Booking is now live (and spaces are being taken) for out Next Junior Beginner Courses taking place second week of Easter at Hadleigh Park - EARLY BIRD prices available until 9am Weds' 15th March.
We've now updated information via our FB Events page where you can click "Get tickets" to book your space:
Hi, Brad here, just need to update you with planned class changes for this week. From Wednesday through to Saturday morning, we'll be taking a break from classes as I will be undergoing an operation on Wednesday which will affect my mobility for a short period of time.
This will affect the following classes this week: Weds Adult OutdoorThursday FoundationsFriday Foundations/IntermediatesSaturday Adult Beginners
The Start of the next Southend Parkour beginners course (From Saturday 25th @ 1:00pm) is due to be running as scheduled.
Classes should be up and running as normal the following week, any classes booked for the above sessions will be transferred to the next available unbooked week (you will receive an automated email with an update)
As mentioned previously, we are still in talks with several key partners in the area to secure suitable spaces with a view to deliver more classes across the week. Please bear with us during this busy period and keep in the loop via the social media links below.
Many thanks and apologies for the schedule change this week, Brad.
Hi all, hope you're all out moving regardless of the colder weather sinking in! A few things to update you on moving into December.
Saturday morning adult 'beginner' classes will no longer be running for the rest of 2016 and due to start back up in 2017. A new provision will be established shortly.
Please find below the final class dates for 2016 for our weekly classes:
Tuesday Tiny Traceurs Class: 13th December Thursday Foundations: 15th December Friday Foundations/Intermediates: 16th December Wednesday Adult Outdoor: 21st December
Details will follow about the 2017 schedule, re-start dates, changes and special offers over the Holiday break!
Many thanks and thanks for joining us for another great year, Brad @ SP.
Quick update, with the exception of our Tiny Traceurs Class, ALL weekly classes are scheduled to run as normal.
In Summary: Monday Beginners Class at Hadleigh: 6pm til 7:30pm Tuesday Tiny Traceurs - Chalkwell Hall Junior: NOT RUNNING - SORRY Wednesday Adult Outdoor - Southend: 7pm til 9pm Thursday Foundations at Temple Sutton: 6pm til 7:15pm Friday Foundations and Intermediates 5:45pm til 7pm and 7:15pm til 8:30pm Saturday Adult Beginners at Hadleigh Park - 9am til 10:30am We will also be running DAYTIME options through and at Hadleigh Park on Thursday 27th - Visit the following link to book and join me for a good few hours of FUNctional challenge and movement! Limited spaces available. http://hadleigh-park.co.uk/event/half-term-holiday-activities/
Summer is well underway and we've had a fantastic turn out at Hadleigh and Across Southend for our summer classes, plenty of new faces at our beginners classes in particular which is great to see. September Term-Time Schedule will be confirmed and available for booking over the next couple of weeks so don't panic, we're not due to start back up until the week starting 12th September. There may be a few changes to junior class scheduling compared to the 15/16 term so watch this space!
Adult Outdoor Classes this week will not be running both Wednesday or Saturday (17th and 29th August) This is due to time-constraints of an impending move of the Southend Parkour base of operations! Apologies for any inconvenience, any bookings made will be refunded for this week's adult classes. We hope you've been enjoying our classes, if you've not done so already, please leave us some reviews via facebook and google, sharing your experience with us.
Tonight: Explore Movement @ Chalkwell Junior - Only 2 spaces left. Weds: Adult Outdoor - Good availability. Thurs: Foundations @ Temple Sutton: Not running this week. (Sorry!) Friday: Foundations @ St Bernard's: 6 Spaces left. Intermediates: Spaces available (invite only)
There will be no adult indoor session this weekend and there will be no "Explore Parkour" session on the 30th due to the Hadleigh Park Opening event: Event link here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1771255953104680/ All other classes are due to run as normal throughout the half term.
Details will follow about a couple of Hadleigh Park coaching sessions over next week's half term so keep posted here for news and details!
Hi all, I just wanted to message to again let you know, new classes are in the works but we're pushing for some final details which will mean we can confirm it all in one whack rather than in pieces. Our new classes, of which, information will be going out via our newsletter (Sign up here), Facebook and Twitter AS SOON AS AVAILABLE.
