Where to learn parkour or other unusual sports?
There was a fun article in the Saratogian today about a commercial being shot by Empire State College that features a parkour expert bounding through -- and above -- downtown Saratoga (check out the photos).
What's parkour? The Wikipedia entry describes it as an activity in which "participants jump, vault, and climb over obstacles in a fluid manner." The video embedded above shows a bunch of (crazy) examples. And here's more from a a How Stuff Works article.
This all prompted Steve to email:
[Are there] any parkour/freerunning gyms or groups in the area? It's something I've wanted to get involved in for years now, but I've never had much luck finding anything locally other than a few Facebook groups that don't seem that active. Plus, health care costs being what they are, I'd rather learn from someone that knows what they're doing and not someone that learned some basics on the Internet.
This seems like it could be a tough one. So, we'll widen it a bit to include groups or gyms that do training for any sort of odd or unusual sport.
Any ideas or suggestions? Please share.
Earlier on AOA: In 2008, Jess checked out a gym in Albany where people work out by doing stuff like flipping huge tires and dragging heavy chains
Say Something!
We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.
Comments
my kitten is pretty good at parkour, especially around my bed when i'm trying to sleep
... said patrick on Jun 30, 2010 at 4:50 PM | link
Email Chris DelSavio , he trains in the albany area, and he knows what he's doing.
Zac
... said Zachary cohn on Jul 1, 2010 at 12:31 AM | link
On a semi-related note- this may sound weird, but I want to learn fencing and swordfighting. However, my searches have turned up nothing in the area as far as lessons, and I'm pretty bummed.
... said Summer on Jul 1, 2010 at 1:16 PM | link
@Summer: wouldn't the Fencing For All: Capital District Fencing School be a good start. Please keep me posted, I used to fence a lot as a kid, and this is a sport I'd like to take photos of. Thanks.
... said -S on Jul 1, 2010 at 1:53 PM | link
@S, just saw your response, dunno why I missed it before.
I can't believe I didn't turn that up in my searches! Thanks for the info, I'll be sure to check it out.
... said Summer on Aug 9, 2010 at 9:54 AM | link