Jump Magazine Issue 13

Page 1

STANDARD

ISSUE STREET SURVIVAL

GEAR SINCE

2003

Welcome friends,

ez@urbanfreeflow.com www.facebook.com/ezstyla www.urbanfreeflow.com www.facebook.com/urbanfreeflow www.twitter.com/urbanfreeflow www.youtube.com/glyphmedia

Issue 13 Contributors: François Constant Jonathan ‘JK’ Kobylanski Liza Orehova Eduard Karyakin Ilya Orehov Eugene Mamichev JC Greening Thomas Tapp Jonathan Tapp Josefo Robledo Mohandas Amesh Will Wayland Sergio Bödtker-Lund Chris Jones Claudia Ziegler Zak Sinclair JJ Goda

Font cover athlete: Louis Davion Photographer: François ‘fOre1’ Constant www.fore1.com UF ad athlete: Chima Akenzua www.youtube.com/chimaxeno Photographer: Ez

In this issue we at last, get to shine some spotlight in the direction of Russia. For a while now their scene has been making plenty of noise in an effort to get noticed and they’ve been busying themselves by producing some serious next level talent. You can pretty much choose any Russian PK/FR video on Youtube these days and there will be something in there that makes you sit up and take notice. For obvious reasons, the language barrier is a big obstacle to overcome but we’re slowly getting there. The piece in this issue with UF All Star athlete, Erik Mukhametshin, really was a mission in itself where it was almost like trying to get blood from a stone but with help from Eduard Karyakin and the Parkour City guys, we did it. Phew! Erik’s one of a number of Russian athletes who are pushing boundaries with regard to movement and it was fascinating to see things from his angle. We’ve also hooked up with French photographer, François Constant, who’s been a Jump Mag contributor for some time now. The best thing of all is that he is completely self taught and with a small army of local practitioners willing to be in his line of fire, he is quickly learning the ropes as he goes and is leaving a trail of gems along the way. We love his work here at Jump, so it’s a pleasure to roll out a feature on him. In addition, we have a piece on the Line Team traceurs from Portugal. They’ve been around for a long time now and a selection of their athletes are part of the growing international competition circuit. However, they’ve never really had the attention they’ve deserved as a team, so we’re attempting to redress the balance in this issue. We apologise for the lack of a pressure test feature in this issue. To be to the point, we simply missed the deadline. We promise that it’ll be back to normal next month. Before I leave you to get on, spare a thought for UF All Star athlete, George Mayfield, who’s currently in Hawaii living the dream, where he’s on the first leg of an extended visit to the US. While there he’ll be hooking up with all manner of people to train with and will be keeping a journal which we hope to share here with you all (if it’s any good that is). Enjoy.... Ez (Editor)

JUMP MAGAZINE # 13 Copyright © The Urban Freeflow Network. All rights reserved. ‘Urban Freeflow’ and the ‘Glyph’ logo are registered trademarks of Urban Free Flow Ltd

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A SHOW OF HANDS This piece was produced for us by Jonathan ‘JK’ Kobylanski from the UK and to say that we were blown away by it, would be a massive understatement! Anybody who’s dedicated their time to Parkour and Freerunning, will fully appreciate that during the long quest to find ‘the way’, there are no shortcuts to be had. It all boils down to hard work and the shedding of blood, sweat and a fair amount of tears. This image is dedicated to all the street rats out there who are working their asses off and getting on with it. No movement, no improvement.... JK’s website can be found here: www.thejkproject.com He’s currently producing a limited edition line of these images as posters. Email details can be found on his website. 2 more of his images can be found later on in this issue....

ERIk MUkH

“I LIkE EVErYTHING ABOUT PArk

Interview by Eduard Karyakin www.parkourcity.ru Help with the translation from Ilya Orehov and Eugene Mamichev. Photographer: Liza Orehova http://vkontakte.ru/club19543728

HAMETSHIN

kOUR BECAUSE PArkOUR IS ME”

Erik, please go ahead and introduce yourself. Erik: My full name is Mukhametshin Erik Radionovich and I’m based in St Petersburg, Russia. When did you start your journey through Parkour? Erik: Been doing Parkour movements since my earliest memories of childhood. Pretty much all of my life. When did you actually realise it had a name? Erik: At first I didn’t know that it had a name. I watched films featuring Jackie Chan and saw many moves that got me started. I lived in very tough area in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and it was 100% necessary to be strong or I’d be nothing at all. My jumping around helped me become stronger as a person. My mother led me to the trainer of Judo and it was at his gym that I got to jump around on the floor-mats for the first time. It was a really pleasant time for me but Judo didn’t really interest me that much. I preferred all the somersaults and jumps I was doing there and this served as a good platform to learn lots of my tricks. Then I took it out into the streets where we often played tag. I could play for days on end and we all constantly ran and jumped around. I also used to creep around a lot on buildings nearby to me.

When was the first time you realised the what you’d been doing since a child, actually had the name of Parkour? Erik: I saw the Yamakasi film but didn’t associate it with Parkour at that time. I just thought that it was cool that there were other people out there who did the same thing as me. At this time in our area, all of us were already engaged in an activity under Jackie Chan’s impression of something that was very much like Parkour. The ‘Parkour’ for me came much later. I was heavily involved in breakdancing and incorporated these kinds of movements in parallel with the acrobatics and Parkour movement I was doing. The first time I actually heard the word ‘Parkour’ was in 2006 or a bit earlier when I moved to St Petersburg. How did you manage to hook up with the Traceurs in St Petersburg? Erik: I searched for ‘Parkour in St. Petersburg’ on Google and found information about an event that was happening. I went to that meeting and got acquainted with several guys there. This was during the winter and very few people actually trained. Basically it was just I and my new friends while the others stood about just watching. That was a really good time and shortly after I learned about PKSPA (St. Petersburg Parkour Association). I found out that they had a gym and I visited it a few times, but it really bothered me because you could only train under the instructors there and you weren’t allowed to freestyle.

I livEd iN A vEry toUgh arEa iN SamarkaNd, UzBEkistaN

Do you think that the harsh environment you grew up in helped with your Parkour and maybe saved you? Erik: I never really escaped from there, so I wouldn’t be able to tell you if it saved me <laughs>. It definitely made my mind stronger. I remember when all my friends went to swim but I didn’t know how, so I asked my mother to teach me. As soon as I learned to swim well enough, I went out and jumped from a 25-metre high bridge. It was probably the best sensation of all my life. Even the jump from the big roof jump I did can’t be compared.

Woah! Weren’t you afraid? Erik: I just really wanted to jump and had no fear at the time. But after the jump I shivered for a long time and this was from the state of shock. Doesn’t fear play a factor for you? Erik: Once I went for medical inspection in Samarkand and it was found that I lack a chemical in my brain that is responsible for fear, therefore my feeling of fear is very low and my pain threshold is dulled too. I’m not sure if that is a good or a bad thing? <laughs> Erik: It is what it is and not something I worry about too much. I don’t do crazy things just for the sake of it and I do think about the outcome of any of the more ambitious things I do. I am sensible most of the time <laughs>.

