Stallone Legacy

Rocky. Rambo. The essence of these two characters has been with me since childhood. Now a man, these films exemplify courage, strength, free will. Far too many qualities to be listed. What I witnessed was the realization of man. You can't deny what is. What you are.

For an 'old man' Stallone has got some moves. He can probably out run me. Hard as iron.

The old methods are used and highlighted. The raw fact that sometimes you have to do things you normally wouldn't do. In America I see complacency. Weakness and groveling. I see the brutal reality in other parts of the world.

These films conveyed the importance of trusting my instinct. My will to survive. To be different from the rest in order to forge myself in the fires of life. To become a man. To become a weapon. When order ceases to exist, what will you do in those precious moments? Does your lifestyle actively prepare you for disaster? For uncountable forces butchering everything like dogs. Reducing your cities to ashes. Raping your women, your children.

People can be made into monsters. What's your choice?

This can indeed happen in the blink of an eye. Don't lie to yourself by saying it would never happen to you.

Winter Solstice

This becomes a time of reflection usually inclined to the more negative associations and perception, while this year I have realized a more certain focus, and gained strength from this years accumulated experience. A stoic reminder to the fact that experience points function exponentially in the forging and shaping of our overall character. There is very much to be gained from the acceptance of reality, of everything defined in nature and within whatever you happen to be experiencing. This new path I began tracing in 2007 fills me intensely with the strength I need to prevail and overcome every obstacle I encounter. This path stretches onward, reaching into the very core of my self to ignite the very passion of life.

It is curious to find this level of awareness with myself; a certain functional application in my outputs and subjective experience. For example, almost everything I spend my money on has a practical purpose or objective. This really goes beyond the rather meaningless practices of the 21rst centuries consumer society.

Training the other day in the city left me quite sore over the last few days. I honestly believe I've hit my next evolution...a more vertical leap in my abilities. Rest to begin the winter and it's feasting, and a gradual conditioning with the unique climate of New England, has proven itself to be a powerful ally in my quest. Parkour...the art of movement. "think economy of motion" or "It is like a finger pointing to the moon...' --*finger***---->moon // "...don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all the heavenly glory." -Bruce Lee

Winter Comes

Winter quickly approaches. The wind is ferocious, the ground is frozen, ice makes itself known on our landing surfaces.

It will be interesting training over the next few months. Combating the elements will bring me to a whole new level.

I have begun capturing video of some training sessions. Much of the time I randomly practice parkour and it's not an official training session so there isn't always a camera present.

Whatever happens over the winter, I will give it my very best effort. My goal is to be capable come spring for some very intense training. Spring will mark a full year of consistent training, and it will then be time to step it up a thousandfold. That's where the men get seperated from the boys.

I'm Back

Training has been going very well for me over the last few weeks. My over use injuries have healed and I have been easing my way back into serious parkour training. For a month or so I was definately unable to train, which left me with many mixed feelings about alot of things. However now that I am back in action I am so much more appreciating of my abilities, the people I've trained with, and everything.

This local traceur and I have actually taken some crude video footage of some techniques. That is exciting and entirely beneficial because it allows you to actually see what you are doing. Definately a huge help.

So things are great. My flow has improved, along with my creativity. I am more capable than ever before in the movements of parkour. It still amazes me how parkour transends into all other aspects of my life.

Being back home in CT brings me before all those people I left behind. Just about everyone of them sorta got left in my dust...in that they still do nothing but party and sit around or whatever. Then there I am doing planche/handstands while they watch some television. I don't tell them to do it, but there is a slight interest that is growing in them to ACT rather than merely REACT in life.

I really want to thank those PK-Cali folks I trained with, it had such a profound impact on my life. David up here in New Britian keeps me on my feet learning new things. Zeno, if you read this know that those conditioning videos you share are probably the most helpful advice I apply in this journey.

Stay tuned for the encounter with David Belle coming up in the beginning of October.

back in my lands

It's good to be home though I have been out of contact with most everyone since my return. Things will float closer to normality soon enough. Beware the black hole that is connecticut.

Tracuer Down

I live parkour. Many of us seem to flow into that mentality, which is why I spend so much time talking about conditioning, to the great annoyance of my companions. My rule of thumb is to train ninety percent of the time in terms of strength, endurance, flexibility, etc... while actually practicing the preferred athletic, (in my case parkour and martial arts) a mere ten percent of the time. WwhaaAATT???

