Training at night
Originally posted on his blog - check it out there too!
A seasoned traceur will know and understand that parkour is only about 30 or 40% physical, give or take. Even if you’ve only been training a short while, if you’ve ever stared down the barrel of a scary jump, you’ll know.the major aspect of parkour is mental. And so, today we will be discussing the importance of incorporating night training sessions into your regular training.
A big part of parkour is, challenging the mind to overcome various mental obstacles: whether that be fear, uncertainty, low confidence, overconfidence, concentration, the list goes on. In parkour (and life in general) we are obstacles to ourselves. Often we are our own worst enemy, throwing self doubt, super criticism or whatever else in our own path.
Through training parkour we can condition and train the body all we want, but in the end it is up to how strong we are mentally. Training during the night can help improve ourselves both physically and mentally.
The obvious benefits of training at night include:
- It’s quieter.
The quiet of the night can be very tranquil and pleasant experience, The quietness of the night can get you into a state of meditation, and aid concentration.
- It’s cooler
This means you can generally play for longer without overheating and burning in the sun. No chance of sunburn is a large plus for many people! Training in Australia many of us have to worry about sunburn. At night don't need sunscreen so no greasy slippery hands while out and about.
- It’s less busy and chaotic.
Night training can potentially open up areas where you couldn’t normally train because business hours may be busy or chaotic.
- There are less people around.
That means you can train longer and harder without having to worry as much about gawkers watching you like a performing monkey
Ok, so let me break this down further...
Quiet Time
Night training can often be quieter, depending on where you are based. On Chapel St, maybe not? ) As the sun sets, generally, the sounds of the city (or town) are lessened, and less of a distraction. No distant cars, no buzzing chatter. You are left alone: to yourself and your training. You can hear your footsteps and movements as you run, jump, leap, climb. This means you can monitor the impact you are making as you contact the ground.
I assume you know that a quiet landing is a good landing. This isn’t a principle just for precision jumps, it’s true for every single movement you do. Whether that is r jumping or vaulting or running or walking.The quieter the movement, the greater control you have over your body.
Be the ninja that people associate with parkour!. Aim to get your movements more silent then a ninja would be. This isn’t just roleplay doing drills like this will allow you to focus on your body, and train with greater control and intent.
Without the sounds of day to distract you can listen to your breathing focus on it. Are you panting? Is your breath regular? Is it efficient? Efficient breathing is important for controlling oxygen levels into the body, and gaining more from your training.
“But night time is dark… I can't see my jumps very well. “
With limited visibility at night, shadows can play tricks with your mind. Obstacles or movements that you would usually find easy now have an added element of fear, and challenge.
With the change of lighting conditions or the lack of visibility, allows you to train and experience different circumstances that you may not have encountered. If it is something you haven't encountered then it becomes a new challenge!! How do you approach this new challenge in a way that is manageable and safe?
Training at night can help your confidence in movements during the day. As I said at the beginning, we often face mental blocks in training. By strategically adding more mental blocks in your training (by training in the dark, for example)you can help tackle some of the mental blocks that may occur in the light - because things may not be as scary in comparison.
Staying safe.
As you can see, I’m all for training at night! I’d recommend it to everyone. Unfortunately, it is easier said than done. I know not everyone feels safe at night,and many people face more threats than others.
Please be safe when incorporating night training. You can always train with friends, or or let people know where you will be. You can chose to train only in well lit or well populated areas. Whatever you need to do to stay safe.
Staying safe also refers to how you train. Take time to adjust to the change of circumstances, and listen to your body. As always, know your limits. Start small and building up slowly, just like everything else in your training. Stay humble, and open to the experience.
Thanks for reading.
Chunny
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