Midnight Pita

Trouble sleeping brings me to reflect on my recent life decisions. And cook a nice pita meal.

Midnight meal... woke up around 2:00am and was not feeling very well. I knew what I had to do.

For the past two to four weeks I have been working very hard and working all hours of the day. I'm talking behind the scenes stuff... website design and development, graphic design, video editing, project planning, marketing, writing and reading emails, driving, phone calls, trying to shoot photos and videos, social media, meetings, driving, researching many things... and still trying to squeeze in training and teaching, of course. And driving...

It has not been easy at all. I have been staying up until 5am and later on many, many nights. Sometimes only sleeping 3-5 hours and getting back up to start it up again.

I haven't always made time to cook. And I have been trying to make my (relatively) new meatless diet stick. Vegetarian for now, many vegan meals also, and some day soon I hope I will be fully vegan. But I have not been eating well. I have not been drinking enough water. I have not been sleeping well. I need to do better. I need to spend less time sitting at the computer (at least a lot of times it's on the floor, where I can move around and stretch...).

I am so tired.

I woke up this night and said to myself "you need to eat. You need to drink water. You NEED it and you know it. So get up and do it."

Fortunately, I had some veggies and tofu in the fridge and some pita bread I just decided to grab the other day after looking through a vegan cookbook for the first time that my lovely girlfriend got me for my birthday (back in April... did I mention I've been super busy?). So I cleaned my large skillet and got to work.

It was a simple idea. Throw all the veggies in the pan with some oil for several minutes and then pile them into some pita bread. It started off very troublesome... I somehow managed to explode nearly two entire bulbs of garlic onto the floor. Good to feel like I still have some strength, I suppose. But that was still discouraging and disappointing. I continued and this is what I ended up with. A beautiful mound of nutrition for my tired, hungry belly.

Many do not know this, but I have felt very beaten down by life lately. I don’t often share thoughts like that, but there it is. I'm getting older. I’m feeling older. I’m feeling off-track. Something’s been missing. Many things, I suppose. I’ve been doing so many more things lately for work and yet I feel like I cannot get anything done, like I’m trying to scratch my way out of an endless tunnel.

This morning I need to leave my house by 6:30am at the very latest to drive 40 miles north of the city through the morning rush hour traffic to get to Chicago Waldorf School for an all-day (9:00a - 3:00p) first aid/CPR course. Then I have a meeting immediately following the course. Then, it’s back to any one of my dozens of projects I currently have going on...

It won’t end, not just yet. This is what needs to be done. This is my life, working for myself; but really working for hundreds of others at the same time. Thousands even. Millions perhaps. What I’m doing now, I like to believe, will have positive effects that will ripple well into the future, hopefully long past my time. This is the power I believe our discipline can have on the world. Parkour, Art du Déplacement, Freerunning… whatever we call it. This is why I do it. This is how I do it.

VIE is now Goose Island CrossFit!

NOW you can train your CrossFit and Parkour in one awesome place...

Introducing GOOSE ISLAND CROSSFIT.

Formerly known as "VIE Custom Fitness", our class location on North Kingsbury Street in Chicago has undergone another management changeover... come see the remodel work they've done already! Tons of new CrossFit equipment on the main level, Personal Training has all been moved upstairs (BIG remodel up there!), and of course our Parkour classes and lessons out back in the quiet yard.

Find the gym on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/GooseIslandCrossFit

They're hosting a GRAND OPENING Party on Saturday, September 20th:
https://www.facebook.com/events/372167432930281/

ADAPT Certifications

Next month, we are hosting the first ever ADAPT Level 1 certification course here in Chicago (the first in Illinois as well).

Some disagree with certifications in Parkour, but the ADAPT coaching certification is important in this discipline. Not because we seek approval from others. Not because we are "better" than anyone else. But because we appreciate the original values and spirit of the discipline and hope to carry those on through what we do. Because we seek to improve as not only coaches who teach others in these disciplines, but as practitioners ourselves, and as human beings. It is a way to not only learn more about yourself (as a coach, as a practitioner and in general), but to learn more about how Parkour, Freerunning, and ADD all started. To understand what reasons it was started for. To understand how it has changed, why it has changed, and how we can keep those values and the spirit passed down from the founders alive and well for years to come.

The ADAPT network of coaches is perhaps the strongest network of coaches of Parkour around the world. It is a global effort spanning numerous countries and it continues to grow each year. The certification course is quite difficult, the Parkour Generations coaches who deliver the course make sure that you earn your certification through plenty of hard work... blood, sweat, and tears even.

