Take Flight

On November 28th David Belle responded to questions via his Twitter. Here is a transcript of the questions and Belle’s  answers in the order he responded to them. I also did my best to provide the translations of Belle’s answers when he responded in French.

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davbelle David Belle

Je suis la et pret pour vos questions : )

[I am here and ready for your questions : ) ]

 

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AnnieJankowska Annie Jankowska

I heard that Paul Walker will replace Cyril in #D13 Remake. Do you think it’s a good choice? I think its a joke

 

davbelle David Belle

Personally I like very much the work Paul Walker has done. The film will be a new experience for me and I look forward to working with him : )

 

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MatejSnopek Matej Snopek

Do you have any plans of creating a Parkour Academy, that is, a parkour “school” like the parkour generations have done?

 

davbelle David Belle

I would like very much to make a Parkour center for everyone to introduce people to Parkour. Maybe in a few years.

 

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vzlomali Suleimanova Dinara

hi wanted to ask sequel to will 13 district

 

davbelle David Belle

Ask away : )

 

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Kragenfaultiere Kragenfaultiere

Why is there no flip in real parkour? #parkour

 

davbelle David Belle

If you feel the need to do a flip in the moment then it exists. Do as you feel : ) It’s not useful but it still exists. For example, you can walk down the street and then do a roll all of a sudden. It’s not useful but you can still do it.

 

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sweet_meryl Meryl Swan

Bonjour Sir!!!have you ever been in love?at what age did you have your first crush on someone & who was your first crush?luv You:)

 

davbelle David Belle

I had my first crush at maybe 6 or 7. I will post a photo for you soon on twitter or facebook : )))

 

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EmergenceSports EmergenceSport

qu’est ce que la pratique du parkour peut apporter au monde de l entreprise, au niveau du management?

[What can the practice of Parkour bring to the business world at the level of management?]

 

davbelle David Belle

Plus de certitude dans le decision. Quand t’es sur de toi meme t’es plus fort.

[More certitude in the decisions. When you are sure of yourself then you are stronger.]

 

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AveryBallotta Avery Ballotta

as a university student, I find I don’t have the time I used to for training. How do I continue training with my busy schedule?

 

davbelle David Belle

Find an hour or two during the weekend. Go to the forest and move among the rocks and clear your mind from all your work.

 

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Ubisss Urania Bathista

Hi Dear David,the brazilian parkour community is very big.

 

davbelle David Belle

I have never been to Brazil but I want to visit : ))

 

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Ubisss Urania Bathista

… Are we taking the name of Parkour with honor and responsibility ? What do you know about the Brazilians teams ? #LoveYa …=)

 

davbelle David Belle

I have heard good things about your groups, just like groups in Mexico. They are responsible and the know what Parkour is. They don’t just do whatever. They know what it is to move and be careful.

 

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mrboxy271 Martyn

here’s my question :) where is your favourite place to train and why? :D

 

davbelle David Belle

My favorite place to train is the forest!! Amongst lots of trees and rocks : ))

 

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GiordanoCherini Giordano Cherini

hello. I’m from a small town in Brazil, one day you thought parkour would be seen around the world?

 

davbelle David Belle

I didn’t think Parkour would grow the way it has. I didn’t think that so many people had need of it. I thought that Parkour was interesting, but I didn’t think it would be so to so many people.

 

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KrlosGangrel Krlos Átila Oliveira

Hello David I’m a big fan ur! =]

 

davbelle David Belle

Merci. Tres gentil. That gives me inspiration to do ever better things for you in the next film : )

 

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Abudi_Alsagoff Abudi Alsagoff

any upcoming plan for a tour around the world? Come to Malaysia!

 

davbelle David Belle

Yes, I do have plans to due a world tour. I want to take photos of Parkour around the world : )

 

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yuuri19 rose ann mariveles

4 more hours xoxoxo

 

davbelle David Belle

Je suis la lol !!

[I am here lol !!]

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UnbelievableB Jack B

Here’s a question, What does parkour mean to you?

 

davbelle David Belle

Parkour is a way for me to grab onto life.

 

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jeanwainer Jean Wainer

David, is it you replying to the twits or is there someone in your behalf?

 

davbelle David Belle

When it is simple answers I do. And when they are more complicated answers I have a friend help me translate into English. But my answers are always from me. No one can think in my place for me.

 

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vzlomali Suleimanova Dinara

in his spare time what do you do that you love

 

davbelle David Belle

I like to go to museums : )

 

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sweet_meryl Meryl Swan

Sir i wanna do Parkour but there is no training centre around,i am a girl,my age is 22.what should i do?can i train myself alone?

