First, kudos to Chunks Pude and his friends for successfully organizing a Parkour group in Davao City. I believe they are on to more ambitious goals for this group, say: filing for registration in the SEC, building a Parkour gym for enthusiasts, and creating a website showcasing Parkour Davao. To all three goals, I wish them all the best (and maybe, along the way, I can be of some help too).
To begin, I was one of those who happened to be there for their first PK (Parkour) day in Magsaysay Park last August 31, 2009. I was fortunate enough that, despite probably being the oldest in the group (All were either college students or fresh graduates, with the exception of Harrold, who was neither), I didn't feel out of place because I knew some acquaintances.
Since most of us present were new to this sport, we were given an orientation about the basics of Parkour. Chunks took the lead in demonstrating warm-up exercises and introducing vault jumps. After that, we were taught how to roll, how to traverse obstacles like rocks and playground sets, and how to scale walls.
At first glance, the sport seemed easy to master; all we had to do was jump. But it turned out that observing and actually doing it were two different things. Most of the time, we newbies were standing in the corner, mouths agape, as we stared at our instructors trying to "motivate" us by doing the jumps themselves.
I realized then that guts is a necessary element in the sport. Parkour requires a great deal of confidence because it poses a higher risk of injuring yourself as compared to other sports like basketball (or chess). Jumps could go wrong; feet could get stuck behind obstacles; hands could lose their grip.
It also requires a certain flair or a little bit of showmanship in every enthusiast. What I like about the sport is its freewheeling attitude towards jumps. Simply put, it's all up to you how you would like to go over an obstacle. Creativity is celebrated and those who do stuff in new and unconventional ways get the loudest applause.
Surprisingly, the sport can also be an effective addition to a weigh-loss regimen. For several days after PK day, my abs hurt (It didn't help that I missed out on stretching exercises during that Saturday). To put it in perspective, my abs never hurt after a hard game in basketball or after a number of morning curls. If this is the case then, perhaps some people might be drawn to Parkour because they have a grudge against their belly fats (But then again, they'd have to be fit first before they can participate in the sport).
Right now, I'm looking forward to the next PK day. Back in Magsaysay Park, there's this huge 10 feet wall that needs to be conquered. And I can't wait to do just that.
To begin, I was one of those who happened to be there for their first PK (Parkour) day in Magsaysay Park last August 31, 2009. I was fortunate enough that, despite probably being the oldest in the group (All were either college students or fresh graduates, with the exception of Harrold, who was neither), I didn't feel out of place because I knew some acquaintances.
Since most of us present were new to this sport, we were given an orientation about the basics of Parkour. Chunks took the lead in demonstrating warm-up exercises and introducing vault jumps. After that, we were taught how to roll, how to traverse obstacles like rocks and playground sets, and how to scale walls.
At first glance, the sport seemed easy to master; all we had to do was jump. But it turned out that observing and actually doing it were two different things. Most of the time, we newbies were standing in the corner, mouths agape, as we stared at our instructors trying to "motivate" us by doing the jumps themselves.
I realized then that guts is a necessary element in the sport. Parkour requires a great deal of confidence because it poses a higher risk of injuring yourself as compared to other sports like basketball (or chess). Jumps could go wrong; feet could get stuck behind obstacles; hands could lose their grip.
It also requires a certain flair or a little bit of showmanship in every enthusiast. What I like about the sport is its freewheeling attitude towards jumps. Simply put, it's all up to you how you would like to go over an obstacle. Creativity is celebrated and those who do stuff in new and unconventional ways get the loudest applause.
Surprisingly, the sport can also be an effective addition to a weigh-loss regimen. For several days after PK day, my abs hurt (It didn't help that I missed out on stretching exercises during that Saturday). To put it in perspective, my abs never hurt after a hard game in basketball or after a number of morning curls. If this is the case then, perhaps some people might be drawn to Parkour because they have a grudge against their belly fats (But then again, they'd have to be fit first before they can participate in the sport).
Right now, I'm looking forward to the next PK day. Back in Magsaysay Park, there's this huge 10 feet wall that needs to be conquered. And I can't wait to do just that.
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