So with the tour coming closer and the end of my days at Scottsdale Gymnastics (for now) counting down I find myself both excited, but torn.    I am just starting to get more students at the gym interested in Parkour/Freerunning.  I want to make the program much better and I know I can I just need to write it out and hand it in, it's that simple.  I guess time will tell.

I did my first interview today with the Lovely Tracy Berghian (Gymnast/Diver)  30 and still rockin it. She will make a fantastic contribution to the web series, thank you Tracy. 

I have found myself at a point where I don't really have any goals, sure I have physical goals but I need destinations or things to look forward to.  So I have decided that I can obtain happiness if I follow a path.  That path is to work my ass off for two to three months at a time and then go on a 1 month vacation to learn and train in as many places as I can.  I have always wanted to travel and learn like Ken from Street Fighter.  I know there is much I still can learn in Arizona, but the thrill of traveling and sharing stories as well as just being a part of the culture is just so intriguing to me.  Plus I would be able to bring back so much knowledge and ideas. 

It has been hard to think that the adult open gym I started and the other classes are not going to be mine any more, and it is only recently that I feel the appreciation that my students have for me.  It sounds awful to say it because I know that the students are always grateful, but to hear them thank me for all that I have done, and to hear that I have made an impact in their lives, that to me is so special.  Thank you for that.

I felt kind of lacking in the conditioning department as of late so I did a little cercuit earlier:


5 minutes of Rice Bucket for each hand as warm up and ankle therband mobility drills

3 times through

8 over grip dead hang pull ups with 20 pounds strapped to me

10 Pistols on each leg

12 psuedo planche push ups

20 v ups

No that hard for me really, but it relaxed me, it felt good.


I may be getting an ASU gym membership for the rest  of the summer and might start teaching strength acrobatic privates and parkour privates using the equipment I have in the storage room upstairs.  Also I will be becoming more involved at ASU in general.  I love that school and the teachers there that helped me so much.



I got a bit creative at the adult open gym and did a fancy vault I have only seen one other person do, if I can get it down I will record and post it. 


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Shooting Legends Video

I've been working on a short film for a couple of months now.  It is going to be called Legends  with my friends Daniel Mariotti and Judson Lowery.  It has a pretty epic soundtrack.  To get an idea feel free to look up the Play List I drew the music from http://www.youtube.com/user/XxImmortalmagexX/videos?view=0

We were out shooting video yesterday and it was hot, seriously hot.  And since these videos require costumes we would take off the costumes in between shots just to keep the clothes from being drenched in sweat.  we shot behind the Mill in Tempe in that ravine where the railroad track used to be and also just behind the canal that runs east and west   just north of the 202 Mill Passover.  There was this very soft dirt that I found where Mountain Bikers must like to pass through and we used the soft dirt to get some interesting affects.  My camera almost over heated and luckily we got everything done within an hour and half and that was quite enough for us.   Thanks to Daniel Mariotti for coming out and helping.  And by the way you left your shorts in my car... You will get them back when you return the sweat pants.  If you were there this would not sound awkward.

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So what are you going to do?

The main question I am getting from friends and family is "so what are you going to do now that you are moving on from your current job?" Well I can't say I really know. But I definitely know that I want to stay clear of one quote " same essence different form." it means that sometimes when you no longer have something that you have had for years you will try to fill it with a similar thing. The problem with this is that the very thing we are trying to get away from is now coming back in disguise as something else. The Essence remains the same though, and I feel it is important to reflect on your situation from time to time to see if you are evolving to a different essence. I want to evolve and to do that I need to change the game.  What I'm doing isn't neccessarily logical.  I am doing it based on will. 

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Mainly this post is just about some training I've done since Thursday.

Thursday night consisted of getting some solid fun training in at the Adult Open Gym.  I just was going on impulse and gave everything my all, 100% commitment to each skill.  I Was pulling turn mounts to back fulls, tunnel flips, diving front flips, and I worked my Fore Arm Air Flare a bit again.  Another breakthrough with trying to get the air flare exactly the shape you want is to make sure after you swing your legs that you keep them as close to your torso as possible, you pike them in a straddle position to pull your weight close to the shoulder.  Unfortunately the last flip of the night I did (gainer into a punch front)  aggravated my right knee a bit, It slightly scared me, but I quickly realized it has been worse and that it would heal quickly.