 

davbelle David Belle

It’s better if you can find someone who has already done Parkour. Then they can teach you the base. After that you can train on your own. But to start it is very good to find someone to help you learn the base.

 

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itsathanasia Athanasia Ziogas

Bonjour de New York :) is there any chance you’ll visit us?

 

davbelle David Belle

Ouais! Un grand chance : ))

 

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Carlitos_Gut Carlos Gutiérrez

What do you think about daniel ilabaca’s philosophy expresed in “choose not to fall” video?

 

davbelle David Belle

I have not seen the video, but I know what you are talking about. If it works for him, and if he really thinks that when he moves, then he has found his method of functioning. Today one of the reasons I am more quite today is because I don’t believe that my philosophy is meant for everyone. It’s more important to follow your own path than to follow someone else. Everyone has their way of doing things, and it doesn’t necessarily work for everyone else. So be careful of philosophy. Everyone is going to find a way to express the same thing. In 10 years there may be 30 different philosophies of Parkour. One could say, “Always grab on” for example as a new philosophy. But those philosophies don’t change what Parkour is. The fact that people find different ways of describing what works for them is good for them and doesn’t bother me at all.

 

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ralphariel Ralph Lim

Is it possible to learn Parkour at the age of 22?

 

davbelle David Belle

Yes of course : )

 

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vzlomali Suleimanova Dinara

not too late for me to do parkour in 24 years

 

davbelle David Belle

No. Not too late : )

 

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Chrismovement Chris Zarkadoulas

I’l ask you a better question lol What advise would you give to a current practisioner of parkour?What do you think is important?

 

davbelle David Belle

To always be in a good energy. If you are tired or not in a good feeling then it’s not the best way to practice. Be strong in your mind and be ready and then it is more safe. Don’t ever lose the passion for Parkour : ) First learn to love what you do and then it will stay : )

 

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Dikarka18 Katerina Kapralova

What you can lift your mood and help you relax?

 

davbelle David Belle

I realize that we must be happy with what we have, because there are people who have nothing at all. It rains on the lives of everyone. So when it the weather is beautiful take advantage of it and enjoy life.

 

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hame44 David

Hi David. It is an honor to speak to You. Do You have plans for a world tour?

 

davbelle David Belle

Yes, I want to do a world tour to take photos of Parkour around the world : )

 

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marcelogaia7 Marcelo Gaia

any plan on coming to Brazil anytime soon? Not sure if you already answered that.

 

davbelle David Belle

I don’t have any plans but I would like to visit : )

 

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tchanakya94 chanakya

is your childhood as adventurous as now? How did Parkour bring about a transformation in you?

 

davbelle David Belle

Yes, when I was younger life was more adventurous. I traveled more.

 

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sweet_meryl Meryl Swan

i sorry if it irritate you but i am too much curious to ask you..Are you single?do you believe in marriage?you ever gonna sattle?

 

davbelle David Belle

Maybe. We will see : )

 

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hame44 David

Which religion do You believe in? :)

 

davbelle David Belle

In all the religions there are the good things to learn. But yes I believe in God : )

 

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yuuri19 rose ann mariveles

whats your favorite tricks in PK

 

davbelle David Belle

Big jumps are my favorite move. The sensation of arriving from above : )

 

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nameless_tracer Albert Pan.

can you please tell me a tip how to train my flow? and it would be cool, if you could visit munich ;)

 

davbelle David Belle

To work on flow? Link everything together. When you land keep moving. Don’t wait.

 

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hame44 David

Are You going to make a B 13 remake with Paul Walker?

 

davbelle David Belle

Oui !

 

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Fukkatsumi_Lee Anastasiya Sokolova

what makes you laugh?

 

davbelle David Belle

One Man Show the comics : )

 

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Calliope312 Nikki Banks

Hi!I’M Evi,today is my Birthday!)I’m 18.I wanted to ask about your new film with Paul Walker.how soon will it be in theatres?

 

davbelle David Belle

The film will be in theaters before the end of the world… I hope. Happy Birthday : ))

 

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daredvz d.v

have you ever had some injury that discouraged you and u started to think about doing parkour again or not

 

davbelle David Belle

Yes, injuries have happened like in all sports. And it caused me to think that maybe I should stop. But then the injury went away and I am back : )

 

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EmergenceSports EmergenceSport

quelle est votre approche des media sociaux? Comment les utiliser vous?

[What is your approach to social media? How do you use them?]