While posting, don't forget our next ADULT indoor session for beginners and regulars is happening THIS SATURDAY! CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS AND BOOKING! - Your chance to #GiveParkourAGo
Apologies for the extended wait but we want to get ALL info out to you in one shot. Please sign up to our newsletter and news will Parkour it's way over to you as soon as finalised. Apologies for the wait but we believe it'll be worth it!
- Thanks all!
Brad
We've just sent out our current newsletter with updated details about class changes, new classes, website updates and more! If you haven't signed up to the mailing list already, click below to sign up and get important news straight to your inbox!
Hi all! Brad here, hard to believe that it's coming up to a year since the adult outdoor classes started and it's been great to see so many people learning about and catching a real passion for Parkour and movement. I'm sure everyone who's been coming to classes has seen an improvement in movement ability alongside new friends and improved fitness. Keep it up and share what we're doing!
Class Changes:Being the first year SP is running classes over summer, there will be some last minute changes/cancellations if class bookings are quiet while students and families are way/on holiday. This is to ensure that good numbers are in attendance for students to enjoy classes together and to at least cover hall hire costs. To help avoid these late changes, please do book classes sooner than later.
The only date to mention in advance so far, is that there will be no classes on Friday 14th due to a hall booking error at St Bernard's. Any bookings already taken for this day will be refunded. Parkour UK AGM The Parkour UK AGM 2015 went well with a good representation of coaches from across the UK including the Parkour UK President Sebastien Foucan. There's plenty of exciting news including the continuation of Parkour being officially recognised by the UK's national sport bodies, further membership and insurance options not only for Parkour professionals but students.There's plenty of other exciting "behind-the-scenes" work/news which will be shared by out NGB in due course.
Parkour at Parliament! Our Ninja Warrior UK and Parkour friends, Katie Mcdonnell and Shirley Darlington-Rowat met with Tracey Crouch from the Department for culture, media and sport to show and share what it's like to #givePARKOURaGO. This was a great high-level opportunity to show the prevalence of Parkour in today's community, alongside the importance and growing amount of women in Parkour. Facebook post here: https://www.facebook.com/ParkourUK/posts/898351900...
Please continue to share the website and details about Southend Parkour with your friends and family so we can further expand the local Parkour community, developing fitness and exploring movement together.
Having taken part in the first Ninja Warrior UK show which aired through May/June 2015, I wanted to write and share a few thoughts from my experience. This might give interested readers a bit of an insight into the show and hopefully dispel rumours/ add some points to any future discussion about the show.
If you like, please read, share and/or comment.
You only get one shot.
One of the questions I get asked a lot about the show is "do you get a chance to practice?". Quick answer is no! Each run you see on the show is as it happened, give or take any course malfunctions, (only happened once on the show from what I saw) and the runner would start from that obstacle at the time they got there, as stated in rules (Remember this happened with Makoto Nagano one year, it's no big deal, it happens).
Your one and only run, which could be at the start or end of the filming session (A few hours long) is the first chance to attempt the obstacles.
It takes a particular type of training and mindset to be able to deal with the physical adaptation of new movements/obstacles/surfaces, keeping calm and composed to make positive choices for your course approach and how you tackle each obstacle. Some people manage to wing it and that's a great part of the show too!
We did get a chance to walk alongside each obstacle to see course testers show a few options for obstacle approach and to brief us on any Health and Safety precautions, however, that's as much and as close as you get.
If I had the chance to practice with a few runs, I'm certain I could have brought my time to at least around the 30-45 second mark, but practice isn't a luxury you get on Ninja Warrior.... or in a real-life.
To have the chance to experience a 'real', one-chance situation like this was great as a Parkour practitioner. Being cautious but confident and where possible, having a back up plan to fix an error and keep moving forward. "Just going for it" might work and might have worked for some, but is it worth the risk? Its your choice ultimately but as a Parkour coach, with over 10 years of Parkour experience, my choice was slow and methodical, you only get one shot.
