From Free Writing to Parkour

March! Two months–and challenges–complete, ten to go.

In February, I set out to write one thousand words a day. A lofty regimen and healthy challenge for someone who normally doesn’t write that much.

I ended the month in the same way I started the month, by free writing. For about twenty minutes, I typed out the first thing that came to me, regardless of grammar, style, inhibition or spelling. Regardless of how ridiculous or incoherent it sounded in my head.

Free writing is more about the act of writing than anything else. It’s about letting the mind wander into new territories. It’s about letting go. Yesterday, just after I had written my final words of the month (something about Steve Jobs, chickens and the rumba), I made a note to try free writing more often. It’s a great way to start the day.

With two challenges under the belt, it’s time to step things up a notch. In March, I will study and practice the sport/philosophy of parkour.

From the Wikipedia page:

Parkour is a utilitarian discipline based upon the successful, swift and energy-efficient traversing of one’s surrounding environment via the practical application of techniques, based around the concept of self-preservation and the ability to help others. It is a non-competitive, physical discipline of French origin in which participants run along a route, attempting to negotiate obstacles in the most efficient way possible, using only their bodies. Skills such as jumping, climbing, vaulting, rolling, swinging and wall scaling are employed. Parkour can be practiced anywhere, but areas dense with obstacles are preferable, and it is most commonly practiced in urban areas. The usage and employment of flips into the named route does not constitute parkour.

The main characteristics of parkour are speed and efficiency, both which require physical prowess, spatial awareness and, of utmost importance, the ability to minimize short and long-term injuries.

I’ll be taking the month of March to learn about parkour, to practice some moves, to post hilarious videos of my trying aforementioned moves and, of course, to have fun.

As always, if any of you are interested in participating with me, please get in touch!

Happy goal-setting / challenge-crushing. I’ll check in soon.

10 thoughts on “From Free Writing to Parkour”

  1. Awesome. Parkour is a lot of fun and I wish you good luck. I’m glad you mentioned safety. I began practicing parkour 2 years ago, sadly without enough emphasis on safety. I came down from an 8 foot jump and broke my left ankle, which took a year to get back into working order.

    I don’t say this to deter you. A lot of people told me, “Well that will teach you not to jump off of walls,” and I’ve already responded, “No, that’ll teach me to jump off of walls the right way.”

    1. Thanks for chiming in, Drew! Any tips? Not sure I’ll be keen on doing an 8ft. jump, but we’ll see. Any particular resources you consulted when first starting out?

  2. As I noted before, I’m on board for Jan & Feb (post forthcoming) but this run into walls thing sounds like it will inevitably bruise and break me. Mostly cause I run into walls anyways, without training. 😉

    Look forward to seeing how your March goals & adventures unfold!

  3. Love the idea of… “Free writing is more about the act of writing than anything else. It’s about letting the mind wander into new territories. It’s about letting go”
    I can see a certain similarity with Parkour, where you move forward with a momentum that deals with the obstacles as you travel. Wishing you well.

  4. That is an excellent idea. I always wanted to improve my writing, I even bought books to guide me through effective writing. I will try this new challenge of writing a thousand words a day. I will let you know if my writing improves in a month.

  5. If I will not be conscious of my grammar, I might end up mastering wrong usage of English. Although you say it is free writing I think at the end of our writings we still need to check and edit.I hope that is what you meant.

  6. I wonder where on earth you will be demonstrating your parkour ability. Will it be in place where temperature is below freezing point or in the desserts of Africa? Loooking forward to see your pictures and videos showing your survival skill.

  7. English is only my second language. Sometimes I have to think in my native language and translate in mind. Doing so takes me longer time to respond than an English speaker. I am hoping that by improving my writing skills following your method my spoken English will also improve.

  8. What do you suggest I do to have a point of inspiration to write? I envy those who can write articles and more so those who can write novels. The moment I start to think about writing I just freeze and my mind turns blank.

  9. I am not really a lot interested into sports but i think this one i would really love to try. I would like to ask, is Parkour is a stress free kind of sport? You did not mention you will have an opponent here? Good luck to your Parkour practice. I am also loving you free writing advice. I’m keeping them, Thanks!

Leave a Reply to Elisa Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *