training - parkour, acrobatics, enviroment

[monkeyfoot]

Recently I have become interested in different flips and agile movements. This came from seeing some parkour videos and how they use their enviroment really effectively. I think that this could be an invaluable skill to posses when evading combat and escaping some tough situations eg. be backed up in an alleyway or something.

I wanted to know how many of you learn any flips/acrobatics even if they are not within your styles syllabus and what types can you perform. Also what types of flips are good to get started on - im currently learning aerial cartwheels.

Also do you guys train around your enviroment and use it as a peice of training equipment.

craig

[SevenStar]

acrobatics will NOT help you in a confrontation. That said, they CAN greatly increase your strength, endurance and other attribues that will aid you. Since I recently started crosstraining capoeira (my kid wanted to do it and wanted me to do it with him) I have been doing various acrobatics as part of my training - cartwheels, one handed cartwheels, headstands, handstands and back handsprings so far.

[yenhoi]

you could learn to swing around poles and jump off walls and stuff to increase the power of your techniques!

:p

[bodhitree]

In lion dancing we do a lot of acrobatics, but i think they are more performance than combat. But anyghing that helps push our bodies performance to new levels is good even if you don't use it in combat per say?

[Kristoffer]

actually doing cartweels and flips isn't generally part of parkour.

www.parkour.com
http://www.urbanfreeflow.com/fundamentals/fundamentals.htm

[monkeyfoot]

actually doing cartweels and flips isn't generally part of parkour.

www.parkour.com
http://www.urbanfreeflow.com/fundame...ndamentals.htm

Yes but it IS part of parkour. They adapt the moves with their enviroment - eg side-flips used to dismount a wall.

BTW can anyone ariel cartwheel here, im having such a problem getting all the way around, my hands just touch the floor every time.

craig

[Kristoffer]

yeah most of the active ones usually learn that tricking stuff too. it's bound to happen with those little monkeys ;)

[Chief Fox]

How to do an ariel: http://www.trickstutorials.com/index.php?page=content/t_aerial

[IronFist]

Seven, being fast and agile could help you escape. Like, if you got jumped on a rooftop, and you ran and jumped over the edge onto the next building. Do you think your attackers would follow you? Hell no! They'd think you were a ninja or something and leave you alone :D

But yeah, that kind of stuff can make you strong. Ever seen the breakdancers who do like one handed handstand pushups? You have to be strong to pull that off.

Just make sure to do it on both sides so you don't become asymetrical.

[monkeyfoot]

Iron Fist

That was the same sorta idea that I was having when I wrote this. The use of the environment seems an invaluble part of evading combat.


Chief Fox - Cheers mate, that helped.

craig

[_William_]

Parkour was my hobby for a short time, until I started to find it VERY hard on my hip joints. So I stopped.

My advice is to ease into it...slowly...and have good landing mechanics. Try to always land softly and quietly. All the vaults, jumps, etc. tend to have a big cumulative stress that adds up over time especially if you are not landing properly.

[SevenStar]

Seven, being fast and agile could help you escape. Like, if you got jumped on a rooftop, and you ran and jumped over the edge onto the next building. Do you think your attackers would follow you? Hell no! They'd think you were a ninja or something and leave you alone :D

But yeah, that kind of stuff can make you strong. Ever seen the breakdancers who do like one handed handstand pushups? You have to be strong to pull that off.

Just make sure to do it on both sides so you don't become asymetrical.

:D I'll keep that in mind - I fight on rooftops all the time!!

yeah, they are hella strong. The capoeira guys pull off some awesome stuff.

[jindonovan]

Ok, for those interested, I will clear up some misconceptions of parkour which are being thrown around here. Number one, flips and acrobatics are NOT, repeat NOT parkour, they are something different, namely, flips and acrobatics.

Parkour was founded by David Belle with the inspiration of his father, Raymond Belle. The essence of parkour is efficiency. Raymond was in the Vietnam war, and parkour has been drawn on from aspects of it. The goal of parkour is to reach a destination with efficiency, what would be used by retreating soldiers in the war zone. Practicioners of the discipline are called traceurs. Parkour was developed by David Belle and co-developed by Sebastien Foucan and others in the french suburbs, Lisses. The essence of parkour is to reach a destination with efficient movement. Perhaps if you were chased down a street, you use your training to take the most inefficient route, in an efficient way in order to escape yous chaser.