As for my semi-final slip-up, after waiting around backstage for hours, watching attempt after attempt I was tired and I think, let nerves get the better of me; I rushed the chains and either my hands were too sweaty or the chains were wet; either way, no grip and a slow slip. :(
This is a reason I train Parkour and why I believe practitioners are well suited to Ninja Warrior, not only do we spend a lot of time practising overcoming obstacles but many practice and play with odd and awkward movements. During training, we ensure any time spent practising is to high standard, being strict, being consistent and ready to adapt learned movements if and when required.
A broad experience within movement will keep you calm, confident and (hopefully) on your feet! Comparisons to Japan and American Ninja Warrior
There has been some criticism around the course suggesting that Ninja Warrior UK is 'watered down' or too easy. Although I can understand the points raised, I feel that the series did a good job in baring the Ninja Warrior name and for the UK audience.
The UK is a silly country when it comes to TV, look at soaps and prime-time shows, generally it's all very over the top and silly. British people do like to have a laugh at others, most people do... and for the first series, viewer-ship is required to get anywhere near making another series.
I agree that Ninja Warrior UK was a little, "lighter" in terms of how it was edited and commentated. However, during the show, both filming and backstage, everyone there was there to have some fun, OR really give the course a go, much alike the Japanese and American versions. Gladiators and the Crystal maze are great examples, they were a show and entertaining but it was very respectful and they favoured the successes, hard work and determination over painting it with the same tongue-in-cheek entertainment brush.
Participants make the moments; encourage, support them and let them. Make the course test them.... and I mean really test them, from heats to finals, and you'll see something amazing.
Having been a NW fan for many years,as I'm sure the majority of participants were, in the heats and during the semi-finals, the focus was very much excitement for having the opportunity to try a purpose built obstacle course, similar to the ones we've seen people attempting for many years. Personally I would like to have had each heat more difficult, but again, for the first series, I think there was a good balance of obstacles and challenges with even the practised course testers taking a plunge during the briefings! Things ARE bigger than they look on TV.
Lastly, the great thing about the global Ninja Warrior movement are the people who come and try, their stories and their abilities. The global Ninja Warrior opportunity has pushed people to improve their lives, help others and share their stories of overcoming obstacles faced both on the course and in their lives. Father and son attempts, Nanny-ninja attempts, professionals wanting to test themselves further, pushing the limits of age, injury or disability etc.
In this respect Ninja Warrior UK did the show justice. I'm proud to have been part of the GLOBAL Ninja Warrior community and will aim to go further to complete the course for next series. Determined, experienced and ready.
Suggestions for the second series.
In the way the show was aired, it feels like it tried a little 'too hard' in some respects. Voice-over's trying to add 'hype', trying to make it intense and exciting, visual effects to make it look flashy, when really, it doesn't need it!
Katie McDonnell hanging on the ring slider for minutes was exciting, Dion and Geoff Trigg's father and son story of Ninja Warrior was moving, the near misses, the families, the incredible performances of real athletes who live and breathe this stuff like Toby, Tiege and Tim. No need to add hype, challenge is entertaining enough.
What I'd like to see in the next season: - A more difficult course from the start, if ITV can "build it..... they will come" and get better TV from it, both in terms of the 'successes' and 'failures'. One of the best things about Japan is how notoriously hard the course is! There are more people in the UK who do 'this stuff' than I think, is assumed. Look at OCR, Parkour and MovNat participation figures....
- Keep the editing simple, Japan and America's versions keep a good balance of respect, encouragement and fun without poking too much fun at anyone in particular; sometimes, less is more. It doesn't need to try and entertain, there's plenty of excitement happening already.
- The jump from the Heats/Semi's compared to the second stage of the final was BIG leap. The time restraint was very tight in watching and knowing how challenging those obstacles were, it would have merited either no time (like Japanese version). A reasonable time limit for the 1st Heats would have been a good idea to add a little pressure to keep moving and not take too long.
Last month we added a second junior class to the Friday schedule to enable more young people to #GiveParkourAGo however, we're still regularly fully-booked on Fridays.
Thanks for your patience during this busy period, we're working hard to have other classes running soon to meet this growing demand.
