competition, Parkour suddenly becomes the same as any other kind of sport…..Harder, faster and better than others and that’s not really the philosophy of Parkour. That’s a fair opinion and it’s one of the reasons we’ve tailored our own competition format to cover just Freerunning and not Parkour. Parkour should really be left alone but unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. Ok, how about your personal training, do you train with others or alone? Marius: Both. On the one hand, it is really important to train with others because while training together, you can motivate each other and you can have lots of fun. On the other hand, it’s important to train alone sometimes, because at the end of the day it’s just you and the obstacle. What other German teams/individuals would you say are worth keeping an eye on? Marius: Right now there are lots of good teams and individuals in Germany. In the future we will see who breaks through and makes their mark. Are things there developed to the point where you have government backup in terms of dedicated training facilities (Parkour parks) being provided? Marius: I don’t really pay too much attention <laughs>. I think there is currently one Parkour park in Germany and maybe there will be more being built.
Do you take it all seriously or is it more of a lifestyle choice? Marius: I think that when you do Parkour seriously, you train with your complete heart. Outside of your PK/FR training, do you supplement it with any other kind of training? Marius: I play tennis and football but it’s not really supplementation training. It’s more for fun but the direct benefit is of course, increased fitness levels. Do you eat healthily? Marius: My life has really changed since I found Parkour, so yeah, I eat more healthily and I don’t drink much alcohol. What would you say is the strongest part of your game skill wise? Marius: Maybe my cat leap and my double kong. What area of your skills would you most like to improve? Marius: Hmmm…I want to improve my tricking skills.
“MY LIFE HAS REALLY CHANGED SINCE I FOUND PARKOUR”
Are you doing Parkour & Freerunning in a professional capacity full time? Marius: Yes, I am doing it in a professional capacity where time allows, but right now my priority is finishing my studies at school. Once that is out of the way I will be able to dedicate more time to Parkour and following my dream.
How much time per week do you dedicate to your training? Marius: It depends. When I have holidays, I spend every single minute training but when I have school, I can only practice 5-6 times in a week. Only 5-6 times a week? <laughs> Do you follow a strict training routine when your extremely tight schedule allows? Marius: <laughs> A typical day of training for me, is simple. I just go out and have fun. I enjoy trying new things all the time so I don’t have a strict training routine. I feel that if I were to follow a strict routine, it would kill most of the joy. I love the independence and freedom of Parkour training where I have no coach, no specific training times and no rules.
Do you ever train with headphones on? If yes, what kind of music do you listen to in order to fire you up? Marius: I always train with headphones. I can’t imagine training without them. I just listen to German rap music like I used in my current ‘All That I Need’ video. What techniques do you most enjoy drilling? Marius: I love doing cat leaps and precision jumps.
What techniques do you least enjoy drilling? Marius: Lache’s and weight training but it’s really important so I do it anyway <laughs>. For you, what kind of setup would make for the ideal PK/FR training hotspot? Marius: Every kind of spot is ideal for PK/FR because you just have to use your imagination more. Like Tim said, “Imagination is everything.” I agree to a point but what if you’re stuck in the middle of a field with just a sheep standing there as an obstacle? You’d need a vivid imagination to be creative there unless you lived in Wales. Moving on…..If you were allowed a power up boost to one area of your game out of technique, power, speed or flow, what would it be and why? Marius: Nothing. I just want to have fun and I don’t need to jump higher or further to have fun <laughs>. Dude, you’re boring! Have you traveled much inside