On the road
again, this time towards Croatia. One long week to come after five days in the upsidedown
realm. The handbalancing internship is over.
I had never
spent such a long time on my hands in a week. Double session everyday for 5
days. Surprisingly my body was more sore in the second day than in the last. (one
session per day is ok, but two 3+ hour each is a marathon).
Tough stuff but interesting to see how fast my
body readapted to that volume of work. Once the prehab is done right, the joints
are healthy and the torso can support the weight of the body for endless time
with minimal fatigue - It just feels like a long hike. You feel the fatigue but
the body can take it and can keep going. However, after every long break it needs
some minutes to get back into the zone.
I was
living with 8 partners in crime in a commune that looked like a horror circus -
Animakt. Old cracking wood everywhere, weird mechanisms to open the doors and a
light system with its own will. A perfect place to tell stories in the evening
and to practice hard during the day.
All my
companions were very easy going and I have enjoyed their company.
The room we
used to practice was a flat stage made of a cold surface perfect to counter
balance the heat coming from the outside.
Yuval
dedicated the first part of each day to practice some basics. It all started
with some mobilization and prehab for wrists and shoulders to then look into
some basic position holds and entries to handstands. Full position, small and
full tuck, small and full straddle and so on – looking at lines, body and hand
positioning for optimal development. We did not miss also different wall holds progressions
and blindfolded material.
In the
afternoon the practice moved more towards advanced bits of practice, going from
dynamic positions into one armed elements. My left arm is catching up with the
right, and I can finally hold 4 consistent seconds. Now the work goes into
cleaning up the full position and the small straddle. By my birthday 4th
oct – 2017 I am going to post a 10 secs on the right and 10 secs on the left in
the same set. I am going to give my best into this and let’s see what happens.
Overall I
am satisfied with the days and the principles I am isolating from all this
work. By my understanding so far, a strong labor on the basics as well as a
high frequency is necessary before getting into more advanced work. Rushing towards
complex elements leads to injuries, frustration and chronic plateaus on the
long term. As usual, getting along with people that traced part of the road
before us is the best idea.
After the internship,
I went to Fountainbleau with no water and no food since I had one day
completely free and I did not want to waste time thinking about that. Fasting
is great to save time.
Of course,
I had no idea on how to get back from the forest to Paris nor if the place I
got to was the correct one to meet my friends from parkourone. It obviously
turned out perfectly – found the water in an old cemetery and met all the guys sooner
than later.
Thomas also
turned up at the middle of the day and we had a great training between the high
rocks and the magical trees. He has been leading us through his environment
climbing some routes, jumping some hard jumps, dealing with heights and tricks
for the mind. A pressure no pressure very old style, in a mixture between being
playful and being dead serious. Sometimes because you could die in your imagination
and a moment after because you could seriously die if you don’t focus enough.
Genuine sessions,
loved them. In the evening Thomas hosted me and made me feel home. He has been
a great host, we talked about our practices, our travels and got some practical
advices I can’t wait to apply. Hope I can come back soon to visit brother!
Yes, it was
only one day, but what does ‘only’ mean? Our time is limited, one day can worth
more than many. Time is a perception.
Marcello.
