Over the course of the last two weeks, I transitioned my focus from connecting movements to learning the front and side flips (see my timeline below). This transition was slower and more difficult than I would have hoped because of my finger injury, but after a couple weeks of rest and physio exercises, it is feeling much better. Despite this, I have struggled to find time to practice what with increased stress from school and climbing provincials happening tomorrow. I have however been able to start working on my front and side flips, and I have practiced a few times since my last post. (See videos at the bottom of this post) I always find myself putting my climbing training before my parkour since it is so important to me that I make it to nationals this year. After nationals are over, I will be able to devote my full attention to parkour and preparing for the end of this project. Given setbacks from injury, I likely won’t be able to learn all three flips in the time that I have, but I can at least try to progress as much as possible.
| Work on front flip progressions. | March 1st-20th |
| Work on side flip progressions. | March 21st – April 10th |
| Work on back flip progressions. | April 11th – May 1st |
| Practice each movement in different environments until comfortable. | May 2nd-15th |
| Connect all movements and continue practice. | May 16th-22nd |
| Prepare and practice for the celebration, demonstration, and presentation of my learning. | May 23rd-30th |
- What has been your most difficult mentoring challenge so far? Why?
I have been using my brother’s help to learn these flips which has been going pretty well. He is very knowledgeable about how to best learn each movement and has helpful tips to make sure I learn them correctly. The only real challenge we have faced is not meeting regularly enough. This is in part due to me not practicing enough outside of our sessions together, as well as him being busy with school and mountain biking. Now that his schedule is freeing up somewhat, we should be able to practice more, and my increased training should pay off as well.
- What is working well? Why?
I think that having my brother as a mentor has been one of the best aspects of this project, as I can always go to him to ask for help, and I have a lot of fun training with him in a familiar and stress-free environment. Since he basically taught himself parkour, and is so passionate about it, he knows what does and doesn’t work from personal experience. For example, how he learned front flips in middle school was by going to the park every day and nearly landing them until his ankles gave out. Then he would rest for a few days until they stopped hurting and go again. Looking back, this probably wasn’t the best strategy, and has been encouraging me to wait until I have enough power to easily land flips on trampoline with no bounce before I move to ground to avoid this mistake. It is extremely helpful to see videos of his progression and have the knowledge that he has accumulated over the years available to me.
- What could be working better? How can you make sure this happens?
Likely the most limiting factor in my training is how busy I am. Since I do so much in and out of school, I am constantly stressed, making it hard to find time and motivation to practice. Similar to my other long-term goals, I find it hard to gain motivation to work when deadlines are far away, no matter how much work I have to do. The intense stress that projects bring also leads me to procrastinate. I also feel guilty taking breaks and resting even though it is beneficial to me because of how much I must do. This lack of motivation makes it difficult to progress fast enough. With learning the front flip, it is mostly my lack of power that is holding me back, since I can already do the movement technique wise. With the side flip however, I need to learn a new technique that is unfamiliar to me. (see the videos at the end of this post) With the end of this project drawing closer, I aim to put greater focus on practicing at least three times a week, one of which being with my mentor. With my busy schedule, I will have to get into the habit of logging my practice, however short it may be to ensure that I train enough accumulatively.
To help me stay on track, I will try to limit the number of extra projects I take on, staying organized by creating realistic goals with the amount of time I have, using my family to help me stay accountable. I will also try my best to reduce my stress by practicing self-care and allowing myself breaks when I need them.
Progress Videos:
- Side flip trampoline practice
- Front flip practice
- Front flip practice
- Side flip practice on ground
- Side flip fail
I am excited to get back on track with this project and learn even more from my mentor!