What happened from there? Erik: Soon after I had to leave to go back to Samarkand but when I eventually returned to St. Petersburg someone has called me and invited me to another Parkour event. The event was in ‘300 Anniversary Park’ (now this one of the most popular spots) and while there I met a bunch of guys and together we advanced greatly skill wise. Where you part of a team? Erik: After we all started training we formed a team called ‘Neo Jump’. I don’t think it’s necessary to list everyone’s name though. They’re all good guys and I thank them for those special days. We were doing a lot of acrobatic tricks at the time, so we started to take part in different competitions and festivals (they were informal because of lack of organisation) and we won every event we entered. These competitions included more acrostreet elements and mix of tricking and Freerun than Parkour. Any interesting stories? Erik: Once I was kicked out from a festival because I was

Thank God that he got rid of that hideous yellow mullet hairstyle. Billy Ray Cyrus would be turning in his grave. Hold on.... Photographer: Liza Orehova http://vkontakte.ru/club19543728

Charlie Chaplin would be proud. Photographer: Liza Orehova http://vkontakte.ru/club19543728

Unfortunately during this shoot the conditions didn’t allow for much other than flip, flip, flip. Photographer: Liza Orehova http://vkontakte.ru/club19543728

doing too much acrobatics but the organisers (a famous team), didn’t like that I was showing off more than they were able to. At the time I didn’t even know who they were <laughs>. Returning to our dialogue about the situation in St. Petersburg… Erik: Well next…I started to work in the first special Parkour specific gym in St. Petersburg called Igels and it was there that I met Evgeniy Krynin when he was creating Parkour City. He offered me a chance to take part in it and I agreed. Since that time I’m taking my Parkour more seriously. Is the Parkour community big in Russia? Erik: Frankly speaking, I think it’s the biggest community in whole world. We can meet practicing guys in every single district. Though not everybody practices Parkour in its first meaning. The most popular thing here is acrobatics, acrostreet and using acrobatic elements as well as Parkour. On the other hand half of participants are kids who don’t even know what they want. After all it comes to inevitable things. But the list of people within the community grows bigger every day. How often do you train? Erik: I train every day for about 8 to 9 hours <laughs>. It’s the main thing that I do. Speaking about the system, I don’t think that it really exists. Right now I focus my attention on staying in shape, so I just train and I just move. I don’t study special elements, I just improve my own skills.

Lexus. How did you prepare for breaking a World record? Erik: Actually the record was easy for me. I always knew that I’d break it and when I said it to the guys initially, we were just laughing. But after a month we decided to really go for it. What was the point of doing it? Was it to show yourself off Worldwide? Erik: Actually I suppose it looked like that. When I saw the record I just smiled and it didn’t seem too difficult. I said that it would be easy for me, so I just wanted to do it because I knew that I’d be able to. Who can you point out in Russia as people to keep an eye on? Erik: I could point out many, but firstly it’s Gena Lex Gorshkov, Shade Zlat, Sheva, Vitaliy Berezgnoy. These are great athletes with beautiful technique. I think they’ll have great opportunities in our common activity. They are good friends of mine and we mix and train a lot together.

I traiN EvEry day For aBoUt 8 to 9 hoUrs

What do you think makes you different? Erik: I think that the main secret is in my physiology and maybe in psychology of attitude to fear. But you understand that the no fear approach might bring injuries? Erik: Yes of course, and I don’t practice such things. Like I said before, I’m not crazy <laughs>. What is the main point of your training? Erik: There is no point. You see, it’s my life, and everything just happens. What point can there be here? Become better? Of course I’d like to make a healthy living financially from my favourite activity. I guess this is the main point is to keep training. Have you done any interesting projects so far using your Parkour skills? Erik: I was in Poland to attempt to break the Guinness World Record which was a backflip off a wall over the

Usually Russia is associated with snow and the cold. Is it hard to motivate yourself to train? Erik: No man, It is cool <laughs>! I can go outside and train whenever I want. Weather doesn’t matter that much to me. Although I don’t want to go outside if it’s raining <laughs>.

What other countries have you visited so far? Erik: I have visited very few countries so far, but I really want to travel. For now I can only talk about Poland, Uzbekistan (where I lived) and about Ukraine. There is nothing to tell really because almost everything is like in Russia with only small differences. Unfortunately, in Poland I didn’t manage to train with the local practitioners while I was there, but this year I will go there once again and plan to train with the locals. In what countries do want to train and why? Erik: I love the idea of travel in general, that’s why I can’t say what country I want to visit most. On one hand, I’ll always find somewhere I can train so the country doesn’t really matter. On the other hand if I were pushed, I’d say England, France (the motherland of Parkour) and Dubai. What do you like most about Parkour? Erik: I like everything about Parkour because Parkour is me. I can’t even explain it. I’ve been doing it my whole life and I love this life. What don’t you like? Erik: I don’t like only that many guys just fool about

Apparently Erik isn’t bothered about the snow and trains on regardless. Yeah, right. The Mexican mouse, he say boooooooooooooolsheeeeeeeeeet! Photographer: Liza Orehova http://vkontakte.ru/club19543728

believing that what they are doing is Parkour. They are trying to perform tricks and difficult acrobatic elements, they are trying to be best, trying to prove something to somebody and want to be my friends in “VKONTAKTE” (Russian Facebook), just to be cooler. It really irritates me! How many friends do you have on the Social Net? Erik: I have 4497 inquiries about additional friends but only 230 actual friends. Do you have a facebook account? Erik: I have a page on Facebook, this way I can improve my English because I have to communicate with a lot of friends from other countries. Here is its address, it is valid - www.facebook.com/erik.3run What do you think about competition? Erik: I have a strong desire to become a winner so I like the idea of competitions. It’s like animal instinct, I just want it <laughs>. Have you competed much? Erik: Yes, I’ve taken part in many competitions. Frankly speaking most of them were informal and badly organised, but it didn’t really bother me. There was One big competition in Russia, ‘UNONA Acrostreet Championship’. I took first place out of 20 others there. None of the other competitions compare to UNONA. In Russia this competition has a great status. By the way I always wanted to take part in the World Freerun Championships and the AOM and at last it will happen this year.

Why do you think that the Russian scene is producing so much outstanding talent right now? Erik: Russian athletes are very good and confident in Parkour, also athletes from Ukraine, Belarus and other Russian speaking countries. We don’t feel as though our level is inferior to any of the other Parkour developed countries worldwide. But the real problem is that the global community for some reason, doesn’t yet support our athletes. They seek after and look at English, Spanish, French and Mexican athletes etc and forget about ours. A lot of Russian athletes are able to set a good example and inspire no less than those who I have already mentioned. Things are starting to change though because Russian athletes are starting to get invitations to more and more events. Do you think that Russia is going to be a major force in the global scene in the future? Erik: I think, that we are starting to take the first steps towards it. For instance, there will be Russian athletes at the London AOM event in March 2011. This is a positive step in the right direction.