You can book up to a month in advance via the website, so to avoid missing out, please book classes as soon as they're available.
Below is a short piece from one of my regular outdoor class students who's made some fantastic progress over the last 6 months.
Great work James! "Two years ago I was in an accident which ended me with a broken collar bone, since then I've not been able to get back the strength I once had in that arm and it affected my every day life. Since I've been practicing parkour with Brad and Southend Parkour, I feel my muscular strength, endurance and overall fitness has sky-rocketed. I'm now able to hold my entire body weight with my injured arm and last sunday I completed my first OCR.
Brad has been a huge supporter in helping people reach their targets and he is a great influence to better myself. A year ago today I would not have dreamed to have finished a 7km run and the only reason I hit the finish line is because Southend Parkour has helped me to push myself harder and has given me confidence in myself to do better."
This week I've been away in Manchester, one of the 250 contestants on Ninja Warrior UK, which starts on ITV on the 11th April (This coming Saturday!).
For those of you unfamiliar with Ninja Warrior, it's been running for many years in Japan, known as "Sasuke", attracting both serious and not so serious competitors to see how they fair at a challenging obstacle course which increases in difficulty and complexity each year.
As the series continued, people from around the world have ventured there to try themselves against the courses and other countries, now including the UK have recreated their own courses to challenge and test people in their countries.
Here's a classic clip of the Japanese course and Makoto Nagano with one of the only 3 or 4 people to have ever completed the course:
After auditions alongside 6000 others from across the UK, I was selected and joined 250 contestants on the UK version this week trying themselves and their training against the course. I am unable to share how the show and my attempts went, so you'll have to watch the show which starts on the 11th to see how we all did. It was a fantastic opportunity to test my own skills against the course and the camaraderie throughout the show and participants was amazing. My heat airs on the 18th April but if you want to see what I'm certain will be a great show, record or set a reminder for this Sat at 7pm! - Public thanks to my girlfriend for joining and supporting me throughout training and the show, thanks Jenna!
Wanted to post up real quick, a link to a new video on our youtube page, if you haven't done so already, head on over to www.youtube.com/southendparkour and click subscribe! Parkour as a massive practice and as much as training (real, hard work) is important to build the "suit of armour" to keep the body strong and safe to continue moving, spending time playing and experimenting is also a key component in experiencing unplanned situations and the chance to test and examine areas of weakness in a fun context.
More fun, more movement, don't underestimate the power of learning in play.
Short post to explore 5 reasons for learning Parkour, they may not be what you think but hopefully they will help you understand what we're about and what Parkour and you, can do!
1. Health
Globally, the majority of us we are sitting or still for most of the day. Sedentary lifestyles increase a variety of health issues, we're not doing what we're built to do, MOVE!
We're built to walk, run, climb, vault, squat, lift, carry and chase. Not doing so leads to a 'wealth' of health issues which more often than not, shorten the quality of our lives. By moving more and realising where (using our surroundings) and how we can move (using our bodies safely), we start a journey towards doing what we're built to do, rekindling not only our ability to move, but our physical fitness ability and overall health.
2. Safety
We're all familiar with the "fight or flight" state, in a high stress situation our mental and physical response to a stressor is to either run away or fight to survive (We are built to move)!. Although these situations may be rare in the UK or "civilised society", things do still happen; fires, attacks, the need to chase, the need to reach, the need to escape.
Martial arts are a common practice in the UK, having dabbled in Wing Chun, Ninjitsu and Krav Maga, to varying degrees, we're often told, "Run first, but if you can't, as a last here's how to defend yourself."
Parkour develops the first part and is, in our opinion, as important as being able to handle yourself up close. As a practical example, a friend had a knife pulled out on him, he could immediately vault a rail safely and had a barrier between the attacker and him. Parkour is great for self defence, run, escape and move! If you've not practised escaping, running or vaulting under pressure, if your slip and are hurt, the attacker has you anyway... it makes sense to practice the art of escape.
Practising Parkour and movement also allows you to deal with mistakes better, through knowing your body and how to move. Most times when I fall, slip etc, my training enables me to avoid injury and still land safely, living to "flight" another day! We all make mistakes and will fall, Parkour tends to help us be safe doing so!
