Tag Archives | Ankles

How to Learn Parkour

By on December 23, 2009 in Parkour, Tumbling

Merry Christmas!

Regardless of whether you celebrate this holiday or any other this time of year, I’m in the spirit of giving.

I mentioned this before and now its ready. Grab my new interview with Mark Toorock of American Parkour

Ultimate Guide to Handstand Pushups
Ultimate Guide to Handstand Pushups on Amazon

In just over an hour we covered tons of information from the beginnings of parkour on to how to learn parkour. Here’s a few of the things you’ll discover when you listen:

  • The difference between doing Parkour and training Parkour.
  • What your fitness level should be before you get started in Parkour. The answer may surprise you…
  • Tips on keeping the knees, ankles and other joints healthy so you can train a long time while avoiding crippling injuries.
  • What a typical Parkour training session should look like.
  • How to find other Parkour practitioners (aka Traceurs) that you can train with.
  • Tips on finding places to train (including the legal aspects of doing so).
  • The fundamentals you MUST focus on and why neglecting to do so will mean slower progress.
  • And much more…

We do talk about the Parkour Tutorial DVD, available here, but besides that its all great content on how to get started learning and training in parkour.

Good Luck and Good Free Running,
Logan Christopher

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What a broom can teach you about hand balancing

By on December 4, 2007 in Handstands

Everyone has done this at one time or another. A broom is a common item but any long straight object will do just fine.

Put one end on your open palm with the other end straight up in the air and keep it there by balancing.

This is not very difficult and let me tell you why. The broom is straight and solid. Your efforts at balancing it from the bottom translate straight up to the top so it is quite easy to keep it in the air.

Of course, this is related to hand balancing. However, there are some big differences.

Your body is not just one straight long object. You have mobile joints at your elbows, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. And then there’s your spine which has many moving pieces.

This is not an anatomy lesson. My point is that your efforts of balancing on your hands may not directly translate to keeping your feet in the air.

Your target must be keeping your body from wrists to toes unmoving so that you can balance.

Keeping your body tight is the key to holding a quality handstand. Any leak means getting out of proper position and a much tougher time getting back in.

So stay tight, but don’t forget to breathe.

In the beginning all this is not as easy as it appears, especially when you are in the unfamiliar upside down position. But keep practicing.

When you can keep your body rigid then handstands are a piece of cake.

Sincerely,
Logan Christopher

P.S. For in depth instuctions on how to get into position and hold it check out Professor Paulinetti and Bob Jones’ Book

The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing
The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing on Amazon

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