Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Post thanksgiving update

So, I am back to school from thanksgiving break. I ate some turkey talked with my family and had a brilliantly uneventful thanksgiving. I got some great training in, and I am feeling strong. Saratoga is bustling with that large-small town energy, people know each other, but still don't know everyone and you can feel the artistic tension, like two people will meet and do great things,and know one will have seen it coming. I am so excited to start trying to make it on my own there, it feels like home, and I feel like there is so much more to explore there. Not just in terms of parkour but in terms of people to meet, and opportunities. I visited a few galleries around town, and it actually made me feel confident in my abilities and my chances of getting artwork into some of them. I did fall into some of my lazy habits of sitting around and sort of bouncing around town not really doing anything. I am positive that once I am living on almost nothing and have surrounded myself with everything I love, with no opportunity to just waste time, it will be a different story.

I have roughly 30 more days of school and I am going to try and make the best of them, if new york city is good for nothing else, it is good for parkour. I have found some excellent training spots and am planning to go there every chance I get. Tommorow included. Nothing particularly interesting to talk about right now, but I am grateful for this time. I know soon that I will be looking for apartments and thinking about money much more than money deserves. Now is my time to prepare mentally for what I am about to do. Move out, leave the nest, spread my fledgling wings and hope that I dont land face first at the foot of the tree.

If you have any interest in parkour, or any interest in knowing what its all about I would recommend watching this video




It is done by an exceptional guy I met at a parkour demo we did with david belle for the New Yorker festival, his name is duncan and he knows what hes talking about.

The second day of vacation Paul and I went out for some brisk training. We really worked each other. We hadn't trained together for quite some time, and it really felt good. I was able to do some wall runs that were out of my reach last summer, and my climb-ups have vastly improved although I would not say they are close to fluid yet. I really feel like I might be understanding my body and its strong and weak points. My legs are not naturally powerful. I don't have a large jump, not just compared to other traceurs, but compared to really any abe bodied male on the street. I am aware of it and I am really working on it.

I have been really dishonest with myself and my training. I always think in the back of my mind that I should be better for the amount of time I have trained. But when I am being really honest with myself, I know I have not trained nearly as much as I wish and sometimes tell myself I have. Some months I will just not be that inspired to train. I have to realise that parkour is more casual to me than some people, even though it is always on my mind. I am doing exactly as well as I should be for the amount of time I have put in, and If I want to be better, I have to train more, not just as much, but more, and harder. Duncan's Video reminded me that there is a level of control that can be reached with these movements that I wish to obtain. I dont want to push the limits of parkour and what the body is capable of, I want to be controlled and confident in my body and I want to know EXACTLY what it is capable of at ANY given moment. I feel Duncan is at least close to this point, and I am reminded why I began parkour in the first place. To be in control of my environment, not governed by it.

Until Next time.

-Taylor

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