I havE A STrONG dEsirE to BEcomE a WiNNEr

What is your opinion of the World Freerun Championships that Urban Freeflow organise? Erik: Amazing! First of all it opens new bounds, you travel, you meet and live with those athletes who you chat with on Youtube and Facebook. Secondly on that platform I can prove myself, show my abilities. Thirdly I can show the world the Russian community, who are we and what we are able to do. You are 1 of 3 Russian athletes in the famous UF All Star team. What does being on the team mean to you? Erik: It is very important for me to be in the team. It provides me with many opportunities and a great platform to showcase my skills. Because Shade, Shiva and I are in the public eye, we feel as though we are representing the whole Russian community. It’s is big responsibility and one we take very seriously. Expect to see a lot from us over the next year.

own technique.

Do you train in gyms or only outside? Erik: I don’t really like gym training. Sometimes gym training gives me a headache. I don’t feel myself in such safe environments between floor mats and other soft things. It will be better for me to make a double flip on the grass, than in a foam pit. In the gym I always seem to do worse than outside. That’s why I try to train outside more. I do go to the gym when I want to see my friends or somebody ask me help with some element of their

Did you ever do some other activity outside of Parkour? Erik: Like I said, I’ve been doing this my whole life but parallel to this, I’ve been training in breakdancing. What music inspire you? Erik: Russian rap. For example: “Noize MC”, “Mnogotochie”, “Dino MC” and others. What shoes do you use for Parkour? Erik: The best Parkour shoes for me is the Kalenji Succes. Favourite technique? Erik: You know I practice a special technique. I heard about it only from Gena Gorshkov Lex. It’s hard to explain but the thing is that vision controls everything. Landing is always in a visible area. Many athletes rely on their senses but I don’t believe in any sense as much as vision. I’d called my technique ‘Always visible floor’.

Run Forrest, run! Photographer: Liza Orehova http://vkontakte.ru/club19543728

Erik spots some Kalenji’s on the floor during a full turn. Photographer: Liza Orehova http://vkontakte.ru/club19543728

Where there’s a wall there’s a way. Photographer: Liza Orehova http://vkontakte.ru/club19543728

Can you tell us some more about this technique? Erik: I’ve already told everything <laughs>. The thing is using of vision where the landing is always visible. Do you train seriously? Like a sportsman? Erik: Well it depends on various things. I think yes. I spend just as much time training as any professional athlete in their field of expertise. On the other hand I don’t do it for super-results. It all comes to you over time if you train hard. Do you eat healthy food? Erik: More no than yes <laughs>. I love cola and I can drink it a lot. I eat in McDonalds too. Do you ever teach Parkour? Erik: I’ve always loved teaching. I taught my friends since I was a kid. Last year I taught Parkour a lot including in a children’s corrective colony. This project is produced by our organisation and we work with it together. We have a gym in the colony and all of that we made by ourselves and guys train there with pleasure. So I’m very glad. Is it difficult to teach Parkour in a colony? Erik: It requires a lot of patience because many guys are really hard to teach. They don’t listen and do some things wrong. But we do try and I think we do the best we can. When they get released we always take them to our gym for free. We try to teach them a normal life. I think it is really necessary work, and only few take part in such work.

as there was a lot of snow and it was very slippery. But the next time we went, we did it. The landing was very difficult. Many floor mats were on the other roof but I hadn’t had a chance to check them out. But all of this took a bit of time and video with the jump was shown all over the world and we never expected any of this. Even my parents, who had lived at that moment in the Ukraine, called to tell me that they had watched my jump on TV <laughs>. Here’s the jump: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbnGNl2iFwM Have you ever bailed heavily? Erik: Sometime in my childhood we were running and playing in other games, when I decided to jump through a hole between two metal pipes (like an underbar), but I touched the bottom beam and hurt my back a lot. After the impact I hung on the beam and I groaned. Suddenly, when I was trying to get out and turn my leg (which was really hurting) a car had appeared and didn’t see me. The car had hooked my leg and dragged my body half a metre. It was really horrible because at the moment my veins tore and I started to bleed heavily. My friend helped me to get out and I was taken to the hospital immediately. I lost a lot of blood and the doctors said I was a very lucky man. But that wasn’t the end of my troubles. Shortly after leaving hospital I broke this leg again. Just Imagine my frustration at having to lie in bed for 2 months recovering <laughs>.

NoNE oF oUr FriENds WoUld alloW Us To DO this jUmp

Are you preparing now to do anything special? Erik: At the moment my main problem is getting a visa to go to Red Bull AOM in March. I’ve been waiting for that for a long time and now I train hard to get in shape for England. Maybe not so special, but at the moment it’s the main thing I’m concentrating on. Speaking about things that are special. Tell us about that big roof jump you did. Erik: My friend Evgeniy created this. He’s the second man who jumped with me. We went in a taxi and saw this place that was amazing, so he asked if I wanted to jump there and I agreed. Then we decided to date it to Parkour week 2009 and it caught the attention of politicians and the governor. We used it to highlight the fact that there was a lack of special gyms for our discipline. As a result, a big gym for extreme sports was opened up. You didn’t do it on the first attempt though? Erik: None of our friends would allow us to do this jump

What advice would you pass down to beginners who are reading this article? Erik: Be attentive to yourself and others. Be persistent in your trainings but care about yourself. Look for the real way in your training and search for the true values and directions. Thanks very much for your time Erik. Erik: Thank you. It was really interesting discussion. Erik’s most recent showreel (complete with mullet haircut) - www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6pyy8SQbtY Erik’s Youtube channel - www.youtube.com/erik3run Parkour City - www.parkourcity.ru

When the weather improves, we’ll conduct a proper shoot with Erik that won’t include any snow or flips. Photographer: Liza Orehova http://vkontakte.ru/club19543728

SUPERSIZE! www.urbanfreeflow.com

F

reedom!