This summer I've seen just about every tracuer I know go down in one fashion or another. Be it the need for them to wear a cast all summer, or a decision to take it easy for awhile because of over use injuries/pain. That is where I fall in, over use. Thankfully I'm smart enough to realize that and have been laying up for awhile. Anyways, it is crucial to have enough rest time for your body to fully recover. It is imperative that your body is conditioned well enough to handle the rigorous demands of practicing your athletic, especially parkour.

Yesterday I did a bit of practice, not much really because I need to rest for longer. WOW what a difference! One goal of mine this summer was to go from a planche to a handstand, while maintaining total control. Yesterday I did it for the first time. After resting and having a clear mind the technique was literally effortless for me. Therein lies the danger...

A fellow tracuer saw the progression accomplished on two wooden posts that were about three feet high. I went from a controlled L-sit into the planche, into a handstand, then back down. This tracuer stopped doing conditioning, (dips and whatnot) and attempted the move. I turned away for only a moments time, and when I came around to see what he was doing I expected to see him working on dips. I see him with his feet high up in the air, one arm bent more than the other; both bent completely under the load. A half a second later...

Time slowed down to a crawl as I watched in horror as my friend, my comrade, began to fall forward. I would swear that his arms didn't move at all to brace him. They couldn't. Shock does that to you. His legs were unable to come around to take his fall. His face smashed into the concrete below him, and I knew fear. The look in a mans eyes when the walls of reality come crashing down. The look of realization that this is for real. Life is real and it means more to us than any possession ever possibly could.

Had he not been at the level of performance ability that he is, had he been a lesser man; he easily could have broken his neck. Then what? A life is precious. A life can be lost that quickly. That suddenly, total muscle failure occurred in this mans arms. There is naught to be done about that reality, your body completely shuts down. He didn't know his capability or his limits. This is from lack of conditioning. Conditioning brings you an uncanny awareness of yourself.

It is absolutely vital to all athletes; training. You must be one hundred and fifty percent committed and certain with what you do. Train your body religiously to DO what you demand of it, and it will respond. Do not expect progress overnight, or even over-month. Anyone can vault a rail, or jump from point A to point B. You must take those movements to a higher level, constantly striving to perfect each and every technique, however insignificant it may seem. Mastery takes a long time to achieve, do not be so foolish as to assume you have some special ability because you have had some pale achievements in your short lifespan.

I challenge every warrior among us to think on these things. I challenge you to live by those ideals, as you realize they must. Come to your own conclusions, decide your own training methods. Nobody knows you but you. Train accordingly.

Looking Within

My rest has been an experiance so far, as my body craves action. For awhile I was misled about how to handle my ankle and knee pains. I was listening to my body and my intuition, however I had to keep researching other sources to find out if I'm injured or not. That's all trash inside my head, preventing me from recovering.

Nobody, no doctor, would know my body better than me. If I can only choose to listen to myself and have the courage to look inside myself for the answer, and accept the responsibility of the Truth I know. Fortunately my pains are just from overuse, not enough rest. There is no injury, no swelling, I can bear weight, my joints in question do not buckle under weight, and the pain is very mild. I am also well aware of the need to recover from these mild discomforts, because they could easilly get worse in time and ignorant usage... The point is to atop seeking answers outside yourself, from other people... your answers are within. Don't be afraid, for fear is a natural emotion like the clouds and rain overhead. Fear keeps you alive.

The time I spend idle has left me with nothing much to do accept meditate on various concerns of mine. I'm actually glad I have this rest period ahead of me, it will allow me to really decide on important matters that have been on my mind. It will also grant me an opportunity to begin my training anew, fully recovered and very eager to get sweaty everyday.

The thing is, there are some realizations that every warrior must know. The first lesson to train and meditate on: Get rid of ALL the junk 'thoughts' in your mind. A junk thought is one that prevents you from being completely in the moment. Life is not the future, life is not impressing someone else, life is not in the past, life is right now and once this moment is gone it's never coming back. There is never 'nothing' going on.

When you are grounded in the moment, it's Zen like, or whatever earthly label you call it. It's like 'Neo' in The Matrix being able to do anything impossible. The important thing is the awareness of that moment, the Move or Technique the martial artist is performing. Don't think about it...Do it.

A warrior does not ever give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does. Being injured like this is the essence of the warrior; absolute vulnerability, the only true courage. Choose to be a victim, or anything you'd like to be. Life is a choice.

So as I lay around to rest my legs, I can only think. I think that I love this, this part of life. I am alive while I lay there thinking. I realize that happiness, success, it's a journey. The journey itself is what brings us happiness, not the destination. The battles a warrior faces are not on the outside. The battles we fight are on the inside, for peace. The battle to be happy, without a reason in the world.