Don't quit while you are ahead

I have had a good few days of progression, focus and gradual achievement. At times like these I am begginning to notice a little voice saying...."o.k shows over! you have had your fun, lets call it quits while you are ahead, so far you haven't got hurt but thats just luck!....so come on now lets call it a day before things get out of hand". It is a very insidious little voice and one that is scared of sucsess. So now more than ever I need to keep stepping up. Tommorrow is another opportunity for this so double classes again it is.

Today's focus was more on playing than training but it was definately another cool day.

Headed up to Kilburn Park for a few hours with my training partner who earnt the name Dolphin today:.)Before warming up she took me to the area where 'Visions' was shot. 'Visions' is the Julie Angel film that follows a group of traceurs (Forrest, Stephane, Yann, Kaz and Thomas)exploring this very cool and diverse spot. The movement content is as impressive as much of the other good Utube edits(if not more so). However, its the unpolished, behind the scenes feel that totally made me fall for the video. Through it we see their thoughts played out across their faces, the first, second, third attempts at ideas, the endless permutations of a route, each traceurs personal flow, their decisions to go, even their decisions to not go. It seems there is such a level of confidence in their technique that we see them really play and this leads us to also see their individual intention and personality. You can't help but want to know what it felt to live a day like that. I think it would be like a second childhood, like becoming a little sentient creature again free to roam around with a sense of time and possibilities being boundless.

Seeing the spot in the flesh was so exciting, (more exciting than the Dam du Lac!), in the same kind of way as when you go to New York and feel like your in a film 24/7. It's my absolute hands down favourite Parkour film EVER and is stored in my memory banks in an almost mythic category. So mythisized in fact that I assumed that it was in some remote part of a Parisian suburb despite it quite clearly being Kilburn!.
I reckon when these traceurs move through spaces in such ways they change the space itself and give it an otherworldlyness. Maybe I couldn't recognise the location as this otherness had captured my imagination so much that I lost touch that this ever happened in a 'real' space in the first place. I could even hear the music from the film....'life is beauuutifaal, life is beeautifaal!'and at that moment I really believed it.......... i'm am very tired so i'm rhapsodising however I really mean it.

TODAY'S CHALLENGES

-Walk the length of the long round railing at Kilburn. DONE
I have to admit I was utterly frightened as it feels high (but isn't!) but I had total focus and determination to stay, to stay, to stay.
Einmal ist keinmal so I did it twice.
-Underbar practise. Loads and loads for fluidity and economy. Very fun.DONE
-We did other small precisions, balances, quadripedie practices and vaults to keep embedding the movement bit by bit.

OTHER THOUGHTS:
Watched Dolphin hunt out a cat leap, decide on it, psych herself up for it, wrangle with it mentality and eventually bail. Observing the whole process from the outside whilst knowing very well what it must have felt inside was fascinating. However it seemed a bit cruel at moments looking on silently as someone struggled and I wanted to be able to help her out with a pearl of wisdom or a confidence boost. I guess you always jump (or don't jump!) alone or "just me, myself and I" as Dolphin put it.

To Dolphin, you may have bailed but you are at least much closer to achieving it than I was just sitting there so good for you!. You will do it soon and the triumph will be all yours!. Or you can take up that guys incredibly generous offer to impart his infinite wisdom for just 10 quid an hour...because I'm sure watching other people while he smokes dope from his window makes him an expert.:.)