It is important that we have coaches around the globe that take this discipline seriously (by that, I don't mean that they are super strict!), because it is a serious discipline with serious repercussions if practiced incorrectly. This discipline can be practiced safely by anyone, something that many people do not realize when they are exposed to much of the footage shared on YouTube or in the mass media. This is why we need coaches who stay true to the discipline. So that we do not end up leaving out those who could greatly benefit from the training we offer.

Night Missions and Journeys

We've updated our class types! Check out the new lineup:

Discovery
To get acquainted to our training methods, teaching style, and terminology. Beginners should start here, but these classes are great for all skill levels as well. DO NOT be afraid to come try it out!

Standard
Our standard class is great for all skill levels, but may be a bit intense for beginners or those new to fitness.

Journey
NEW! Journey classes start at one point and end at another, finding challenges along the way. Don't be late, or you may not find us! See the map for Journey classes here.

Night Mission
NEW! Night Missions are more focused on conditioning exercises and challenging movement drills. See the Night Missions map here.

Art du Déplacement
ADD is heavily focused on creativity and play as well as the strong spirit to "never give up", and finding and developing strength to help others... "we start together, we finish together!"

1st Look Segment on NBC

Here it is, our segment from 1stLook on NBC that aired this past Saturday:

Our Job

Real life gets tough. It's not easy. We condition to become stronger, to build up what we call body armour. Crawling is one way we prepare our bodies for our jumps and yes, our falls too. Everyone will fail and fall eventually, it is but a matter of time. The more body armour we have, the less we will be hurt by these falls. It is also a way for us to learn to push through struggles and to find that "something" within ourselves to continue through hard times.

It is our job as Parkour/ADD instructors to get younger students ready for real life, and to give older students a way to get through it. To teach them that we must not give up, to teach them that effort produces results. We must show them that they are capable of much more than they think they are. Give them confidence in every day life so that they do not have to fear what others think of them, what others say of them.

Parkour & Art du Déplacement training can and should allow you to build and discover strength, in every sense of the word.

Financial Hardships

FINANCIAL HARDSHIP: It has been a big part of my life and it is something I have come to understand well. I want my classes and services to be available to anyone who may need them. Art du déplacement can CHANGE LIVES and that's exactly what I'm setting out to do with my teaching, with Parkour Ways.

To all current, prospective, and future students: if you're in a state of financial hardship, feel free to reach out to me and I will work with you. I teach this for a LIVING, not to make MONEY. I'm not in the business of ripping people off or getting rich. I want to help others.

You can send me an email to kurt@ParkourWays.com to inquire about this. Please be honest about your situation and what you can afford, as I too am in a state of financial hardship and have been for the past 12 years.

NBC's "1st Look"

Tonight I had the pleasure of shooting a segment for NBC's new lifestyle/travel show with host Audrina Patridge (MTV's The Hills, Dancing with the Stars). The episode won't air for another couple of months (around January, I was told), but I'm very excited to see it all put together! Audrina joined me and a few of my adult students outdoors in the cool evening for a beginner's look into what parkour is and is all about! She was excited to get started and learn more about the discipline, and it was great to see that genuine interest in what I do and teach from her. She's a great girl!

As with every class or event I teach, we started with a warm-up. I think Audrina quickly realized that this was going to be a bit tougher than she expected! After the warm-up, we moved to some other areas and started showing her some of the movement training that we do with our beginners. We started simple with balance, walking on a rail. Audrina tackled that one quite well, showed great control in her steps and really had her mind on what she was doing as she moved down the rail. Next, I took her over to a wall and a rail to show her the Safety Vault. She picked this one up pretty fast and was moving over those obstacles in no time!

The NBC team had quite a few questions about parkour for myself, Travis Tetting (a fellow instructor from Wisconsin Parkour who came down to help with the segment) and a few of my students, too. I can't wait to see the finished product! See what else we did and the rest of what Audrina tried in January on NBC!

Spreading Reach

Lattof YMCA in Des Plaines, Thomas Middle School in Arlington Heights, the new 32 Forty community center in Bridgeport... I'm very busy setting up classes and workshops all over the place!

This one will be big: I had a meeting at the Chicago Waldorf School this morning. We're rolling things forward to get me teaching a legitimate parkour/Art du Déplacement class to their high school kids during their school day. If we can't make that happen, we will push forward to make it an extra-curricular activity option!