Though sounding like an overused line from a particular movie, freedom has been a significant factor in major revolutions, wars, and uprisings across this fascinating globe of ours. Freedom demands the attention of all those in authority and government positions. If these officials deny liberty, human beings are willing to taunt the domain of death to ensure those who remain alive enjoy this gift of freedom. Freedom seems to be of utmost importance to all beings, regardless of sex, race, culture, and age. Yet, how this act of freedom is practiced varies as much as those who hold freedom as the highest goal. Not surprisingly, the majority of practitioners worldwide agree that Parkour and Freerunning grants freedom to traceurs. It is repeatedly the most named reason why the Urban Freeflow community does what it does. However, these same practitioners offer several perspectives as to what kind of freedom one can attain. Agreeing with the philosophers through the ages, traceurs have discovered various levels of freedom and, as a result, live by simply moving through the world. But, just like the past seekers of Truth, traceurs find themselves increasingly moving through the world in order to attain a greater depth of freedom. This allusive spectrum of freedoms shines like the sparkles off a glistening ocean, overwhelming and powerful, beckoning the viewer to dive into

the depths of the light. The traceur wants to immerse herself into this watery world of obstacles and fear in order to feel the droplets of freedom surrounding her. It is as if the Freerunner is looking up to the starry skies of truth and observes several shades of freedom, some shining brighter than others, some lingering further in the depths of the blackness awaiting discovery. As a fellow member of this world, I pondered as to what were some of the discovered freedoms that traceurs enjoyed. Below is a non-exhaustive list that the Urban Freeflow community reported as to experiencing while performing this wonderful sport of ours. Freedom from Authority Authority has a greater influence over the individual self than most people realize. The influential strength of rules, officials, and routines reaches to the core of every person’s mind, and to be completely free from the influence takes years of stripping away the layers of dominance. I remember, in my novice years as a traceur, standing on a picnic table in the middle of an abandoned public park, feeling as though I was doing something wrong. The picnic table was meant to be eaten on, not walked on. The thought occurred to me that after I left my muddy shoe prints on it that picnickers would no longer be able to enjoy the table. I could hear my grandmother’s voice telling me to get down from there because I could hurt myself and the table was not made for my purpose of using it as an obstacle. I worried that some park law enforcement agent would tell me to leave the park because I merely stood on the picnic table. Layers and layers of authority attacked me mentally and emotionally, though never taking physical shape while I stood in defiance. This is a small example of how authorities, ridiculous laws, and cultural standards imprison the spirit and self, with invisible handcuffs of fear and imagined

Jonathan Tapp (USA) www.youtube.com/butterfingerman Photographer: Thomas Tapp www.tappbrothers.com

Thomas Tapp (USA) www.youtube.com/butterfingerman Photographer: Jonathan Tapp www.tappbrothers.com

prison bars of the watchful eye. But, Parkour breaks down those jail walls and frees the mind. Civil engineered obstacles suddenly become outlets for creativity and discovery. Cultural rules become mere opinions of others as traceurs explore the individual self. These concealed constraints are unveiled by the movements of Freerunning, and one form of freedom is achieved. Much like the newly-freed prisoner basks in the light of a sunset, the traceur moves through the world with a fresh perspective, radiating with joy as he discovers the unconstrained self. The Freerunner enjoys freedom, even while all others around him remain enslaved to the boundaries of the sidewalk. The traceur is free from all authority but his own. Freedom from Fear But one’s own authority figure, Fear, can be just as debilitating as outside influences. Doubts as to whether one can complete a move, jump a certain distance, or train in winter weather can crush the Freerunner’s spirit to a greater depth than any external force. Fears of heights, training sessions with other people, and expectations of perfection can paralyze traceurs just as much as a fall from 30 feet can. But, Parkour enables an escape from fear’s commanding voice, allowing a deeper sense of freedom. Jeremy Walker, a fellow Urban Freeflow community member, gives an example of how Freerunning grants freedom from fear: “I’m nervous. I’m scared. I’m nervous and scared. Nervous to hit my feet on the wall. Scared of clipping my knee on the wall. Worried that I won’t clear the wall. I’m going to kong this wall. I take a few steps back. Suck in the cool winter air through my nose and out through my mouth. Focus on my breathing. I listen to the world around me. I feel the earth under my feet and then I’m off. No awkard feeling this time. This is the time. Once my feet hit the ground, a new feeling is felt.

A feeling of overcoming my fears. A feeling of success. A feeling of freedom. You see, that’s what I mean by freedom. Freedom to me is facing your fear over and over again, until it’s no longer fear. Yes, you may still feel fear, but you don’t run from it anymore. It doesn’t cause you to freeze up anymore. Instead, you embrace it as a long lost friend.” Thus, Parkour makes what once was an enemy into a friend; fear begins to back off and ceases to be so over-protective. Fear starts to speak only when it is a matter of self-preservation instead of constantly whispering in the back of the mind. Freerunning demands constant practice and training, and by doing so, creates a realm of quietness. The voice of fear hushes to almost complete silence, and what fills the tranquil space is freedom. Freedom from fear allows the mind to connect to the body without interruption; the mind and body are allowed to be one and the same. Freedom from Interruption Thoughts, knowledge, and the need for control can place severe limitations on the traceur in the search for freedom. The beginner needs to be thinking about each move and how to correctly land in order to prevent injury. But there comes a time in each traceur’s life when movements, distance, height, and obstacles become physical habits and the need to “think” about them becomes inhibitive. As the novice Freerunner begins to experience moments of unconscious movement, she catches a tiny glimpse into the freedom from interruption. Every sport has a term for this type of freedom: being in the zone; the runner’s high; and, as our community calls it, having flow. The mind and body simply react to the environment, instead of thinking and enacting on it. Choice of movement occurs without hesitation and fear, as though Mother Nature was just guiding the traceur along

a pre-determined path. The Freerunner feels as though her pure self, her true nature, has been set free from the prison of reason and logic. The traceur now runs along the one all-encompassing “Way”, as the Chinese philosophy of Taoism defines it. This “Way” is not bound by words, wisdom, or possessions, but rather is the purest of natural movement. The Taoist text of Zhuangzi explains in cryptic poetry: “The great Way is not announced/The great debate is not spoken/Great benevolence is not benevolent/Great modesty is not reserved/Great courage is not aggressive/A way that shines does not lead/Words in debate do not reach.” The advanced traceur disregards words of training, needs of being noticed, and wants of greatness. The Freerunner connects to the pure self by becoming completely entangled with the natural environment. The traceur becomes the Taoist sage. Zhuangzi describes the sage as one who knows the “Way.” “Where sages wander, knowledge is a curse, restrictions are paste, favors are a patch, and effort is for trade. Sages do not plan, so why do they need knowledge? They do not cut, so why do they need paste? They have nothing to lose, so why do they need favors? They’re not buying, so why do they need trade?” Many traceurs describe being in the flow as the ultimate stage of freedom. There is nothing better than running through the environment and thinking about nothing. Rather the Freerunner reacts to the natural world, creating a world of play, just like the days in childhood of sandboxes and backyards. No rules, no fears, no knowledge – just the natural self playing with and in the world. Freedom from Nature However, some philosophers and