3. Fun
Parkour is fun! A big deterrent from most forms of exercise is that it can be quite boring, obviously it's perspective, but lots of individuals who try Parkour, latch onto it and continue. Competitive sports tend to focus your performance on other's ability, Parkour is different in that it accepts that we are all unique, we all have strengths and weakness and all move differently. You can't accurately compare yourself to another because you are and will be different! In training we move and explore, finding new challenges, new spaces, new situations to grow and develop. There is no ultimate "right or wrong" with Parkour as a practice, only what works for you and your movement in a given situation. We learn through challenges: personally and externally set; we learn through imagination and games: Playing "Stay off the ground" and similar games/ scenarios. Because we are all unique, we can set our own goals, to move towards them at our own pace and ensure our own safe and fun progression.
4. Benefits of Challenge
We face challenges daily in all areas of our, work, personal, social and recreational lives. In training and overcoming obstacles we have to apply our physical and mental being to overcome, practising practical problem solving skills. We physically and mentally overcome these challenges, we achieve. Through achievement, we gain confidence, building an "experience backpack", a collection of challenges faced and overcome, which we can apply to future challenges faced. People who practice Parkour tend to have a very similar attitude and approach to life in that things can be done and problems can be solved. Even if we don't know, we still try (as long as it's safe to do so), in turn, gaining experience and apply to our future personal conquests!
5. Adaptability Being an adaptable person is a very useful skill/personality. Tying in with some of the areas mentioned above Parkour practitioners, seek, try, gain experience, reflect and apply what has been learnt, what works and what doesn't work, to future challenges both mentally and physically.
As such, Parkour tends to aid people in other sports and other physical activities from having a good experience and understanding of movement. There is a mindset developed through practice, to very quickly risk assess, problem solve and develop creative solutions to problems or challenges presented. In a world where change is an integral part of society; jobs, lifestyle, time, family, friends, technology, having the confidence to adapt and change yourself is something many people can struggle with.
To quote Sebastien Foucan, In overcoming, we become.
START YOUR JOURNEY! Join us for a class or if you have any questions, please visit www.southendparkour.com
First of all, I'd like to thank all of the support so far and throughout the end of 2014. It's always inspiring to see younger, older, new and experienced practitioners involved with our classes and services. As much as we've only been officially trading since October, we've been involved in Parkour in one entity or another for well over a decade, having had the opportunity to travel and coach all across the UK and abroad. Following the announcements below it will become increasingly important to keep connected with news as an when it comes. Our facebook account will detail last minute spaces for classes to please ensure you are connected with us for important recent changes. Other unique content is and will be also added regularly via our twitter, instagram, and youtube so please ensure you follow!
Moving forward into 2015, we are please to announce a few new developments:
Firstly: Cheaper Outdoor Classes! Our weekly adult outdoor class, which explores Parkour in the real work is now open for anyone 16+ (With parental consent) and now reduced to £8 for 2 hours of outdoor, Parkour coaching. These classes put Parkour training where it belongs, out in the open, rain or shine, utilising spaces in Southend to learn, strengthen, challenge, adapt and overcome! Find out about these on our website www.southendparkour.com/classes
Secondly:We will be adding two new Southend classesfrom the 16th January 2015!
The first will be a "Junior class" for young people ages 8 to 15 years of age, taking place at an indoor training space in Southend for 1 hour & 10 minutes of Parkour movement development and functional fitness under our expert guidance. 6:00pm til 7:10pm The second class will follow immediately after for a 16+ (Senior Class) 1 Hour & 10 Minute class, challenging attendees to adapt and overcome through Parkour skill development and functional fitness. 7:20pm til 8:30pm. Wall frames, ropes, vaults and matting will help support your effective learning. As much as indoor training can't entirely substitute outdoor training, it can provide a great introduction to the practice and you'll still be challenged through fun and engaging guided practice; improving fitness and physical ability with our training.
Finally: We're going digital! You can now sign up and pay online to all of our classes via our new online booking system, booking up to a month in advance!