 

davbelle David Belle

Je n’utilise pas. J’en utilise vite : )

[I don’t use them. I use them quickly : ) ]

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davbelle David Belle

Merci a tous d’etre la et de poser vos questions. A la prochaine et a bientot : )))

[Thank you to everyone for your questions. Until the next time and see you soon : ))) ]

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The pits of the internet were dark and damp. It was a cold and somber night.

Slowly but surely, I crawled across page after page of Google search results for “Parkour clothing“. The numbers, they were many. Yet none returned the light this weary traveler sought. They were all frauds, simply stealing add-space for legitimate sites. As my eyes glazed over and my eyelids started to close, hope of a legitimate sight started to leave my grasp. A single tear was brought to my right eye. “This is it.” I thought, “This is the last page of the Google search results.” I had literally reached the end of Google. Nay, the end of the very fabric of existence so to speak! I had accomplished what no mere mortal should have ever been capable of. I TESTED THE LIMITS OF ZEUS HIMSELF. Even Odin, the god of death laid his sword at my side and knelt down upon a single knee.

It was now or never.

As I scrolled down through the blue links of hell, I came upon the final one. But this one. This particular link…

It was different. It seemed pure. It seemed…

Real.

My right index finger slowly crept the mouse towards the link, “Dare I click it?” My mind thought, “Nay. I should not. It will not lead my anywhere I have not once been.”

But then, that little ray of hope, broke over my subconscious. Buried deep inside after 5000 pages of search results. BUT THROUGH SHEER FORCE OF WILL it dug itself out and moved itself into the front of my brain.

It knew this link was special.
And this tired and weary solider clicked the link.

“takeflightapparel.com”

What was brought before me must’ve been the Elysian Fields the gods spoke of! Surely it could not be real!? But it was. In front of my my eyes and the stars themselves there it lie. Real Parkour clothing.

And the rest as they say…is history. =]

We recently asked our fans to tell us the best piece of advice they could give to people just starting to train Parkour. There were literally hundreds of responses and we put together a sample for our friends, fans, and readers.

Joshua Lissenden – Take it slow, never try something that is out of your skill range, and ALWAYS work up to something.

Chris Othoudt – Probably just take it slowly, and not rush into things that could seriously injure you, learn about what you’re doing and how to do it correctly. It takes a lot of time and practice to become good.

Cassidy Stinson – Don’t forget to stretch and do conditioning, and don’t start with big drops!

Victor Khizhnyak – Be consistent in your practice and exercise. Practice makes perfect :)

Adam Christie – Parkour is about pushing yourself to your own limits. Not somebody else’s. Start small, it may look comical or even stupid but you will end up at jumps that will make peoples jaws drop if you do so.

Andy Peeples – Anyone can do it, it’s just about whether or not you acknowledge it. It’s all about the mindset; if you know without a doubt you can complete what you’re doing, you’ll do it. If you doubt yourself: don’t.

Matt Hughes – Be safe, push your self but not to the point of break. And remember, always keep this with you. Pain is temporary quitting is forever, we all fall but true strength is determined on his recovery and the way you get up from that fall.

Josh Balbier – DO NOT think that because you have been practicing for a few hours that you are ready to take on 15ft drops onto concrete. Even though you may have the technique down, your body has to get used to all of the strenuous activity. That children, is called conditioning.

Tyler Harbin Giuntoli – The first obstacle is fear, the second skill, and the third strength.

Roberto Hernandez – If you don’t feel comfortable trying something, train, train, train it then try it

Darian Baehler – work hard to become what you want to be. Let nothing stand in the way of your dream.

Talon Wolfgang Brandel – Do not let your fear run your life. Control it.

Austin Elliott – Tuck and roll, train your core, always practice, enjoy what you do and have fun

Jay Price – Push your boundaries, but only a little at a time.

Nick Radanovic – Never give up!

Brandon Pineda – commit to something that you know you can do

Kevin Frens – Start with the basics, find your style and work from there!

David Toovey – Practice makes perfect :)

Michael Evans – Parkour is 70% mental 30% physical once you overcome the fear and do it right, there’s nothing stoppin’ you from being pro.

Jared Stockhaus – Always push for something more but know your limit don’t ever do something stupid just to impress

Alex Jolly – View your abilities as a bubble that expands as they grow. Push that bubble to hard and it will pop, leaving you injured or otherwise incapacitated. Train safe and smart. But most importantly, enjoy it.

Fuel Dubsteppin – its all about TECHNIQUE!! condition and progress slowly, practice makes PERMANENT, so learn and practice correct technique.