advanced traceurs argue for a higher degree of freedom, one beyond the pure, natural self. They advance an absolute freedom. This form of freedom states there is a hidden level of freedom, one so free that humans attempt to disguise it because of the anxiety it can cause. See, when one recognizes absolute freedom, the foundations of the world crumble underneath the feet of the Freerunner. This rare variety of freedom disregards not only authority, logic, and fear, but also a true self. Known as Existentialism in the philosophical world, its proponents suggest there is no such thing as a true self, but rather a culmination of choices. Jean-Paul Sartre is famous for saying, “Existence precedes Essence.” In other words, one is born a blank slate, with no destiny and no predispositions. From birth, humans have the freedom to choose in every moment, and by making such choices, end up creating a self. And where the absolute freedom can be truly seen is that an individual can completely change that created self at any time. Think about it, one can choose to leave family, career, geography, spouse, so-called responsibilities, and even life at any moment. The possibilities are truly endless, and humans are not limited by created selves or an imagined “nature”. The advanced traceur recognizes this environment of absolute freedom. The free Freerunner chooses to choose, instead of leading a sheep’s life of following others, following laws, following cultures, or even following nature. The traceur challenges gravity, physics, and science on the whole. The soul of the Freerunner disregards religions, beliefs, and morals. The traceur chooses to run, chooses to jump, and chooses to climb, knowing with every choice the traceur is creating a new shapeless self—a self constantly evolving into a better and more free individual. And as a matter of definition and feeling, this may be the one true ultimate

freedom; compliments of Parkour. Regardless of the type of freedom you are experiencing at this moment in your life, I think it is absolutely crucial to recognize that any level of freedom brings a sincere sense of joy with it. And just like many other qualities of Parkour, this recognition of joy should be translated to every part of your life. Practice freedom in all facets of your life, and you will experience a world of joy that pierces deep into your heart and spirit. As a result, you will not only discover a richness of self, but also a grand appreciation for the world around you. Next month, I will reflect on this grand world that surrounds us. So, please forward your thoughts to me on how Parkour & Freerunning has changed the way you see the environment. What is human’s relation to the world through the traceur’s eyes? How do you appreciate all kinds of terrains differently now that you practice this wonderful sport? I would love to hear from all of you, so please take a few moments to let me know how you feel. This is, after all, our philosophy of Parkour and our statement to the world. So, let’s make our statement loud and clear! Until next month…keep training and shine on! Suggested Further Readings: Jean-Paul Sartre – Existentialism is a Humanism; Zhuangzi – Zhuangzi. JC “Sage” Greening can be reached via email at: greening.5@wright.edu or on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/jcgreening

Jonathan Tapp (USA) www.youtube.com/butterfingerman Photographer: Thomas Tapp www.tappbrothers.com

Athlete: Rocko Rovira (Mexico) www.urbanrunners.net Photographer: Josefo Robledo www.flickr.com/photos/joseforobledo

IN THE FIRING LINE OF

fore1

François ‘fOre1’ Constant is a self taught 22 year old cameraman from Bordeaux, France, who is really starting to make a name for himself in the Parkour scene. If you’ve been following Jump Magazine for a while, you’d have already seen a selection of his work in issues 7, 8, 11 and in issue 12 where one of his images featuring Charles Poujade, made the front cover. This feature shows a collection of his photo’s captured while shooting with French Parkour talent in the form of Charles Poujade, Lee Curt, Louis Davion, Matthieu Le Gall, Sebastien Lhau and Sylvain Laborde. Accompanying comments come from fOre1 himself.....

Charles Poujade On this day I was trying to think of different situations that would make for interesting picture opportunities and I saw Charles doing this Kong vault over and over, so I simply set the camera up and captured it. The environment at this location is pretty cool too, so it was a win win situation for everyone on the day. Kit used: Nikon D90. Nikkor AF DX Fisheye 10,5mm f/2.8G ED 2 Strobes powered by Cactus V4 SB-800 1/2 behind him SB-800 1/4 left

Lee Curt This photo was taken in Bordeaux IV University in January of 2011. These are the stairs of Aula Magna, the biggest lecture hall of the Law factulty. Lee really wanted to do this vault but the floor wasn’t really that good for the landing. Regardless, he executed this jump 3 or 4 times and even though he rolled to absorb the impact, the sound of the anding was quite heavy and scary sounding. Both Lee and I were very happy with the resulting image. Kit used: Nikon D300s Nikkor AF DX Fisheye 10,5mm f/2.8G ED 2 Strobes powered by Cactus V5 SB-800 1/4 left SB-28 1/ 4right

Louis Davion Behind Louis is the court of Bordeaux and on this day there were cops and lawyers everywhere! It goes without saying that they didn’t want us there, so we had to shoot this one as quickly as possible before being told to fuck off. Kit used: Nikon D300s Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX SB-800 1/2 powered by Cactus V4

Matthieu Le Gall During one of many training sessions I saw Matthieu repeatedly drilling some precision jumps at this spot. I asked him if he could do another one on the next stairway and we decided to capture it as a sequence shot to show his level of control. Kit used: Nikon D300s Nikkor AF DX Fisheye 10,5mm f/2.8G ED

Sebastien Lhau This was one of the most impressive jumps I had the opportuniy to shoot. Sebastien was really motivated to do a big jump for the camera, so we went to this spot. In the windows behind there were people working and they were all trying to figure out what he was doing. Then when he ran and vaulted over, they were all amazed. Great sensations! Kit used: Nikon D300s Nikkor AF DX Fisheye 10,5mm f/2.8G ED 2 Strobes powered by Cactus V5 KF36 1/1 left SB-800 1/2 right

Sylvain Laborde While we were trying to shoot this picture, some girls were fighting not so far away from us. In the end it got so bad that we had to stop what we were doing and attempt put an end to their stupid fight which was shockingly violent. Luckily, we had already grabbed the shot we needed and managed to leave like ninjas in the night before the police and ambulance arrived. Kit used: Nikon D300s. Nikkor AF DX Fisheye 10,5mm f/2.8G ED 2 Strobes powered by Cactus V5. SB-800 1/2 right KF36 1/2 left

Charles Poujade You may recognise this image from issue 12 and from one of the banners on the UF site... We were in Meriadeck and Charles told me that he wanted to do this move. To be honest, I didn’t know the best way to shoot it. In my mind I really wanted everyone to see all the strairs in order to let people realise how high he was and how risky the jump was. I tried two different lenses and then I decided to shoot it as if it were a shoot for a skateboard image. I took my fisheye, went down the stairs and we tried to do it from this angle. Between all the people who were going in the stairs I was lying down on the dirty floor trying to get it right. I’m happy with it. Kit used: Nikon D300s. Nikkor AF DX Fisheye 10,5mm f/2.8G ED 3 strobes all powered by Cactus V4 SB-800 1/2 right. SB-28 1/1 right, behind him. KF36 1/2 left.

