Headway PArkour Blog
Parkour is something I want to continue doing for the rest of my days on this earth; If you feel the same, this is the article for you. I will be teaching you the best ways to preserve your body and to continue increasing your skill level . Let’s first talk about our most important asset: our bodies. Our bodies can quickly deteriorate if you don’t train with proper technique under proper circumstances. You may feel fine now but someday you may come to regret those punch take offs or all of those large jumps. This does not mean you shouldn't do large jumps, it simply means you should use the proper progression to build up to them. Say you want to do a 15 foot jump, you should first be able to do a 12 foot jump 100 times with no pain. If you cannot do a 12 foot jump, lower the bar once again until you are comfortable with the jump. Start small and work your way up. If you are a beginner you should find a small bench and jump off of it a few hundred times to perfect your technique. All i’m trying to say is: don’t do too much too quickly, preserve your body and use safe progression.
I practice traditional Parkour, as taught by David Belle. This means I do not incorporate flips or other unnecessary moves into my flow. This is the safest way to train. However, if you enjoy your style of training, I encourage you to continue; just stay safe and know your limits. Recovery time is essential for longevity and vitality in Parkour and life in general. Our bodies are like expensive race cars. If you run them non stop, they will eventually break down on you. Give your body the rest it deserves! There is nothing wrong with taking a week off to nurse an injury and recover. If you train when you are not fully healed, not only do you increase your chance of another injury but you could also develop a chronic injury that will forever handicap your skills. Our bodies are like race cars in another sense too, we need premium fuel if we are expected to perform to the full extent of our ability. This means we need a healthful diet in order to succeed in Parkour. Eat lots of fruits and veggies, they will give you most all the nutrients you need to not only survive, but to strive. Try to eat a rainbow of whole foods; I put every color of the rainbow into my blender for my morning smoothie, it has astounding results. Cut out the red meats and the highly processed grains and you will see a spike in your energy. If you are really committed to having a healthy diet you could try being a vegan; this is the diet I live by and it helps very much with my Parkour training. Email me at: [email protected] for more info on being a vegan. Diet plays a large role in your recovery time. A healthy diet means less time waiting for an injury to heal. Condition regularly; Parkour puts a lot of stress on the body. Skipping conditioning is a recipe for disaster. Conditioning includes but is not limited to: stretching, bodyweight workouts, weighted workouts, cardio, and yoga. By conditioning, you gain the requisite muscles for safe training sessions. remember my friends: Be strong, be useful. If you are training with a group, do not be influenced by peer pressure. If you are not ready for a jump, don’t do it, period. It is better to train hard and come back someday when you are prepared. Distractions are the most common cause for injury. Focus on the jump and do it for yourself, not for your friends and not even for the camera. That just about covers it, follow these tips and you will be surprised by the results. Until next time -Dameon Credit to Benjamin Hollis for picture
3 Comments
Max
8/10/2013 02:14:58 am
Thanks Dameon! I really like your blog and im planning to read every word of it :) And also i saw you first on PK live
Dameon Byker
8/10/2013 03:15:45 am
Glad you like it, it means a lot to me that you would take the time to write such a delightful comment. :) Leave a Reply. |