My training for last year was focused more on control and getting my body stronger. For this year... hmm... get even more strong and... yeah, that's about it. We should all be focusing a lot more on strengthening and conditioning than all the techniques and movements... cause once you got a strong body, the movement comes easy after.
I'm training by example. Meaning if I want to keep training for as long as possible, look at the guy with the most years behind him. So take either one of the french guys that have been there since the beginning. How did they start?? What did they actually do and focused on in the beginning? Well, nothing like most of the so called traceur do today. Most people today, they all want to advance fast, always rushing. Rushing for what though?? Why are they in such a hurry? To get a commercial deal? To get sponsored? To get recognition? Like a good friend of mine says... rushing = injury. Simple as that. So you can forget about longevity if you have that kind of attitude and approach to your training... which unfortunately is most people nowadays.
Even though I have a good basic strength level, I don't feel like my body is conditioned enough. Unlike a lot of people, I'm the type that most often underestimate himself. So I tend to do things at a lower level then my current level.
And to add something else. What you see on the videos and what you see in real life with me is the same(well actually you see less in the videos). I don't make a video with the intention of making it strictly parkour or whatever. That's just how I move. That's what comes natural to me. I didn't mold myself to fit the parkour definition. Nope. And I didn't and still don't mold myself to all the recognised parkour movements... meaning, when I go somewhere with the intention of just moving, I don't tell myself "oh I'm gonna do this here and that there"... no, I just tell myself, "I'm gonna go there and then there. Oh that place is nice, let's go there too" and then I just go there and do what comes natural to my body. Adapt your body to the environment. For the most part, what you see in my videos are things I do once. I don't own a camera so I can't just go outside one day and say "I'm gonna film myself today". Most of the footage is just random shots taken by other people at a meet. I'd say my strong point is adaptability more then anything else... at least thats what I think.
- Dim Monk
Tags: dim monk 2006 steven ottawa canada
