At first glance, they might look like regular teenagers goofing around on a lazy Sunday morning, but if you’ll stick around the Quezon Monument at Perez Park long enough, you’d realize that there is more to this group of teenagers scaling walls, doing backflips, and jumping over all sorts of barriers than what meets the eye.
No, they’re not “akyat-bahay” members in training like what some people have thought. They are actually Parkour practitioners, and they meet at the park at least once a week, usually during Sundays, to practice their moves.
What is Parkour?
Members of Parkour Lucena.
From left to right:
Levi (second from left), Francis, Jabbie, Allan, Julius, Stan
Parkour is a sport that was developed with the aim of training people to move around as quickly and as efficiently as possible, especially during emergency situations where instinctive reflexes can make the difference between life and death. These include cases of fire, earthquakes, flooding, slips, or even attempted physical assault. By conditioning the body to react swiftly and precisely, Parkour does not only help practitioners avoid potential disasters, it also reduces the injuries that they can sustain if they ever encountered an unfortunate accident.
It traces its origins on the streets of Paris, France, but it has since spread to other countries owing to its rise in popularity during the late 90’s.
At present, there are several Parkour groups operating in the Philippines. One of them is Parkour Lucena.
Parkour Lucena
Parkour Lucena was established in October 2010 when a group of local Parkour enthusiasts got together through mutual friends and relatives. Headed by founder Levi Suministrado who had been training with Parkour groups based in Manila until that time, the group became officially open to new members in late 2010, with founding members Jed Dormitorio and Jan Carlo Guevara, and siblings Stan and Jabbie Jalbuena being the first ones to accept the challenge. New members soon followed after that, and now they have around fifteen active members in the group.
Traceurs
Traceurs is the term used to refer to people who practice Parkour. Males under thirty years of age usually dominate Parkour groups, but the sport is open to everyone regardless of age, gender, and background. We met a couple of them when Lucenahin.com.ph dropped by during one of their training sessions to take a peek, and below are some excerpts from the chat that we had.
Parkour Traceurs (from left to right) Jabbie, Julius, Stan, and Francis
How did you get your start in Parkour?
Levi: Back in 2008, I was studying in UP Los Baños when I came across Parkour Manila and Parkour Philippines promoting Parkour. I decided to join the groups then I trained with them for about two years or so. After that, I wanted to start a similar group in Lucena City, so, in 2010, I began looking for other people who are also interested in the sport. I convinced a few of my friends to start the group, then other people who found out about us through their relatives or our social networking accounts started signing up.
Stan: For me, my passion for Parkour came from the desire to do something new. I work as a video editor full-time, and sometimes our tasks can be a bit repetitive. Doing Parkour breaks the monotony. Also, it involves a lot of moving around, so it’s a good way to release pent-up stress.
Francis: I’ve always liked sports. I used to compete in lawn tennis competitions, but I found the pressure a bit overwhelming at times, so I started looking for other sports that are not as physically demanding. I stumbled upon one of the videos of the group while browsing through Youtube, and when I found out that they’re from Lucena City, I wasted no time in contacting them to sign up for the group.
Jabbie: I started Parkour as a pastime. Stan, my brother, was also interested in Parkour, so when someone brought the idea of joining the group, I thought, why not? When I started to learn new movements and stunts, I became more interested in the sport because of the constant challenge and the sense of fulfillment that you get when you overcome them. It’s also a good way to showcase your talents and to bond with people who have the same interest as you do.
Allan: I saw the group’s video on Youtube and I was impressed with their skills. I thought I want to try it for myself, so here I am now.
Julius: The same goes for me. I saw the group’s page on Facebook, and I thought that they looked really cool while doing Parkour, so I wanted to try it too. My cousin had also joined the group earlier, so I thought giving it a try might not be a bad idea.
Parkour Lucena founder Levi Suministrado performing some stunts
Is Parkour a dangerous sport?
Levi: Parkour, just like any other sport, has its risks; however, it’s up to the traceur how he’s going to avoid them. In doing Parkour, training and discretion is your best protection. The key to being safe is knowing your limits. Don’t push yourself to do what your body feels like it can’t yet. Our training drills were designed to work for different skill levels, so you don’t have to force yourself to follow other people’s pace.
Also, it helps that there are two first-aiders on the team — I’m one, and Jabbie, who is a licensed nurse, is the other — so we have immediate access to first aid should any problems come up.
What is your training like?