I got together with Xavier from ASU Friday morning and I wanted to do some improvisation work on rails.  I was wearing my vivos and wanted to get a feel for them with rail work.  My main goal for that session was to go on impulse and just get accustomed to the feeling of moving within the chaos.  It was a very successful session especially since I irritated my right knee on that bad front flip night before. 

Later that day I got to the Gymnastics Facility earlier and worked my Double Kongs, Kong Precisions, and Dive Kongs.  My goal with this training was to do everything at high speed and force myself to travel farther.  It was once a again a very successful day and I was happy with my session.  And once again my knee was not bugging me, it's amazing how committing to a skill and keeping good form makes a huge difference, especially when your injured.

Today Saturday.  I met up with Judson, Chase, and Vo at the SRC in ASU and we worked some power moves in the Judo room.  I was trying out some new combos and also worked my Windmill to flare transition a bit.  There was a lot of people all doing different things in the Judo room together. There was Acro Yoga there (Whitney Zama)  Tricking, Jujitsu, and Bboying all in the same room.  It was pretty cool actually to be around all of that at once.   I ended my session with a nice slow and low impact Acro Flow session.  Ended up meeting a Capariesta there and did a short Play session with him.  I do not consider myself a Capariesta at all, but I remember most of the moves and the how the game works, it was fun to say the least.

After a nice food break with Vo I headed out to meet Kat Loveland and get some shots for the O.N.E. Coconut Water Sponsorship. this was  a difficult session as I was trying to get a very specific look with the shots, not realizing that I was looking for perspective shots, which Kat explained to me is done by having the whole back and foreground at an angle to make the foreground look bigger but still able to capture the background.  Eventually we figure it out, I knew Kat would be able to get what I wanted. 

Met up with some friends later and we saw the movie "Brave" It's nice to see where computer animation is heading, and Pixar always throws in some adult humor.

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Long Day... Still Trained

Okay so maybe it wasn't as long as Tuesdays normal 7 hours of teaching.  But I taught a good 5 hours today.  Parkour Classes at Sarah Gregory Williams Crossfit Kids and Parkour Class http://www.urbanswimandfitness.com/toughkids.cfm  She is a great teacher in all aspects and understands the necessity of fun as well as hard work.  The up to Scottsdale Gymnastics to teach another Parkour class.  Today I was shadowed by the two coaches that will take over for me when I leave the gym end of June.  They are young and work well with the kids I am sure they will grow into great teachers.  I ended my teaching day with a private lesson.  I young male competitive dancer seeking to add acrobatic moves that blend well with dance into his performance.  So far we have been able to get down a strong butterfly twist, aerial/aerial side summi, and cartwheel rebound flash kick.  We ate trying to get him more spinning moves such as corkscrew and cartwheel rebound back full twist.  I see him being able to get the Second one the first may happen but it all depends on if it clicks or not.  He has a gymnastics background and he learns super fast but overall new moves are always hard and he is pressured with the competition coming up.  I am sure he will do well either way.


Training Today:

I got the pleasure of working with a great teacher and friend Robert Sears, he is from Michigan I believe and comes from an acrobatic school that specializes in performance acrobatics.  I worked on my Cartwheel Rebound Arabian step out series and my Round Off Back Handspring Layout and Round Off Double Back.  I seemed to have gotten past the ankle problem I had Monday night and that is great news for me.  With that pain gone the Double Back and Double Full that I have worked so much on and have dreamed about since I was 16 are seeming more and more attainable for me on the spring floor.  I also worked my Punch Rudy (a front layout with a one and a half twist) on the spring floor. A year ago I never even thought it would be possible for me to do such a skill and now I look at it as only a matter of time.


I now have three sponsors for the "Limit Breakers Tour" in July.  I am so excited and want to take the end of this blog to thank www.pkinsure.com ,  http://www.onedrinks.com/  , and www.parkulture.com  for believing in me and helping me on this tour, it means the world to me and thank you.