My next scheduled meeting is with the Munster, Indiana Parks Department. I look forward to figuring out how and where I can provide my classes to the Munster area through their recreational program.

Do you want parkour/ADD classes somewhere? Shoot us an email with your suggestions and information to: contact@ParkourWays.com

Trip to Québec

Here are a few photos from the last day of our trip to Québec this past week. We taught two Art du Déplacement classes for ADD Québec while we were there. It was an amazing group of people, we really enjoyed working with them and the students were wonderful to be with as well. There is a ton of great spirit here! The photos are from our climb up to the top of Mont Sainte Anne on August 30th, 2013:

A Message

Inspired

There’s a certain “essence” that I'm going for when I instruct, and I'm very happy to hear that it's showing. Big thanks to my new student Beck Anstee for inspiring this post, through a message she sent to me via Facebook. Beck found my classes through our Ninja Warrior Games (http://www.UrbanNinjaProject.com) event that she attended with her daughters and has since attended 3 classes and brought her 2 daughters to a class as well.

In her message, Beck had inquired about the philosophy of parkour and was unsure if she was making "more of it than there is". In fact, I believe she has come to a better understanding of the discipline than most at their beginner stage in training. She went on to compliment my methods of instruction and the classes as a whole, and I was extremely satisfied by her message. Enough to write back a rather large response.

Confirming

Here was my response to Beck’s message:

“You are not making more of it than there is. On my website I mention that I don't just teach a catalog of movements. If that was all there was to parkour, I probably wouldn't still be doing it after these years. It is definitely part of the philosophy to tune in with your environment and other people. Parkour is about a few simple points, but those points branch deeper to so many levels it's almost impossible to understand without getting into the discipline yourself:

Knowing Your Self - No matter what we do, we are always doing it alone. I don't mean that in a negative way. Everything we do is a decision of our own; every choice we make is made by us. When you're training, even with 100 people by your side, your training is still up to you. Nobody can really know what you're feeling inside at any given moment, the challenges you're facing or the thoughts running through your mind while you're staring down a jump.

Becoming Stronger - I think many (if not all) of the people who stick to training parkour have at least one thing in common: we always want to do/be better. When I say becoming strong, I don't just mean being able to lift 100lbs instead of 80lbs, or being able to do 100 pushups versus 50. The strength you find and build in parkour is in the mind as well. We use the skills we've developed through movement and apply them to all sorts of situations: problem solving, fear management, teamwork, leadership, compassion, confidence, self-expression, imagination and creativity. Yes, the physical strength of course can be carried into other goals and objectives or situations in life. But every bit of parkour should include the mind. If you're not using your mind, you're simply not training parkour.

Use That Knowledge and Strength for Good - "Be strong to be useful." This is one of the phrases that have been carried down from the founders and others that have followed in their footsteps. The word "Yamakasi", the name the founders gave their group, is an African Lingala word that means "strong man, strong spirit." To them it meant "strong body, strong mind, strong spirit." It was all about strength when they developed the discipline and their name. "We start together, we finish together!" is another phrase you will hear around the Parkour Generations team and the Yamakasi at their events. We want to be strong for a reason. Not just to lift heavier things, not just to impress others or to be "cool" - but to show others what they, what WE as human beings, are capable of. Especially nowadays with technology taking over everyone's lives; we've lost the ability to use our bodies and the will or respect to take care of them. There is a spirit in parkour that is just too difficult to explain. That spirit is about taking care of others and our environments just as much as it is about taking care of your own self.

Make It Last - "To be and to last." This is another phrase common to the founders, Parkour Generations, and those who have followed them. Parkour is an ongoing discipline. It is not a fad, it is not meant to be a workout or diet that you commit to for 6 months only to fall back into your "regular" life. There are those who train to go the biggest and hardest that they can, trying to pull off the biggest, flashiest tricks or movements. Despite anything that television, movies, any other media or anybody ever tells you - it is NOT an extreme sport, it is NOT about competition... and it never will be.

There are a limitless number of other branches to the discipline. Parkour is a never-ending and always-changing lifestyle - a journey without a destination. It is unique to each individual, just as our bodies and minds are.

Thank you for that message. It was really great to get confirmation that my instruction carries those core values! I'm going to share this on the Parkour Ways blog.”

Wrap

I really like where Beck is headed, and I want to give her recognition for being incredibly involved in my classes in such a short amount of time. She continues to seek knowledge of the discipline on what seems to be a daily basis, sharing what she learns with others (including her nephew, Nick, whom she brought with her to a class last weekend!).

