Attention To Detail

OK, I'm quickly going to get some things out the way.
Firstly the politics - Parkour, L'art du duplacement, Freerunning, 3run. They all evolved from the same basis and the same bunch of guys. Each have now moved down different paths, but what people who practice any or all of these disciplines must remember is that the Yamakasi started all this, and their ideas,training and philosophy apply to all of these disciplines. Among the original group of practicioners the modern distinctions and different aspects of movement are completely disregarded - they simply understand that the training and discipline is the same which then goes on to suggest they can all train together.
When I use the word Parkour for the rest of this peice I'm not concerned with the specific definition, but the spirit and idea behind it all. This should apply across the board, through all the different aspects and evolutions of the art of movement.
If you dont understand the above paragraph, don't bother reading on. If you do, we're off to a good start.

Secondly:I'm not claiming to be any sort of authority on Parkour. I simply try to convey my understanding of the art, some of which I have learned directly from traceurs who most certainly do have the authority to comment, including some of the originators of the sport. David Belle said that he never trained to be the best, it was always meant to be an exchange. Each traceur would try and bring something valuable to the next generation so that they could understand the Spirit of Parkour. I believe in this idea and that's why a run a website, teach my art in the best way possible and work extremely hard to try and be somewhat satisfied with myself at the end of every training session.

Your parkour should always involve an exchange of ideas to other traceurs of any level - please remember this. Please also remember to think critically about what you want to pass on, and make sure it is something you have discovered or learned which really has improved your training or understanding.

I'm part of the first generation in Glasgow, maybe even Scotland and the rest of the UK. Here is my exchange:

Parkour is a spirit, an idea, a "school of life"(laurent piemontesi). Yamakasi comes from the Lingala language which is spoken in the congo, and means "strong body, strong spirit, strong person". This should always be at the centre of your training.

"There is no rush, it is not a race, just take your time and be strong." (Stephane Vigroux)

I pose a question to all of you - how 'good' do you think you are at parkour? You have to think, and understand what being good at Parkour means, and this is the purpose of this article. What I'm really asking is what makes you good at Parkour?

In one word - Understanding. In lots of words - this:
Often, many new traceurs start with a misconception of Parkour, and so rush their movement - they try to learn a lot quickly and get a quick end result, which has no real lasting satisfaction in my eyes. I can't jump as far as some guys can in a week - but I know that a very high percentage of my jumps are controlled, strong and silent and that I understand the technique.
That is the train of thought that is the parkour spirit. Now when I approach the 'big' jumps that isn't how I see them. A larger distance is simply an extension of the the smaller footwork and jump training I have worked at so hard. I have no attitude of trying to get 'big moves' down. If you see me, or any other real traceur do anything which you consider dangerous or large, you must understand that it is not perceived as that by the traceur. It is an end result of training technique, not a month of building the courage to do a 'big jump.'

To be good at Parkour, you must train your technique and become strong and flexible, in order to move quietly and efficiently. You must understand that it is more important to train your movements to perfection that it is to be able to do a million 'moves.' Yes, diversity is important, but it should be acheived through slow and hard training. If you are strong, competent and ready then your movement will be confident.

This starts with footwork which will be the basis of my example for this article.

Jumping, Running, Landing and Balance.

How many of you can truly, honestly say that you have spent time analysing the movement of running, jumping and landing, and worked really hard on it to iron out all the mistakes, stumbles and heavy noises? I have and still do, and it can be boring at times.
The confidence of movement that comes with it is incredibly satisfying and is well worth the work.

There is a school of thought that says that 'vaults' are simply a bi-product of the true movement of parkour. In more detail - it is the approach and exit of a vault, flip, jump or any 'move' that is the real parkour. A traceur must be able to move confidently, and approach an obstacle confidently. You MUST understand this, as it will give you motivation to work on your elementary movement.

This then opens up another thought - what is an obstacle? Walls, Rails, Buildings. They are some obstacles. But have you though about the rock before the wall you might trip on, the holes in the ground in the approach to the rail or the narrow surface you must first traverse to reach the building?
Do you know how many steps you will take before you reach the wall or which foot is best to take off in a specific situation?
Everything that you pass is an obstacle, not just the things you can kong over or flip off.In my experience, this is what is important. This is what you should look for look for. In any situation under any strain or tiredness your footwork should be perfect and you should be strong.
If you dont have that basis or understand that you need that basis, you are not ready for any other movements.

I have been through this first hand, training with Forrest and Kazuma in London. Their warm up was a rail precision and balance circuit that involved some quite dangerous jumps. Although they would never ask you to do anything you weren't capable of they do go on the assumption that, unless you are a complete beginner, your footwork is seamless.
If it is not, they will happily tell you that it is simply not good enough. A traceur of some experience should be able to do this. Although this attitude can be quite demoralising it is, more importantly, motivating.
You can never be good enough.
You must understand that you can never be good enough if you wish to truly understand the spirit of Parkour.
No matter how much you work on footwork, there will always be a new environment to challenge you.
Perfection of movement is what you must strive for and you must start with the most basic and elementary movements. This is the Yamaksi's 'strong spirit.'

I'm not going to say what I think the next movements should be - I simply ask that EVERY traceur who reads this takes a step back, and explores the basic and elementary movement that allows you to approach an environment confidently. Once you understand the work that must go into footwork - to build strength and technique - this will bleed into every other movement you will ever learn. Be it a gainer, a massive kong or the smallest precision jump.
Remember that parallel to this you must train strength and conditioning excercises outside of technique practice as these will vastly improve your technique.

Conditioning is a real test of discipline and there is no doubt that this discipline then bleeds back into your technique practice. You can always be stronger and training technique is intrinsically linked with training strength. This is the Yamakasi's 'strong body.'

Understand the work. Understand you must be strong. Pay Attention to detail.
Combine all of these factors and you can become the 'strong person.'