Quadrupedal movement is an excellent training tool to engage both body and mind in physical (re)education. Research by Herbert, Gross and Payne (2007) suggests that crawling movement aids in memory development in infants moving earlier than others.
There may well be limited carry over into adults, and there is a lack of research in the area of QM for adults (understandably) however, it stand to reason that being able to work and move effectively using 4 limbs, consciously rather than 2 (just legs) may engage your body and mind in a more challenging way compared to using less of your body at any given time.
From experience, quad movement brings on the sweat, makes the lungs and heart work hard and forces you to be more conscious in your movement, especially when moving slower, deliberately place each foot, hand and body part to move yourself. Coupling this with balancing on or in smaller spaces adds an extra element of difficulty which is a recommended progression for improving movement ability.
One such exercise I've been developing and training is making an assortment of rail/bars/beams and forcing yourself to keep moving in the, without touching the groun, using your arms as much as you would your legs, try even a minute of movement in this manner and you'll see what I mean. In spending more time in this type of movement progressively, you're develop wrist, forearm, bicep/triceps, shoulder and surrounding musculature strength/ability simply by spending more time in more movement patterns, supporting and controlling your movements with upper body limbs.
The more experience in movement, in different rotations, directions and stances, the better your ability to apply yourself to a new or similar situation as and when they occur.
In the grand scheme of movement, we're more likely to need to move on our feet and use our hands/arms secondarily but as for training and learning, give it a go.
Short post to explore 5 reasons for learning Parkour, they may not be what you think but hopefully they will help you understand what we're about and what Parkour and you, can do!
1. Health
Globally, the majority of us we are sitting or still for most of the day. Sedentary lifestyles increase a variety of health issues, we're not doing what we're built to do, MOVE!
We're built to walk, run, climb, vault, squat, lift, carry and chase. Not doing so leads to a 'wealth' of health issues which more often than not, shorten the quality of our lives. By moving more and realising where (using our surroundings) and how we can move (using our bodies safely), we start a journey towards doing what we're built to do, rekindling not only our ability to move, but our physical fitness ability and overall health.
2. Safety
We're all familiar with the "fight or flight" state, in a high stress situation our mental and physical response to a stressor is to either run away or fight to survive (We are built to move)!. Although these situations may be rare in the UK or "civilised society", things do still happen; fires, attacks, the need to chase, the need to reach, the need to escape.
Martial arts are a common practice in the UK, having dabbled in Wing Chun, Ninjitsu and Krav Maga, to varying degrees, we're often told, "Run first, but if you can't, as a last here's how to defend yourself."
Parkour develops the first part and is, in our opinion, as important as being able to handle yourself up close. As a practical example, a friend had a knife pulled out on him, he could immediately vault a rail safely and had a barrier between the attacker and him. Parkour is great for self defence, run, escape and move! If you've not practised escaping, running or vaulting under pressure, if your slip and are hurt, the attacker has you anyway... it makes sense to practice the art of escape.
Practising Parkour and movement also allows you to deal with mistakes better, through knowing your body and how to move. Most times when I fall, slip etc, my training enables me to avoid injury and still land safely, living to "flight" another day! We all make mistakes and will fall, Parkour tends to help us be safe doing so!
3. Fun
Parkour is fun! A big deterrent from most forms of exercise is that it can be quite boring, obviously it's perspective, but lots of individuals who try Parkour, latch onto it and continue. Competitive sports tend to focus your performance on other's ability, Parkour is different in that it accepts that we are all unique, we all have strengths and weakness and all move differently. You can't accurately compare yourself to another because you are and will be different! In training we move and explore, finding new challenges, new spaces, new situations to grow and develop. There is no ultimate "right or wrong" with Parkour as a practice, only what works for you and your movement in a given situation. We learn through challenges: personally and externally set; we learn through imagination and games: Playing "Stay off the ground" and similar games/ scenarios. Because we are all unique, we can set our own goals, to move towards them at our own pace and ensure our own safe and fun progression.
4. Benefits of Challenge
We face challenges daily in all areas of our, work, personal, social and recreational lives. In training and overcoming obstacles we have to apply our physical and mental being to overcome, practising practical problem solving skills. We physically and mentally overcome these challenges, we achieve. Through achievement, we gain confidence, building an "experience backpack", a collection of challenges faced and overcome, which we can apply to future challenges faced. People who practice Parkour tend to have a very similar attitude and approach to life in that things can be done and problems can be solved. Even if we don't know, we still try (as long as it's safe to do so), in turn, gaining experience and apply to our future personal conquests!
5. Adaptability Being an adaptable person is a very useful skill/personality. Tying in with some of the areas mentioned above Parkour practitioners, seek, try, gain experience, reflect and apply what has been learnt, what works and what doesn't work, to future challenges both mentally and physically.
As such, Parkour tends to aid people in other sports and other physical activities from having a good experience and understanding of movement. There is a mindset developed through practice, to very quickly risk assess, problem solve and develop creative solutions to problems or challenges presented. In a world where change is an integral part of society; jobs, lifestyle, time, family, friends, technology, having the confidence to adapt and change yourself is something many people can struggle with.
To quote Sebastien Foucan, In overcoming, we become.
START YOUR JOURNEY! Join us for a class or if you have any questions, please visit www.southendparkour.com
First of all, I'd like to thank all of the support so far and throughout the end of 2014. It's always inspiring to see younger, older, new and experienced practitioners involved with our classes and services. As much as we've only been officially trading since October, we've been involved in Parkour in one entity or another for well over a decade, having had the opportunity to travel and coach all across the UK and abroad. Following the announcements below it will become increasingly important to keep connected with news as an when it comes. Our facebook account will detail last minute spaces for classes to please ensure you are connected with us for important recent changes. Other unique content is and will be also added regularly via our twitter, instagram, and youtube so please ensure you follow!
Moving forward into 2015, we are please to announce a few new developments:
Firstly: Cheaper Outdoor Classes! Our weekly adult outdoor class, which explores Parkour in the real work is now open for anyone 16+ (With parental consent) and now reduced to £8 for 2 hours of outdoor, Parkour coaching. These classes put Parkour training where it belongs, out in the open, rain or shine, utilising spaces in Southend to learn, strengthen, challenge, adapt and overcome! Find out about these on our website www.southendparkour.com/classes
Secondly:We will be adding two new Southend classesfrom the 16th January 2015!
The first will be a "Junior class" for young people ages 8 to 15 years of age, taking place at an indoor training space in Southend for 1 hour & 10 minutes of Parkour movement development and functional fitness under our expert guidance. 6:00pm til 7:10pm The second class will follow immediately after for a 16+ (Senior Class) 1 Hour & 10 Minute class, challenging attendees to adapt and overcome through Parkour skill development and functional fitness. 7:20pm til 8:30pm. Wall frames, ropes, vaults and matting will help support your effective learning. As much as indoor training can't entirely substitute outdoor training, it can provide a great introduction to the practice and you'll still be challenged through fun and engaging guided practice; improving fitness and physical ability with our training.
Finally: We're going digital! You can now sign up and pay online to all of our classes via our new online booking system, booking up to a month in advance!
You can book via our website at www.southendparkour.com/classes, then click the "Book online" button. Using this ensures we can have spaces filled while not oversubscribing which may make a wasted journey for some. If you have any questions or issues, contact us through the email address listed on the system or contact us through our website, www.southendparkour.com/contact
Please read the information carefully before booking, to ensure correct dates/classes.
We look forward to moving with you this year! Thanks for joining us!