Levi: We have different kinds of training. Our structure is like this: we usually do warm-up exercises first, so our bodies can smoothly transition from a state of rest to a state of constant movement. We then do some drills that help us develop their strength, flexibility, and agility. For those who are already capable of performing more advanced techniques, we help them come up with better and more efficient ways to perform certain moves or new combinations that the other members of the group can try for themselves. Then we cool down and do some static stretching after that. Occasionally, we also do some cross-training by participating in rock climbing activities and fun runs.
Aside from the training, what other kinds of activities do you guys do?
Levi: Parkour is non-competitive in nature (although there are friendly competitions), so we don’t train for competitions per se like other athletes involved in other sports do, but we do a lot of training with other Parkour groups to improve our skills. Sometimes, we get invited to facilitate trainings and seminars like when we were invited by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to teach our cops some basic Parkour moves. We also get invited to demonstrate our skills during private events such as SMART Telecom’s Parade Presentation in The MVP Olympics together with Parkour Manila.
Did you face any challenges when you decided to pursue the sport?
Levi: We came across some challenges when we were just starting, but we’ve learned how to cope. For example, recruiting new members was already difficult at first, but motivating them to attend training sessions proved to be even more so because our previous sessions used to be scheduled at five in the morning. We’ve since changed our training schedule to accommodate those who can’t wake up that early, and that has resolved the issue for the most part.
Julius: When I first started doing Parkour when I was just eleven years old, my parents were a bit worried over it because they thought it was dangerous. They soon found out that it’s relatively safe, so they allowed me to continue doing it.
Jabbie: Yes — mostly in terms of physical strength and time management. Parkour needs constant practice, so you have to make some time for it. It’s not that you’re going to completely forget what you learned if you miss a training session or two, but your body might have a hard time catching up if you took a lot of breaks in between. That, in turn, could affect your confidence in performing stunts, so it’s best if you’ll practice as often as you can.
Top: Jabbie, Julius, and and Levi performing flips
Bottom: Jabbie and Stan demonstrating how to quickly and efficiently jump from one place to another using Parkour
How did Parkour affect your life?
Stan: Parkour helped develop my sense of purpose. It’s goal-driven, so you’re always setting new goals for yourself. When you’ve finally achieved those goals, the feeling is simply priceless.
Levi: It made me more patient, driven, and always up for challenges. Also, I met a lot of fun and awesome people through Parkour. Aside from those, it helped me become more observant and taught me how to break down problems to try and solve them.
Usually, you don’t really pay attention to your surroundings when you’re casually walking down the street or passing a random structure, but when you’re doing Parkour, you sort of develop what we call “Parkour Vision.”
With it, you stop seeing things as simple, stationary objects. Instead, you begin thinking about how they could help you move around should the need arise. You learn how to calculate and plan, and that’s a valuable skill that can become of great use someday when applied to movement or any other challenges.
Allan: Parkour helped me become more open to challenges. Before, I was just admiring how nimbly traceurs do their moves on video sharing sites, but after I started training, I discovered that I can also do them myself if I worked hard enough.
What’s next for Parkour Lucena?
Levi: Aside from training new members and expanding the group, we’re working on connecting more with other Parkour groups. We’re currently operating as an independent group, but working with other groups will be beneficial to our members as it can help expose them to more learning opportunities.
Is there anything else you want people who are not familiar with Parkour to know?
Stan: Parkour is for everyone. It was not designed for a particular age, gender, or group. We know of a traceur with artificial limbs and one with cerebral palsy, but that didn’t stop them from practicing the sport that they love. It might seem difficult at first, but it’s just a matter of passion and dedication.
Levi: Parkour is a fun, very rewarding, and fulfilling activity that almost everyone can try. It involves being creative in movement and discovery of one’s talents and skills in human movement.
Also, Parkour is not a reckless activity. Before we perform certain moves and techniques, we analyze how we’re going to perform them first and train progressively. Whenever possible, we try to incorporate scientific principles in conditioning and training the moves we develop, so injuries can be avoided and progress can be made efficiently.
For example, I completed a Diploma in Exercise and Sports Science from UP Diliman a short time after I founded the group for additional knowledge and background on human movement and training principles. I also applied for a certification from Parkour Generations, and I successfully got certified as an Assistant Coach with ADAPT Level I qualifications. I think those can give you an idea on how serious we are about this sport.
Do you have any message to those who might be interested in joining your group?
Everyone’s welcome to join the group, so if you’re interested in becoming one of us, feel free to contact us at levits32@yahoo.com. You can also check us out through our Facebook page or by dropping by during one of our training sessions at Perez Park.
A video of Parkour Lucena during one of their training sessions near the Quezon Monument at Perez Park, Lucena City
Video courtesy of Parkour Lucena
References:
Parkour Lucena
Parkour. (2013, April 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 08:48, April 12, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Parkour&oldid=549764963
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