You can book via our website at www.southendparkour.com/classes, then click the "Book online" button. Using this ensures we can have spaces filled while not oversubscribing which may make a wasted journey for some. If you have any questions or issues, contact us through the email address listed on the system or contact us through our website, www.southendparkour.com/contact
Please read the information carefully before booking, to ensure correct dates/classes.
We look forward to moving with you this year! Thanks for joining us!
Tonight will host the last Adult Outdoor class of the year between 19:30 and 21:30, for 2 hours of structured Parkour tuition, training and guidance from our certified coach. Join us by messaging us on Facebook or via the website www.southendparkour.com/contact After tonight we'll be in hibernation on the class front, back with a vengeance in the new year with new classes and more opportunities to learn, improving overall fitness and your ability to overcome new challenges faced.
Parkour has only been in the public eye for the past 10-12 years, having been created and developed within the past two decades. As a new practice there is often misunderstanding as to what Parkour is and what it's about, here's the first post for Frequently asked questions:
What is Parkour? Parkour is a physical practice which develops functional movement ability. Parkour's practice improves muscular strength, coordination, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness and your ability to move safely and effectively. To us, Parkour embodies so many qualities: Strength, flexibility, fun, balance, exploration, coordination, respect, self-knowledge, community, persistence, discipline, longevity, powerful, endurance, challenge, adaption, function, creativity, inclusivity, progression, hard-work, self-confidence and self-knowledge. As a lifelong practice, Parkour will continue to grow and evolve through our own experiences and ongoing learning, sharing with others and journeying together. From it's roots Parkour aims to create a strong body, strong spirit and a strong person through training.
Is Parkour for me? Parkour is a training practice which develops functional and effective movement skills and techniques, enabling you to adapt and overcome obstacles faced. Parkour avoids the aesthetic and focuses on function. As such, Parkour is open to all, it does requires work and training to progress and a change in thoughts and approaches to continue to learn and develop within it's practice.
As much as everyone can begin the practice of Parkour through learning movements to better movement capabilities, Parkour is and should be hard, but rewarding work. "Être fort pour etre utile"- "Being strong to be useful". No competition, no pressure, just your personal goals and working to adapt and overcome, becoming a more capable individual through practice.
Is Parkour just about jumping off of things and climbing to high places? No. Unfortunately, a lot of media focuses on height and stunts, because it is more appealing to the general public. More often than not, climbing at height or taking large drop impacts are very unnecessary and more effective training can be done firmly at ground level to gain the same results.
If the aim is to move and keep moving, taking unnecessary risks, increases the likelihood of injury and therefore the inability to move effectively. In short, taking large impacts and spending more time at height, greatly increases the chance of a greater injury. Parkour is a very introspective practice, practitioners learn about their their capabilities and limitations through training and with time develop the confidence and integrity to effectively assess risk and make an informed and effective choice. To try something, or to walk away, train hard and try again when ready.
This is why, injury rates in true practitioners are often very low, there is no pressure, just you and your choices.
There may be situations where an individual may require a jump at height or taking a drop (such as in a real-life emergency), but if there is a safer and more effective means to get from "A to B", we should choose that option as being more effective and safe. We like to use the word effective to explain Parkour's practice. The fastest way down from a high space is to drop or jump down. This might be okay from 3 metres, but from 20 metres.... this will most likely result in injury; so it may not be the most effective choice of movements.
Our coaching sessions keep students firmly in the remits of their abilities and in a safe but challenging environment, as guided by our training and coaching experience, certification training and within National Governing Body guidance and recommendations. Is Parkour just for guys?Parkour is for any gender. Parkour does tend to be dominated by younger males, however, Parkour is practiced by both men and women of any age, across the world. Both genders, from experience, bring their own approaches and mentalities to the practice, teaching each other how to move more effectively through the sharing of different approaches to training and movement. What kind of clothing should I wear? We recommend loose fitting clothing which is comfortable to move in. Clothing can and may get stained, marked or ripped during practice so don't wear your favorite clothes! As for shoes; a simple, low profile trainer, preferably with a solid/complete sole (no plastic sections at the arch). We'd also recommend a small backpack that you are comfortable wearing while running to keep your smaller personal items safe.