For the first time ever last weekend, I “assigned” some of my students a bit of homework. Don’t get me wrong – it wasn’t paperwork or an essay! All I asked of the students in that class was that they go out and work on their balance somewhere, at some point during the week. That was all.

Just a few hours later, I saw that Beck had posted a few videos on Facebook showing that she not only did the balance assignment, but also tried a few other new things! Absolutely awesome.

Beck has discovered a love for parkour. “I love it. It's a very natural progression for me. It's almost permission to be myself”, she says. ""Parkour is for everyone and contagious. I am seeing a variety of age and skill levels come into Parkour Ways and couldn't be more pleased."

Your Homework

Now, I have homework for my readers. If you haven't already, watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOYpHLHg6io

Additionally, I want you to poke around the Parkour Generations site (www.ParkourGenerations.com) and read some of the articles they have up. Not any one in particular. Just poke around at what catches your eye.

Lastly, I want you to read this recent blog on the topic of the way parkour is being spread and misconstrued, written by Parkour Generations coach Chris "Blane" Rowat:

http://blane-parkour.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-call-to-arms.html

Thanks for reading. Keep training everyone!

Overnight Movement Jam #2!

FIRST - A great big thank you to everyone who came out for the first Overnight Movement Jam at Vie! It was a great success and tons of fun!

Now we're celebrating the expansion of our classes to LivFit in Forest Park, Illinois with Overnight Movement Jam #2!

LivFit is an indoor facility with high ceilings, its own rock climbing wall, brick walls on the inside (use them as you wish!), rings, and a lot of mats and vault/plyo boxes. This overnight jam is actually 13 hours long, running from 8pm to 8am! YES, 13 hours! It's daylight savings "fall back", so we'll gain an hour during the jam!!

Like the last OMJ at Vie, there will be some healthy snacks but you are welcome to bring your own food or order food in. Of course, there will be music as well. If you wish to sleep, feel free to bring a pillow and blanket or sleeping bag. There is a small room and other space to sleep!

I'd love to see everyone who came out for the last overnight jam back for this one! Let's get more people involved and make this one even more awesome!! The more people come, the better... it will help us to build more equipment!

Summary:
- $15
- Ages 14+
- Snacks (You may bring/order food if you want!)
- Music
- Doors will close at 10p (only adults can leave and return)
- Everyone must bring a signed waiver unless we already have one on file for you (minors need parent signature)
http://www.parkourways.com/documents/Parkour_Ways_Waiver.pdf

Pictures of the facility: www.ParkourWays.com/gallery?album=LivFit

SIGN UP FOR THE EVENT HERE!(pay with card or choose enroll as unpaid)

Please pay in advance if you have the means to do so (it will speed things up when you come in and will also help me pay for the snacks!). If you're paying cash, try to bring exact payment as I might not have enough change for everyone!!! Thanks! :)

If you need help figuring out how to register:
www.ParkourWays.com/enrollment-help

Chicago Ninja Warrior Games!

I'm proud to announce that I have teamed up with the folks at Dog House CrossFit and some other great new friends to help bring Chicago its first ever Ninja Warrior Weekend! We've dubbed this non-profit organization "Ninja Warrior Games" and we plan to have our first event on November 10th and 11th... just 3 weeks away! The cost is only $5 for kids and $7 for teens and adults, per day! There will be workshops throughout both days, two levels to the kids course and 3 levels to the teens and adult course. This WILL be a competition - with a grand prize of $100 to anyone who completes the level 3 course in the fastest time!

Dog House CrossFit is a great group of people and they've got a large indoor facility with plenty of room to set up an obstacle course! We've been working round the clock to figure out the course and find resources for equipment. We're looking for sponsors of any kind that are willing to help contribute in any way that they can. We're also looking for volunteers to help keep the event organized (keep time, move equipment, direct foot traffic, etc).

For more information and to register you can visit our website: www.NinjaWarriorGames.org

Second Location Starting Soon!

I'm excited to announce that Parkour Ways is expanding! I'll be running my classes and open gyms at a second location soon: LivFit in Forest Park, Illinois. Boasting some great features like high ceilings, an abundance of mats, interior brick walls and its own rock climbing wall, LivFit will be a great place to train! Follow the link below to see some photos of the facility, and stay tuned to find out when Parkour Ways will be starting there!!