Allen Rounsley – Start small. Think big. Work with friends. Create your own moves. Most of all, have fun!

Lenny Danger Corbett – Progression is key, work on your basics first, landing, rolling etc. Then you can start thinking bigger.

Matthew Blanchard – Start small and low to the ground. You will progress much quicker if you don’t have to heal from an injury than if you go too big too quickly. Develop the mentality that “Failure is simply not possible” and you can do anything from any height.

Jacob Chung – Don’t worry about what people think, just work at your own pace and do what your comfortable with!

Larry Parkourmonkey Le – stay dedicated and you will unlock all you want to achieve; it is basically the key to the world of dreams XD

Jake Garner – Never feel bad when you watch all the pros online if you practice you will be there one day!

Justin Illusion Deffner – take it slow, work on the basics. I know that you want to do the big, flashy movements, and trust me, you will get there. But first, we have to condition your body to the point where it will do the movement itself. Every advanced move is based on a basic move, so let’s get those basics going :D

Héctor André Carlo – If you cant do something because you’re scared then try something smaller. If u keep practicing and not giving up then you’ll get it one day.

Jonchi D. Walter – Don’t practice Parkour. Live it. Respect it, and therefore respect your body. Know your limits. Safely surpass them. All people plateau, only some persist.

‘Constantly’ Konstantin Chernyshov – Remember to have fun! ALWAYS!!

Joeson Wong – Progression is the key.

Indiana Kuffer – Don’t climb up anything you can’t get down from!

Amplified Parkour – Oh and don’t forget to have fun…..JUMP FLY DREAM!!!!!!

Jeff Blouin – Train hard but train safely!

Justin Fowler – Practice hard, you get out what you put in!!

Kyle Brinegar – The best thing to do is to find your own flow, everyone has their own methods that may not work for everyone else Get comfortable with the way you want to run and then go from there :)

Bryan Zhu – Take mental risks, not physical ones.

Oliver Warlow – Judge it twice, jump it once.

Andrew Foster – fluid, beautiful movement is about confidence. If your mind is uncertain, then your body will move uncertainly. So train each movement until your confidence cannot be shaken. Then you can soar.

Star Donovan – It’s all about progression: You want to be doing moves for decades to come, not just today. With that in mind, scale movements to your own level. Also, we are a community. We help each other, so there is no shame in asking for a spot from someone.

We’d like to introduce the newest Take Flight athlete D’Ondrai Jones!

Starting with his discovery of Parkour in 2005, D’Ondrai has been training Parkour for over 6 years. Growing up he couldn’t find a sport that interested him. He loved climbing trees, jumping gaps, and exploring his environment. When D’Ondrai first saw the documentary “Jump Britain” he knew he had found his path.

D’Ondrai was born and raised in Texas and currently lives in a suburb of Dallas. The metropolis offers an endless variety of places to train and to teach. D’Ondrai loves sharing his passion for Parkour and reaching out to newcomers of the discipline. Teaching others offers him a chance to show others how Parkour can change their life the same way it has changed his.

D’Ondrai’s amazing skills and integrity support a positive image of Parkour and we are proud to welcome him to the Take Flight Street Team. We can’t wait to see what amazing things he will do!

 

Hawaii Parkour spreading awareness and cleanliness. Last month TF Partner Hawaii Parkour launched “Parkour Awareness Month and Ala Moana Park Clean Up”. This is great initiative aimed at cleaning up a local park where they hold regular classes. This was their thinking and their plan to carry it out .

The idea is very simple. If you have a favorite spot to train you should take care of it for a couple reasons:

- You want your spot to be maintained so you can continue to train there. You don’t want to worry about spilled soda or gum getting on your shoes and things like broken glass.

- If you train there often people will associate that spot with not only you, but other Traceurs and Parkour in general. In some areas we Traceurs are already labeled as vandals and simply cleaning up some trash can help change that stereotype. The more supporters we gain for Parkour the more places we will be allowed to train.

No matter where you are from or where you train, we are all part of the same global community. Every piece of rubbish you remove is one less negative thing in the world and one more positive spot on the planet. Show the people of your community how much you care about your training spots and do your best to leave no trace.

Check out the clean up and that day’s jam in the video below!

 

Music is a huge inspiration for almost everyone. We use it to pumped us up, and help us focus and quiet our minds. We use it for inspiration and to inspire creativity. We even use it to change our moods and energize our bodies when we exercise. Although the type of music one chooses for all of these things is a very personal choice, the idea of music percolates through all we do and it’s the same with Parkour.

