at ground level on uneven ground. And has happened to 3 of our experienced Traceurs at ground level.

Zeno

Fluidity and the creation of complex movements

Very often... I see lots of Parkour and online videos of Parkour, where Traceurs execute just lots of single moves.

It is very important to get into linking your moves and how you move between linking. Below is a clip of Traceurs Chris Grant and myself, showing with just a simple rail, small wall and bench. How you can be creative, by drilling your single moves, then linking them up to create a fluid and complex move.

The purpose of this clip is to help open your training spot and make you think of linking your single moves into one complex movement, that can be executed efficiently being fast and fluid.

Train Well

Zeno

If you are fairly new to Parkour please read.

When beginners start out in Parkour, a lot of them go for the big drops and jumps or want to make a video instantly. This mentality is the wrong way to approach Parkour.

Instead… Put down the camera and train on your vaults, jumps, rolls, climbs and balance at ground level. Perfect your technique first, get the body accustomed to Parkour. Develop your fitness, sense of vision, movement and sensitivity. Let your mind and body develop at the same time.

As a quote from a globally respected Traceur Blane "What will be the long-term effects of dropping 15ft to concrete when the legs haven't experienced 10,000, 5ft drops?" An article "Dilution" written by Blane of Team Traceur, in which he explains perfectly the “too much too soon” actions that plague our Traceurs in the discipline that is Parkour.

When starting off, try and always land on the balls of your feet, and avoid the heels of your feet from slapping on the ground, bend your knees no more than 90 degrees when you land, which will allow the muscles to take the impact and not the joints. Do your best to be as quiet as you can when landing. The more silent you are the better your technique will be.

Being a Traceur is about being on the path of self improvement, where your journey should ascend in the mastery of moves and development of a strong body and mind.

If your want to be strong and skilful in Parkour, you will have to discipline yourself. That means you will have to develop the technical knowledge through drilling your moves. As well as develop and adapt your body’s strength by conditioning it with functional body weight exercises coupled with sensible rest/recovery periods and quality nutrition. Only when the mind and body are strong will your Parkour vision and execution be greater, and your path to improvement will be so fulfilling.

A Traceur should effortlessly move through the obstacles in their environment efficiently and with great fluidity. Parkour is not about the check list of single moves, but the moves in between one obstacle and another, as well as the obstacle itself.

Say to you in your mind, “how can I get from here to there, in the most efficient way”.

Zeno

Calcium

It is important to have strong healthy bones when doing Parkour... Calcium is essential for maintaining healthy bones. The recommended calcium intake per day for an adult 19-50 years old is 1000mg, and a kid aged 12-18 years old is 1300mg.

(Dairy)
Low fat milk - 300 mg (1 cup 250ml or 8oz glass)
Tub of low fat yoghurt- 420 mg (1 tub 200g)
Cheddar Cheese - 310mg (40g cube)


(Non Dairy)
Calcium fortified Soya milk - 300 mg (8oz glass)
Calcium fortified Orange Juice - 300 mg (8oz glass)
Broccoli - 75mg (1 cup serving)
Orange - 60mg (1 Orange)
Spanish Clementines - 22mg (1 Clementine)
Almonds - 90mg (Quarter cup) 0r 50mg (15 almonds)
Cooked Spinach - 170mg (1 cup)

* 1oz = 28.4 grams

Sources of information from:
http://www.bonehealthforlife.org.au/content/view/18/480/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIF_Qnykaoc

Water

When I was Parkour training in London a couple of weeks ago, my performance suffered due to not drinking enough water. I usually drink bottles of water when I train, but I forgot to take into consideration it was a hot summer’s day. Therefore I did not consume enough water to replenish and I became dehydrated. By the evening, I was feeling light-headed and found it hard to focus on even the basic of moves, not to mention cramping of my calf muscles. So it was a mistake to learn from.

The Institute of Medicine advises that:
Men consume roughly 3.0 litres (13 cups) of total beverages a day.
Women consume 2.2 litres (9 cups) of total beverages a day.

Causes of dehydration are:
* Overall lack of fluid intake
* Lack of fluid before, during and after intensive training
* Through Persperation (especially on hot summer day)
* Through increased urination because of high Caffine intake
* Through increased urination because of high Protein intake

Signs and symptoms of dehydration include:
* Mild to excessive thirst
* Fatigue
* Little or no urination
* Muscle weakness
* Headache
* Dry mouth
* Dizziness / light-headedness

POSITIVE ATTITUDE

BE POSITIVE!!!
I feel in life as well as Parkour it is very important to be positive. The more positive you are, the more positive things will happen for you.