Lee Curt This is one of my favorite because it was really complicated to capture due to the circumstances. Below where I was positioned with the camera there were cops who were directing traffic. We decided to negotiate with them because we knew that they’d kick us out if they caught us. Thankfully they were really cool and agreed to look the other way. On the other hand, I had to go on another building across the street. I set up the strobe lights and then tried to direct my friends on a mobile phone from across the street on how to adjust them. They didn’t know what they were doing so it all got messy. In the end Lee had to do the jump 3 times and we managed to get what we needed. Kit used: Nikon D300s. Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM 2 Strobes powered by Cactus V5 KF36 1/2 left SB-800 1/2 right

Louis Davion For this shot I had to go over a fence and set up my stuff where there was a 1m gap to the Garonne (Big French river). As I suffer from vertigo, I was pretty stressed and shaking because if I moved to much, I would have fallen into the river and this is the kind of river that you can’t swim out off! Biiiiiig sensations for this picture but nice movement from Louis. Kit used: Nikon D300s Nikkor AF DX Fisheye 10,5mm f/2.8G ED 2 Strobs powered by Cactus V4 system SB-800 1/2 right KF36 1/2 right

Matthieu Le Gall We took so many pictures at this spot but this one is my favorite. Matthieu put so much style into this move and the conditions were perfect. Kit used: Nikon D90 AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR SB-800 1/1 left powered by Cactus V4

Sebastien Lhau I had this spot in mind for ages but had to wait patiently before being able to shoot there. I wanted to compose something massive that just suggests the presence of Sebastien in this environment. I think I did it a bit more than intended because people are looking for him in a ‘where is Charlie?’ way. Clue: He is on the right (somewhere). Kit used: Nikon D300s Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM 2 Strobes powered by Cactus V5 KF36 1/2 right SB-800 1/2 left

Sylvain Laborde Sure, this is not a really big move but I was really impressed by the way Sylvain was able to effortlessly jump up onto the wall. Kit used: Nikon D300s Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM SB-800 1/1 left powered by Cactus V4

Keep up to speed on all things fOre1 by checking out: www.fore1.com www.flickr.com/fore1

Precision jump from Dima Korotkov

Reuni贸n de Traceurs

Nuevo Le贸n 2011

Sideflip for Eliel Report by Cexar Machuca

The warm up on day one.

Obligatory group shot.

I received an e-mail from a guy at Redbull Mexico saying that Rocko Rovira and Daer Sanchez would be shooting in a place called Xilitla, and maybe, they will be in Monterrey for a couple of days too. He wanted to do something big so I give this him my number and we started talking about this project along with Pablo of a team called Parkour Tec and the INJUVE (a government youth institute). After just 2 weeks of planning everything, meetings, checking places and more, the first RT Nuevo León event was set up. . Sunday 13th of February It was a sunny and funny day. After experiencing some classic winter days, it was awesome to have a lot of sun which only helped to make the atmosphere amazing. The place it was set at was called Parque Del Fraile and was a park that you could stay at for more than a day and you still wouldn’t be able to see everything. On the day more than 150 traceurs with the company of Daer and Rocko of UrbanRunners and a bunch of people of another teams arrived. It started around 10:30 in the morning and the music was already playing when more and more people started arriving to register themselves to take part. The warm up started around 12 o’clock and it was in the hands of Axel of UrbAlux, Juno of Parkour Monterrey and Daer of Urban Runners. After this we made groups and started to train all over the place. There was an amazing energy from everybody and you could feel the joy and good vibe all around the park (maybe because of the Redbull drinks). It was something never seen here in Nuevo León before. After 4 hours the event was officially ended and I could see the smile on everybody’s faces, because they had an awesome time training and because the next day they will train again. Monday 14th February If somebody would told me a year ago, that the next year there would be a big jam here in my city, with the support of Redbull and the INJUVE in the same place where I have an accident, plus DJ’s, reporters of all channels and more… I probably would never believed it. The event started around 4 o’clock, and one more time the warm up job was in charge of Axel, Juno and Daer. It was amazing how the people were giving their best efforts to complete the warm up properly. The fact was that everyone was tired from the day before and the killing heat of the sun didn’t make the pain of the legs any easier when Daer said “one more!” After that, just like the day before, the music was playing along with the jumps we made and the cheering of all the traceurs and traceuses was so big that even the heat from the sun wasn’t able to make anyone sit down that day. Daer and Rocko in the company of local traceurs, were performing a lot of amazing things while everyone else took pictures and filmed on their video cameras. As the night began to fall, the lights of the city started to shine along with a few stars that where already in the night sky. At 7:30 of the evening was officially ended the first RT in Nuevo León.

After a little speech from me, member of Parkour Monterrey and one of the organisers of the event, the director of the INJUVE, Frank Salazar give thanks to all the traceurs and traceuses and ended up with “write my words, soon, the first Parkour Park in Nuevo León”. So, this is not the end, we’re going to work on this project. I want to say thanks for everything to Redbull and of course, the INJUVE of Nuevo León. Thanks to all the guides: Parkour Tec - Pablo, Rodrigo, Joel, Sergio, Kike and Jesús. UrbAlux - Alan, Axel, Jerry, Braulio and Jesús. Parkour Monterrey - Maury, Fester, Harry, Eliel, Leo, Tavo, GI Joe, Kala, Juno and Cexar. Thanks also to Daer and Rocko. And many thanks to Jump Magazine for letting me share this with the community around the world.

Everyone listens to the speech.

Rocko Rovira gets some air.

Dedicated to bringing the heat from the street

By JK - www.thejkproject.com

Mohd ‘MZE’ Zayeem (Saudi Arabia) Photographer: Mohandas Amesh www.flickr.com/photos/aafotografy

FAT

MATTERS BY WILL WAYLAND - WWW.POWERING-THROUGH.BLOGSPOT.COM

Parkour/Freerunning….arguably a sport, art and discipline for everyone. It has some definite benefits such as body awareness (kinaesthesia), an increase in strength and power, plus doing it will make you fitter and leaner. The leaner part being the focal part of this article…. Being a sport where you are trying to move your body through the environment as quickly and as fluidly as possible, the only real resistance to making that possible is you. Imagine trying to move about while carrying a few bags of shopping strapped to you….All it’s going to do is slow you down and prevent you from jumping as high or as far as you normally would. With this in mind, many professional athletes in other disciplines view weight reduction as being an effective means of improving their overall performance. While height and weight shouldn’t really make a huge difference to your ability to train in Parkour and Freerunning, excess body fat could actually hinder you. An athlete who is carrying excess weight especially in PK/FR may be more prone to injury when performing jumps, landings and difficult techniques versus the practitioner with more optimal body composition. Imagine trying to land softly while carrying a few 5kg bags of cement strapped to your waist, your knees wouldn’t be particularly happy would they? Ultimately what you should be aiming for is an optimal strength to weight ratio. All of the studies in sports such as gymnastics, skating, cycling and marathon running view good body composition as something that can be a good indicator for performance. The place most people notice a significant improvement after dropping some excess body fat, is in their ability to do press ups and pull ups. Generally healthy males should