This week we have decided to showcase the idea of music in the Parkour context. We’ll be touching on multiple themes all intended to enlighten and change the way you think about music. There are some songs that have already risen to the top of the Parkour world and become iconic in nature and we’ll be showcasing these songs and the videos behind them. Music choices for a Parkour video is another theme we will be touching on as the simple use or not use of a song can change a video’s theme, message, tone, feel, and overall impact.  We will also be showing some horrendous music choices that were chosen for comedy purposes and you’re guaranteed to laugh. Throughout it all this week you are going to hear a wide variety of music including hip-hop, rap, dub-step, techno, and more. And we are even going to include types of music that you may not expect.

This TF Facebook feature will be taking place via videos posts this week on the the Take Flight Facebook page from Wednesday through Sunday so keep your eyes and most importantly ears open and see what you can pick up. We think it will change the way you look at music in the context of Parkour, and it might even help you choose the next song for your own Parkour video.

Training Parkour can be quite safe when done properly, but no matter how careful we are sometimes accidents happen. Accidents can teach us that we were not being as safe as we should have been, while other accidents are just fluke events. Flow Team athlete Trevor de Groot recently suffered a major injury to his foot after a stroke of bad luck.

After climbing down off of a wall the top of the wall fell slamming down on his foot. This crushed his toes and he required 50 stitches! Trevor foot was completely out of commission for a couple weeks making training impossible.

This isn’t stopping Trevor though, “I plan on demonstrating that injuries should not stop Traceurs from progressing… Traceurs should never give up.” Trevor has been working his upper body and conditioning to keeping improving.

Take Flight athletes really are die hard. We are hoping Trevor has a swift and healthy recovery from this and in the upcoming weeks we will be posting training videos on the Take Flight Facebook page and blogs to keep fans up to date with Trevor’s progression.

“Now, is a great great time for Parkour!” – Matthew Lee Willis of Texas Parkour

It is the mission of Texas Parkour and the Parkour Federation to make the Austin Parks and Recreation Board of Officials see the truth in this quote. Over 2 months in the works, Take Flight Partner Texas Parkour has been trying to build support for building a Parkour park in Austin, Texas, and just recently they received news that the committee accepted their first round proposal! In only 2 weeks they will be giving a presentation that will determine the future of this project.

We are extremely excited for Texas Parkour and we are looking forward to supporting them throughout the process. For more information on the park and how to help and to show your support, visit Texas Parkour at the following sites:

Texas Parkour Home Page

Texas Parkour Parks

 

We are excited to have Jevin Dulak as our latest sponsored athlete added to the Take Flight Street Team!

Jevin first discovered Parkour in 2009 and has been a Take Flight fan since his beginning. In him we see a passion for Parkour that is rare and his loyalty to Take Flight is second to none. These are the exact qualities we look for sponsoring athletes, but Jevin wasn’t chosen for sponsorship just because he loves Parkour and Take Flight. Jevin is also an excellent role model for Traceurs and he is constantly giving back and contributing to the community by teaching others and spreading Parkour throughout his city and beyond.

One of Jevin’s current projects is helping develop Legacy Parkour and Freerunning; a team dedicated to reaching out in the community, and spreading the philosophies of Parkour to people young and old. He believes that much of his progress is due to the great Parkour community he has locally, so helping develop this team is a way for him to give back.

We are proud to sponsor Jevin Dulak and bring him on board as the newest member of the Take Flight Flow Team. Please join us in welcoming him and keep your ears peeled for more from this committed and giving Traceur.

This week Take Flight is bringing a tutorial showcase to help jump start your summer training! There are so many incredible Tracuers out there and many of them are incredible teachers as well. We will be posting dozens of informative videos on the Take Flight Facebook page over the next 3 days just for our fans. Whether you are working on perfecting your double kong to cat or simply trying to learn what “vault” even means, there will be some great tutorial videos just for you.

Many of us at Take Flight focus on pure Parkour movements, but who doesn’t love the occasion flip now and then. This tutorial showcase will include flips, flyaways, wall flips, and a host of other freerunning tricks that you fans ask about all the time. Keep in mind that just because you have watched a video enough times to memorize each frame, still doesn’t mean you can just go out and try it. Some of these movements, flips especially, can be dangerous if you do not train properly and follow correct progressions to build up to them. You should always train within your limits, and, if you can, work with an experienced instructor.

These videos will surely inspire you to work on building new skills and tricks over the summer. We will be showing you a so many tutorials from different athletes and teams it will be like a free summer camp! Be safe when you train. Jump, Fly, Dream!