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Francesco Caban

isometrics

I have been getting back into my isometrics.  Somehow I got stronger while training less, seems to be a pattern... any way my front lever I can hold an extended straddle for 5 seconds now, I have a full back lever.  My human flag is looking great, however I am having a hard time on vertical poll for some reason, The stall bars I have no problem with but sometimes with the vertical pole I start to tip off my axis.  I suppose your all going to want video of this, well I'll see what I can do. I can now do an open tuck planche and a diamond planche. I am getting closer to my full one arm pull up and my one arm handstand.  All great things.  The key to all of this is just to be consistent with how you do your training,  I make sure I do my shoulder rotations, my skin the cats, my hollow and arch holds, my neutral positions, I prepare my wrists with the rice bucket and I do my dislocates.  All crucial things especially if you have had injury.

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Keeping them coming

So with my website almost completely revamped I will have more opportunity to update my blog instead of on Facebook using my Status, I like Facebook, But it's such a chore going on Facebook, too many distractions, here I get on I do my thing and then I go.

Power Moves

Windmill to Flair:  As I try to teach myself windmill to flair I am hoping it will help me to better understand both moves, and so far it has.  Circles become even more important, I think that many breakers who have an easier time with power don't really have to think about circles, I have to or I fall down every time.  If you don't know what circles are look here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L6M-dtQN68  It has a considerable amount of counter lean involved in it, but mainly for me it's just thinking about completing the circle around my hands with my hips, I have a tendency to rush this and it screws up my form.  Developing a good circle is crucial, pretty much after that you have to learn how to kick and swing your legs in straddle.  The better straddle you have along with good shoulder flexibility will lead to a good flair.  I have an okay Straddle but my shoulder flexibility sucks.  Any way that's all part of the journey. 

Forearm Air flair is doing much better, after seeing it on video and being completely disgusted with it, I took a long hard look at some slow motion vids of really good bboys doing them and picked every little bit of technique I could out of them.  Since then I have made great progress in my leg swing and behind the back transition, It's all about patience and waiting, skill is never fast at first it is slow and mindful, then once you have it you just unleash it and let it flow. 

My ankle is finally strong enough to do Round Off, Back Handspring, Back Layouts again and I did them for the first time in a while last Wednesday.  My ankle problem has always been about me not pressing through the ball of the foot.  It's funny how the one thing I always tell my students is something that plagues me.  Well at least I can take comfort in knowing most of my students won't make the same mistakes I will.  My right knee likes to buckle causing all my weight to transfer to my almost healed ankle, I just have to drill, drill, drill, until my body remembers straightened that F%#%@ Knee. 

On the bright side my cartwheel passes are doing good.

I ate pretty bad this last week, don't get me wrong I am not super picky, but I definitely can feel the difference after eating better food and bad food.  Luckily I am back on track and I'll look forward to the lack of be dehydrated from bad food. 

The planning of the tour is going quite well, with over 30 lined up and a couple of sponsors It is the most involved I have ever been in a project like this. 

I got to meet up with the manager of the 13th Floor Haunted house in Phoenix and we got to go through the house and figure out better places for the Super Zombies to jump, run, and climb.  Last year I had to make do with what they had and it was quite an adventure.  I will be in charge of teaching and developing the super zombies and their stunts.

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Success

So I have had a few thoughts this past hour about careers and this art.  We can all agree that Parkour and Freerunning are lifelong sports, that they are not about competition they are about the personal journey of challenge and success.  The grace of the human body in hard situations.  I am well aware of this.  For some of us that is enough.  For me I want to be able to make a career with what I love to do.  I am not trying to be a savior or an Elitist.  I am being me.  If I want to make a career out of it and make money doing what I love what's wrong with that.  My morals are not compromised because I feel that I should be paid for what I do.  It shows that I know what I do has a monetary value as well as help the growth of the Mind, Body, and Spirit Connection.  Every one of my students that has stuck around long enough will tell you that their progress is what I care about most.  It would be impossible for me to be selfish and only care about money, I can't do it, I am to honorable.  I have taken hit after hit, helped out my friends countless times, done work for free even though I know it is worth a pretty penny.  Success to me is the experience you get from life.  Money does not bring you freedom, but it definitely can cage you.  Debt is what I speak of.  I am in Debt.  Not complaining, just explaining.  And the only way to get out of debt is with money.  So I need money for now, and I will make it with the skill I know best and can deliver with good quality that deserves that money.  If Movement Artistry has taught me anything it is that nothing is easy, everything requires work, but when you put in good smart work, you build up momentum, and with momentum work is easier.  So I am building my Momentum and I am going to make my life my job and my job my life.  My life is movement and movement is my profession, and I will always do my profession well, make damn sure of that.