carry between 12-18 percent body fat and females 15-25%. Performance benefits occur between 7-18% body fat depending on the sport. Ideally I would say most PK/FR practitioners should fall in at around 7-14% body fat. This is based on the idea that gymnastics, sprinting and jumping sports are the closest parallels in current sports. Until someone takes the time to assess the body fat of PK/FR athletes in the wild, we can only make an educated guess. How do you approach this? Well a lot of time people assume dieting and training more and more intensely is the answer but quite often this can be counter intuitive and actually lower muscle mass and increase fat mass, which can then spur someone on to training even harder and ending up at square one. Strength train: A better way would be to work on a sound strength training program to improve your power output and increase muscle mass. Increasing lean mass at a given body weight is always a good idea. The idea being that less of you is dead weight (fat) and more of you is functional weight (muscle). A program composed of bodyweight movements and compound exercises should do the trick. Have a plan: I’ve yet to meet a single person who has been successful at losing and maintaining weight who didn’t have a plan and a means of measurement. A lot of people approach their diets haphazardly making the decision of what to eat maybe minutes before they do. Ask anyone who has ever been successful in maintaining or losing weight what they are eating today and most would be able to tell you. Another proven method is keep a food diary this allows you to look back and analyze what you’ve eaten, how often and how much. Surprisingly, most of us

just stuff our faces without thinking about it. Eat at regular times: One of the main areas where people make the biggest mistakes. The typical day for a lot of people goes like this; little or no breakfast, light lunch, HUGE evening meal and then an assortment of snacks until bed. This will lead to fatigue, tiredness and worst of all gradual weight gain. The best option is to eat smaller meals with 3-4 hours between each meal. But keep in mind your body doesn’t have clock that tells you to eat at a certain hour/minute/second, so if you are out with your timing, don’t stress. Eating smaller amounts regularly will boost your metabolism and you will find you can’t go longer than 4 hours without eating something. Weigh yourself: But not too often. You would be surprised the amount of people who don’t know their own weight or height for that matter. Monitoring your weight is the simplest method of monitoring your body composition, while it’s not completely accurate because fat and muscle weigh different amounts and your weight can fluctuate each day, it can help you track changes. If you are worried about your body fat percentage, you can always get it measured, either electronically or find someone who is skilled in the usage of skin fold callipers. Bodyweight should not be a limiting factor for most people involved in PK/FR, but using the advice above with monitoring, managing and eating a healthy diet can go a long way to helping improve your ability and your overall performance levels.

We kee high le we see has rea

Apex Parkour (England)

Featuring Nick Whitcombe and Ben Taplin of the Apex Parkour team from Mor This video was dropped as their swan song, as both have sadly decided to dra curtains over their Parkour careers. After over 8 years of being proactive in th we’re sure that you’ll agree that their talents will be missed. www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4Wvel2ZwKQ

Slava ‘Denim’ Petin (Latvia)

ep harping on about Eastern Europe being a place to keep an eye on, as many evel practitioners are coming out of the woodwork over there. In this instance e Slava Petin from Latvia, who’s been around for a while but most recently, he ally polished up his overall game. In this video he demonstrates a full range of quality movement showing that he’s got all of his bases covered. www.youtube.com/watch?v=09fatt_eCWI

reton. aw the he game,

Jealous of this location? Screw Parkour, it’s ALL about sunbathing and swimming. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

How many people are in the team? LT: There are 5 people in the team, and their names are André Chapelas, Luís Alkmim, Pedro Salgado, Phelip Soares and Sérgio Bödtker-Lund. What does the ‘Line Team’ name mean? LT: Line Team was the definitive name given to the group because the members are all from the beach/ train coast from Cascais to Lisbon and that’s why we’re the Line Team. Maybe similar to Riviera coast in France, and Costa de Sol in Spain. Tell us a bit about each team member. LT: André Chapelas: Chapelas is 18 years old, is from Estoril, he has been training for about 4 years now and he’s inspired by Daniel Ilabaca (UK), Jason Paul (Germany) and Shade Zlat (Russia). Luís Alkmim: Luís a.k.a Dinei is currently 19 years old, Born in Brazil but living in Lisbon for about 6 years. He has been training for about 4 years too and he is inspired by Cirque du Soleil and Danny Ilabaca. Pedro Salgado: Salgado is 20 years old, he lives in the other side of the Tejo River and he has been training for (guess what?) 4 years too <laughs>. Daniel Ilabaca (UK) and Phil Doyle (UK) are the best inspirations for him. Phelip Soares: Phelip a.k.a Phipo is 18, he lives in the center of Cascais and he’s been training for about 4 and half years. Sérgio Bödtker-Lund: Sérgio is 20 years old and he lives at the same house as Chapelas in Estoril. He has been training for 4 years and is inspired by Erik Mukhametshin (Russia), Daniel Ilabaca (UK) and ShadeZlat (Russia).

“There are 5 people in the team.”

Sergio Bรถdtker-Lund and Phelip Soares session the same alleyway. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Precision from Pedro Salgado. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Sergio Bรถdtker-Lund flips out at the sight of sunshine. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Where did you first see Parkour? LT: Each member discovered Parkour through a friend, by watching videos on youtube and surfing on the internet. Were you all friends before doing Parkour or did you meet after? LT: Me (Sergio) and Chapelas, we’ve been friends since we were born and now we are all friends since we started Parkour. The good thing is that we are all held together as friends and training partners. How long has the team been together? LT: The team was formed in April 2006 with a group of friends who loved to jump. In the beginning the group was called ‘Parkour Cascais’ and some members gave up for personal reasons. Who has the most annoying habit in the team and what is it? LT: It is Phelip Soares, because he has the habit of stealing things from us such as mp3’s, shirts, or whatever and we know he has them. He brings them to the next training sessions and laughs about it as though nothing is wrong. So we cannot trust our houses to him <laughs>. Is the scene in Portugal a big one? LT: In Portugal it is growing slowly. I think the Portuguese people do not care too much about the sport and there are a lot of people that don’t know what is it yet, so let’s get them educated!!

“We are all held together as friends”

Luis Alkmim armed and dangerous! Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

AndrĂŠ Chapelas backflips while Pedro Salgado protects his head. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Sergio Bรถdtker-Lund performing a 180 cat in front of a bemused crowd of onlookers. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Do you train within the Portuguese PK community or do you just train as a team? LT: Nowadays we train more as a team because there are fewer people training. But yes we also train with the community as much as possible. You can see this in our videos. What are the best spots to train at in your area and why? LT: There are good spots in Lisbon and the Cascais Line such as Telheiras, Miraflores for the good variation of spots (rails, buildings, all kind of walls) and the beach is also good for Freerunning a learning new tricks. What would you say is the main strength of the team? LT: The main strength of the team? Hmmm...I would say we’re always trying to stay together more and more to grow in all areas of our game. Also the fact that we just train in the streets and not gyms. This is not because we don’t want to, it’s just because we don’t have the facilitites. I think this makes us a very good and proper street based team, all with a similar skill level. What is the goal of the team? LT: Probably the same as the any other practitioners out there. To never stop moving and to try make a living from Parkour and Freerunning because everyone wants to make a living doing what they love.