STAYING POSITIVE
To stay positive it is very important to surround yourself with inspiring and positive sources such as:
* Positive and inspiring people
* Creative and informative books
* Quality music (Stimulate your mind)
* Exercise and stretching (release stress)
* Good posture
* Good attitude
* Be passionate in what you love
* Decent sleep around 8hrs
* Good nutrition
* Travel (broaden your horizons)
* Share good knowledge

It is important help others, but do not let them wear you down.

AVOID OR OVERCOME NEGATIVE INFLUENCES
Keep negative things to the side, in small doses or even out of your life! Such as:
* Television... Get it the fuck out of your life!
* Tabloid newspapers... 8/10 times want to report misery and sensationalised stories.
* Junk Food and processed meals...
* Sad or depressing music, will affect you mood and creativity.
* Drug taking and excessive Alcohol.

DO IT TODAY!
You have a short life and an even shorter time being young and healthy, so make the most of it!

Do you have ideas in life where you want to be, what you want to do... Well do it!!!

Write down your goals, and plan/work to achieve them. Be Strong and Positive... And you will be in good shape to deal with negative issues when they come your way, within reason...

FAILING IS POSITIVE
If you fail.... Good!!! Learn and grow from failure, within reason!

MY PARKOUR SAMPLER 2007

Locations: Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and Lisses


Zeno [Glasgow Parkour] Sampler 2007

There is no music for copyright reasons.


The rest of my Parkour videos can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/TraceurZeno

If you are interested in the Parkour scene in Glasgow please visit:
http://www.glasgowparkour.co.uk/

Refinement of Goal Targets (Short, Medium & Long Term)

Short Term Goals (for September 30th 2007):

* Split foot kong over walls

* Split foot kong over rails.

* Muscle up without kipping

* Improve/tidy my technique in wall climbs.

* Improve my precision technique

Medium Term Goals (for December 31st 2007):

* 30 pull ups or 30 chin ups in a row.

* Full planche pushups

* Kong to rail Precision.

Long Term Goals (for Feb 1st 2008):

* One Arm Chin-up (OAC)

* Precision the 9.25 foot-steps at bottom of stairs at the Wellington Church

* The 9.25 foot-steps level cat at the Wellington church.

On Going Goals

* Improve fitness, strength, balance, flexibility & fluidity.

* Improve my handstand balancing.

* Explore and adapt to more locations and environments.

* Improve my nutrition

Acheivements and Targets

Recently accomplished goals:
* Parkour at London & Lisses & Edinburgh
* 12 Muscle ups in a row.
* Kong to lower precision.
* Kong to level precision.
* The 10 Foot-steps Level Cat at Rottenrow.
* Improved balance (with hands clasp behind back).
* Diagonal bollard Precision at Adam Smith.
* Rail precision.

Targets (for September 30th):
* 15 muscle ups in a row.
* Muscle up without kipping
* Improve/tidy my technique in wall climbs.
* Improve my precision technique
* Split foot kong to precision.
* 30 pull ups or 30 chin ups in a row.
* 1 Handed Chin up
* The Level Kong at the Uni library.
* Precision the 9.25 foot-steps at bottome of stair at the Wellington Church
* The 9.25 foot-steps level cat at the Wellington church.
* Improve fitness, strength, balance & fluidity.
* Kong to rail Precision.
* Improve my handstand balancing.
* Explore and adapt to more locations and environments.
* Improve my nutrition

BODY CONDITIONING FOR PARKOUR

Below are ideas that communicate different functional body weight exercises, which will benefit you as a Traceur in your discipline that is Parkour. You do the reps, sets and exercises that suit you.

Be creative and add your own.Bear this in mind... Your body tries to be lazy and will want to adapt to what ever exercise/movement as soon as possible, so it can use as little energy as possible... Do NOT let this happen! Keep your routines creative and richly varied!! Only then will you develop better Strength, Power, Endurance and Control.

Try your best to do your conditioning outside, regardless off season, weather, day or night... Be disciplined! Condition the mind as well as the body and spirit.

UPPERBODY CONDITIONING



LOWERBODY CONDITIONING


UPPERBODY AND CORE CONDITIONING