The Philosophy
Parkour is a movement discipline based on moving around our environment, including jumping, balancing, vaulting, running, climbing, swinging, rolling and more. It is non-competitive and, in my view at least, it is about the process of challenging and bettering yourself and your ability to move than whether you are better than other people (or maybe even what you are physically able to do). I love it because of its variety and because of the mental aspects, such as working with fear, discomfort and anxieties.
My approach to parkour is both serious and playful. If we’re going to do something we should do it properly, but that doesn’t mean giving it 100% physical effort all the time. Playing is serious business too! Playful training, both in mindset and in games, is important for feeling relaxed, present and alive. Play is undervalued in our society. We should cultivate our playful side, whether in an individual playful way of moving or in group games.
At the same time, games are a serious training tool for being ready; you can push yourself and work at your limits in a game of tag for example, ready for a real-life situation in which you need to run and escape, and group tag games (such as capture the flag) are useful spatial training for a multiple-person fight situation.
I think parkour is more about learning how to move than learning individual movements. With challenges, a fundamental part of parkour, I think the challenge process is more important than whether you complete it. ‘Fitness’ should be about what you are able to do and how you feel. I think feeling good and enjoying it is more important than looking good or focusing on a faster times/heavier weights/further distances/etc. I don’t care about big jumps or instagram fame; I’m here to train to be physically capable and mentally well.
I don’t think that parkour is everything; I have a more holistic approach to movement and ‘fitness’ and also go running, swimming and dabble in martial arts. In the past I’ve also done some dancing and theatre, including using parkour in theatre.
About Me
My name’s Alex. I’ve been practising parkour since I was 17 and coaching since I was 20, when I started the Oxford Parkour Community. I’m now in late-mid-twenties and have coached hundreds of parkour sessions since then, including regular sessions for children and adults, choreographing theatre productions and bespoke workshops at events.
I coach regular sessions with Foucan Freerunning Academy, based in Hammersmith, London, coaching classes for children, teenagers and adults. I have also previously worked with Free Your Instinct, a charity working with parkour for mental health.
In my non-parkour life, I studied law at university and then moved to London, and my other jobs have included working as a legal researcher and a job in politics.
Contact me at parkour@alexmay.co.uk.