“This makes us a very good street based team”

Luis Alkmim was in the mix at the first ever World Freerun Championships in 2008 where he represented Portugal. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Pedro and Sergio represent in front of the Line Team logo. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Have you worked together much in a professional capacity? LT: Yes. The team has a very healthy portfolio from doing shows, workshops, events and commercials. Also we’re are working on producing some Parkour Parks in Portugal with our partners. Currently we are in a TV show called ‘Portugal Tem Talento’ which is the same format of the ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ show in the UK. As you are writing this, we are in the semi finals <laughs>. What other teams are there in Portugal that you consider as being good? LT: In Portugal the are not too many teams, but individually I consider Hilário “Ninja” Freire and Phoenixas being of a good level. Is the vibe between practitioners in Portugal a friendly one? LT: Definitely. It’s always a fun thing for us. Do you guys get on well with the Spanish teams or is there a rivalry? LT: Unfortunately so far we’ve never joined with Spanish teams, we’ve never combined anything at all. But we have thought many times about taking a trip to Spain. We really like what we see coming from them. Inspirational stuff for sure. Do you have a favourite PK/FR video you’ve seen on Youtube? LT: We have hundreds of favourite videos from many countries but maybe it’s ‘Out of time’ by Oleg Vorslav.

“The team has a very healthy portfolio.”

At the World Freerun Championships in 2009. Here we see Sergio applauding as the introductions are made. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Pedro Salgado performs a tunnel flip of sorts. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Tell us about your Youtube channel.... LT: Our Youtube channel is getting known gradually. We have some subscribers from people who follow us in every video and different websites. We have 36 videos there and other videos are on other accounts. Some are from training and others from work that we’ve done and now we are working on a new video which we hope everyone likes. Have you travelled as a team to other countries? LT: We took a trip to France and UK in August 2009. It was a great experience for us. Meeting awesome practitioners and seeing the place where Parkour was born and also seeing all the great places which have appeared in the famous London video’s. We had an amazing time in London when we were there for the World Freerun Championship event. What places would you like to travel to in order to train and why? LT: We want to go back to London again for sure. The other places could be selected at random because we all want to travel around the world. Which individuals in the international scene inspire you the most? LT: Daniel Ilabaca, Erik Mukhametshin, Phil Doyle, Luís Alkmim, Pedro Salgado and Shade Zlat.

“We want to go back to London again for sure.”

Andre Chapelas mid-precision. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Sergio Bรถdtker-Lund during the prep day before the World Freerun Championships. A penny for your thoughts, sir? Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Chapelas, Sergio and Salgado....The 3 amigos. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

This one is for Luis and Sergio....tell us about your experiences competing at the World Championships... Sérgio: The experience in competing at the first WFC was a great step for me. The feeling of being in London with my team and meeting the best Freerunners from all over the world was amazing. Training with them in that big building for the event was just a real pleasure and we all came back to Portugal inspired to train harder. Luis: Competing in WFC was a great experience for me too. Meeting all the athletes from everywhere around the world was great, However, I was nervous and to be honest, I didn’t feel as though I was skilled enough at the time to represent my country. You mentioned that you’re inspired by 2 of our UF All Star athletes in the form of Shade Zlat and Erik Mukhametshin. What do you think of the Eastern European scene in general? LT: They are fucking good! Those countries have bars all over the streets and they are very good at improvising. I love their movement a lot. The noobs here start with a basic monkey vault but in Russia it seems like they start with a Double Gainer <laughs>. What do you love about PK/FR? LT: The difference to other sports and how beautiful it looks in motion. What do you hate about PK/FR? LT: Nothing <laughs>.

“In Russia it seems like they start off with a double gainer.”

Andre Chapelas (top) and Phelip Soares (bottom) take a breather from the action. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Sergio and Luis share a bromantic moment. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

What is your opinion of competition in Parkour/Freerunning? LT: I think it’s great to see how far Freerunners can push themselves. Is your team sponsored? If yes, by who? LT: No. But we have a partnership with Play Planet. What are your shoes of choice for training? LT: We all want the Kalenji ‘Success’ to come back but currently we’re stuck with the Kalenji Ekiden 50 Do you guys have a background in any other sports? LT: Salgado did gymnastics and capoeira, Phelip trained Judo, but nothing more than that. We all have played football when kids <laughs>. What music inspires you? LT: Drum and bass; Hip-Hop, Dubstep, Cirque du Soleil Soundtrack list, etc Do you think the internet is an important tool to spread the word about PK/FR? LT: Sure. It’s the best tool. For us it’s mainly about videos on Youtube. What do you think of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter? LT: I think it’s an addiction as bad as other addictions. In general Facebook is a useful site though.

“We all want the Kalenji Success to come back.”

Pedro Salgado performs on a purpose built structure. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Salgado, Sergio and Luis chillin’ like villains. Team website: www.lineteam.webs.com Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/LineTeamTraceurs10

Is it important to you to have positive feedback on your videos? LT: We felt proud after the ‘Frontline’ video and it’s great seeing that people like our movement. It drives us to keep improving. Do you train seriously as athletes? LT: To be straight to the point, yes. Do you eat healthy foods? LT: Yes, been improving on that. We eat better in the streets than at home <laughs>. Is it important for the team to get exposure? LT: I would not say it’s important. It’s Just nice to introduce ourselves and our scene to the people. Do you teach? LT: Whenever we can, yes. What advice would you pass down to any beginners reading this? LT: To not leave your home before reading what PK/FR is all about. Watch a lot of videos and tutorials, get some good shoes to absorb the impact and start with basics slowly. Do not try to grow too quickly because you can easily end up with something broken. Are there any people you would like to give a shout out to before we say goodbye? LT: LUIIIIIIIIIIIIIS AND PARPALHO! <laughs>. Thanks guys. LT: A pleasure, thank you.

Tom Ellis (Wales) www.flowmotionpk.co.uk Photographer: Chris Jones www.luminouslightphotography.co.uk

www.parkourcity.ru

Michael Kloiber (Austria) Photographer: Claudia Ziegler www.aff-stp.at

Sometimes we’re all guilty of biting off more than we can chew. In this case we see Zak Sinclair of the UK stepping up to do an ambitious diving kong but oh dear, he royally fucked it up. The take off looks ok but half way through the dive it seems as though he changed his mind about picking up some quality airmiles and instead, chose to kiss the concrete with his eye.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1fWYRQfYyU

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