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getting started in Parkour is to meet with other people in
your area and train, well that’s pretty much impossible
for me living here. I’d even like to see or hear of a local
gymnasium/leisure centre holding some kind of Parkour
seminar/community training program, etc. But alas,
probably won’t happen so excuse me whilst I climb up a
tree…”
Thus, though one should be able to train and practice in
solitary, it is at least necessary at times to venture into a
larger community in order to progress in the sport, if not
for other more important reasons.
Community of Many
“Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only
flourish with the coming of others from beyond, their
unknown and undiscovered brothers.” – Howard
Thurman
As anyone who has been on the Parkour scene for more
than five years can attain to, the community-at-large is
growing at an ever-increasing rate. As the sport emerged
into popular films, television advertisements, and news
snippets, more people began to take notice. Follow
that up with established teams, excellent internet sites
(none better than Urban Freeflow though!), forums, and
community training programs; and the sport of Parkour/
Freerunning became a solidified presence in the world
community. Now, it is spreading at the grassroots level
more than ever before. And though it all starts with one
person getting out and practicing among the people,
Parkour becomes a lasting sport and philosophy thanks
to small communities forming and growing. Take
Callum Aitchison from Shetland for example, who
states:
“We have one of the biggest scenes for the population!
I’m one of the longest ongoing practitioners, and have
watched the team grow from 6 in 2009, into about 60,
from the ages of 9 to 25! We are hugely recognized for
our training, we do workshops and classes for schools
and youth clubs, help anyone wanting to learn, regularly
travel south to jam and train, and are in desperate need
of more people traveling to the islands and seeing our
home!”
I don’t know about you, but Callum makes a great case
for me wanting to go visit him in the Shetlands. He also
makes a great case for how communities can succeed at
spreading the word about Parkour and how to gain more
members. It is truly the sign of a healthy community
when it can grow from 6 to 60 within two years, and
Callum provides the proper diet for this healthy
community – teach, share, and travel.
A community, whether it has one member or thousands,
must be willing to teach others. All community
members must be willing to answer the outsiders’
questions, and a little patience goes a long way for the
sport! And remember, one does not need a coaching
certification in order to teach. Sometimes being willing
to listen to a concern and to help a person find the proper
resources are all the traits that a teacher needs. Simply
sitting next to a newcomer as you both watch YouTube
videos can convert a citizen to a community member for
life. However, expanding to organized training camps
and academies can help grow a community greatly.
Sharing can also greatly develop a community. As Alex
Jolly describes his California Central Valley community,
sharing is key: “Each city has its own group but we often
come together to train and hang out…We’re one big
family.” Christian Bavuso, also from California Central
Valley, agreed with Alex completely, saying, “It’s
amazing! We’ve got some extremely talented people
to the very beginners. Love them all!” It appears that
Georgia has the same mentality, according to Chase
Johnston, who states, “Atlanta, Georgia has a strong
community of over 100 people and multiple groups that
unite Georgia’s Parkour community as a whole.” Thus,
the willingness to share territory and talent with other
small communities can help grow all communities
involved, which helps the sport grow in a healthy way
as well. And when teams close their doors and refuse to
share, it hurts everyone involved. Konstantin
Chernyshov can attest to this fact, as he states, “In TX
we have two communities, TX Parkour community and
Lone Star Parkour community…Instead of working
together, they prefer to work separately and it sucks!
Because together they could do a lot more!”
Konstantin’s point rings true throughout the sport, and
we as members of the world community should take
notice.
But we can never take notice if we are not willing to
travel to other Parkour/Freerunning communities. Aaron
Brown, of Oklahoma, describes how OKPK travels
between three cities every month in order to provide
training to as many people as possible and to grow the
community. OKPK gets noticed because they take
notice of the needs of the people.
However, travel allows much more than just an
introduction to new communities. I know when I
traveled to a jam in Washington DC, it changed my view
of the sport forever. I met such great people and learned
so much more in just a span of two days. There was also
a greater, deeper lesson hidden within the group. When
one moves through the environment as a large body of
people (instead of just one or two), the whole feeling of
Parkour changes. Daniel Lutsker describes this beautiful
change as follows:
“When I go to Manhattan to check out a big jam, the
almost 100 people there change my mindset from
careful conformity to friendly anonymity. Sure, I don’t
know these people, but they are my age and likely to