Photos of LivFit in Forest Park, IL

New Small Vault Box

Check out the new small vault/step box!

Parkour Ways Welcomes Ekaterina Kartashova!

Ekaterina Kartashova is a female practitioner of parkour originally from Russia. She made her move to the United States 10 years ago and started training parkour about two years ago. She decided to start training parkour because she was afraid of it and thought it would be a great challenge for her to take on. When she learned about some of the philosophy that parkour entails, she realized that this is what she has believed in her whole life. She saw the opportunity to learn many things from training this splendid discipline.

Having had no sports background, it was very difficult for Ekaterina to get started with her training. Her fears kept her grounded, and one by one they formed into hopes of new little victories for her. She trains in order to live the way that she has always felt is right for her:

"I want to live my life with the knowledge that anything is possible, that any obstacle can be overcome. That there is never such a thing as 'I can't'. There is always a way when it's something you truly want."

"I want to give peolpe joy. I love seeing people happy and enjoying their movement through life so if something I know can bring a smile to their face... well, that's why I love to share parkour with people."

Some years ago - before she started training parkour, Ekaterina found out that she had a pinched nerve in her spine. This condition kept her from any running, jumping, or any other similar physical activities. "I would walk and collapse randomly in the street because my legs would just stop carrying me", she said. "But parkour makes it better. The common exercises we do on a daily basis have made it possible for me to not only run, but train consistently in this discipline which is in my mind one of the most difficult and serious disciplines out there."

Since starting her journey of parkour, Ekaterina has trained with world-class parkour instructors from Parkour Generations (UK) on several occasions and even with the Yamakasi (the founders of parkour)!

Ekaterina will be joining us for a special $5.00 open gym on this coming Saturday, August 4th. Don't pass up this opportunity to train with an experienced female practitioner and a wonderful person! You can sign in at the link below (sign up as unpaid, payment will be taken at the gym):

Sign Up Here!

Ekaterina leaves us with this additional food for thought:

"Each day is a new chance to conquer yourself. To believe in a higher power than fate. And find your connection to that power is stronger than you thought. Thus each day is a chance to change your life. To manipulate the obstacles you face and reach a new place of peace. Each day we trace ourselves unto higher ground. Each day is parkour."

More Classes!

Great news! Outdoor classes are now being added to the schedule for Chicago AND Northwest Indiana! We're excited to get more classes going and we can't wait to start things up outdoors again! Outdoor classes in Chicago run at $15, and they're just $10 in Northwest Indiana. Keep an eye on our schedule - you should start to see more and more of the outdoor classes popping up for various locations around these areas. Check out the new schedule by clicking here!!

Chicago Locations:
- Lincoln Park Neighborhood
- Grant/Millennium Park
- Elmwood Park Neighborhood
- Logan Square Neighborhood
- Lakefront Area (Museum Campus)


Northwest Indiana Locations:
- Hammond, Indiana
- Highland, Indiana
- Munster, Indiana
- Calumet City, Illinois
- Lansing, Illinois
- Hobart, Indiana


At the moment, outdoor classes are all ages 12 and above, including adults!

I hope to see you out there soon!

-Blaze

Parkour For Schools!

Check it out students, parents and faculty! Parkour Ways is looking to introduce parkour to school students in the Chicago and Northwest Indiana areas! Parkour is an extraordinary, exciting way to get students physically active and applying their mind in new ways, discovering their limits and simultaneously pushing them... safely! We'll work with you to set up a special event for your school. We can provide brief introductions to parkour for the students and staff including an explanation of this art of movement, demonstrations of techniques, and even get the participants started with some of the basic movements. Please see this page for more information:

Parkour For Schools

Or contact us today to schedule a meeting!

Contact Us

Closed Easter Weekend

There won't be any classes or open gym this weekend for Easter! If you bought a one month open gym package, your expiration date has already been extended by one weekend to make up for this. Happy Easter!

Outdoor Classes Coming Soon!

It's that time of year... the skies are blue again and the sun will be showing its face more often. The concrete will stay dry longer and the heat will keep our bodies nice and warm while we train. This also means we'll soon be starting our outdoor classes. Not only will we be setting up the equipment outdoors at the gym, but we will also be holding classes outdoors in various locations. We've already got some locations in mind - but we are open to ideas and suggestions! Know a place that's great to train at here in the city? Want us to come to your town/area to hold a class? Let us know! Shoot us an email to contact(at)ParkourWays.com! Feel free to include pictures!