Final Reflections on Parkour in Chile

The long bus ride home gave me a chance to reflect on the action-packed weekend and on my previous 3 weeks in Chile. Thinking back on it, the jam served as the perfect ending for my time in Chile. The “vibes” that I felt going through the traceurs throughout the weekend were very similar ones to what I had been feeling my entire time in Chile. While Chile doesn’t have a large parkour presence on the internet compared to some of it’s other South American neighbors, the atmosphere surrounding the parkour scene that I had seen is perhaps one of the most unique and inviting that I’ve experienced. Danny Ilabaca (widely seen as the best traceur in the world at the moment) said something similar after his visit to Chile a few months before I went there, but there is definitely something special about Chile. While I hesitate to refer to it as “innocent” or “pure” it definitely seems to have been “untainted” by a lot of the commercialism that seems to have affected the sport in other countries.

While the Parkour School in Viña del Mar and Santiago is a testament to this (totally free, open to anyone, training in urban or natural environments) this is far from the only example. The work being done by other teams like Nelquihue in La Concepcion also shows this spirit of openness and resourcefulness (the 2-day jam cost 1000 pesos, about $2). While part of this may be due to the fact that there seems to be a huge resistance to “paying for parkour” in South America, I think that it is also due to something about the “Chilean personality” and the fact that this part of the world has been largely “undiscovered” by the rest of the parkour world. After all, it was only after much perseverance and resourcefulness by Carlos and other traceurs in Chile that Ilabaca came over in the first place, and my stop was because I wanted to take advantage of a free stop on my around-the-world ticket.

Although the timing of my visit was pure chance, I managed to be in the country at what now looks like a turning point in Chilean parkour. A few weeks after my visit, Parkour School opened up its third branch (Viña del Mar, Santiago, and now La Concepcion). The connections that were made at the jam between the different cities and organizations have been very important, and as usual, Carlos’s energy and enthusiasm is contagious. From the pictures and updates that I’ve been getting from friends in La Concepcion, things seem to be going very well and the “school” has been very well received by the city’s youth.

One of the goals of my project is to go around the world and see how different parkour organizations work and to try to take the parts that work well back with me to the States in the eventual goal of opening up a parkour academy in Boston. While there are a lot of things that I’d like to take back with me from Chile, unfortunately a lot of them are cultural, and would be pretty hard to bring back to the States. That being said, things like Carlos’s EVAUTILE program are possible to bring with me. Yes, there are a few modifications that would need to be made for cultural differences, but on the most part, it’s a model that can be followed in most countries around the world.



A big shout-out and thank you to Carlos for all his help throughout my visit.  Muevete!

Construction of a Spot

One of the other big highlights of my time in Viña del Mar was my last day with the Parkour School. That day the “training session” was a bit different than normal. After a delicious home cooked meal with his family, Carlos and I stopped by the hardware store to pick up some metal wire before heading over to the meeting spot. We arrived to find the motley band of Friday “usuals”, plus a few more that had come along to help out after hearing that it would be a “abnormal practice session”.


En route to the spot.

 After a quick bus ride to the edge of town and a short walk up a dusty unpaved road we made our way to the entrance of the “Secret Spot”. I had been to this spot the week before for one of the classes and had been struck by the ingenuity of the location. It had started as a small clearing surrounded by an impenetrable mass of trees, blackberry brambles, and thorned plants that look like something taken out of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Lost World or the “Avatar” film. A few months earlier Carlos and some of the other traceurs had cleared out the clearing and made a few obstacles out of fallen trees and loose branches. The surrounding wall of foliage and 5-inch thorns ensured that one could practice in peace, and could enhance the spot without having to worry that random trouble-makers will come to destroy one’s handiwork.


Just a normal clearing at first appearance.

 The objective of the day was to improve the spot, and although I knew this going in, I was rather surprised by the way that Carlos gave the directions. I was expecting something more calculated and directive than the simple instructions of “Today the goal is to make your spot better. If you see something that you’d like to add or change, do it. If you need help, ask for it. Work together to build your spot.” I was pretty apprehensive about how much “improvement” would result from a load of young teenagers armed with a hammer, a saw, a bag of nails, some metal wire, and a bunch of old computer cables. However, by the end of the day I was speechless.

The kids all set to work immediately in different areas of the clearing to work on their visions and while wandering around watching them I spotted the perfect spot to rig up a series of lachées (I hadn’t yet been able to find a suitable spot to do lachées during my time in Viña and missed real scaffolding to swing on).



Clearing space.

Carlos and I set about finding suitable trees to build it and ended up enlarging the clearing a bit at the same time (the only time that I saw Carlos or any of the kids depart from the “leave no trace” attitude, which seems to be very strong in Viña). 

Carlos and I "logging" for more good branches.

 When Carlos and I emerged 20 minutes later drenched in sweat and carrying 4 small trees trimmed and cut to specifications, we found that in our absence the students had already set up a number of obstacles and were busily hammering and sawing away. I enlisted a few of the more curious ones to help with the lachées, something that was really intriguing to them since it was relatively unexplored movement, and was pleased to find that they didn’t hesitate to offer advice or ask questions about what was going on.


Hard at work.



Building up a new vault.


After an hour and a half, covered in sawdust, sap, and sweat, we stepped back to look at our handiwork. What had been a decent spot before was now one of the best spots that I’ve trained in on my trip so far- complete with a seemingly infinite combination of vaults, lachées, kongs, and precisions of all variations. While I have a special affinity for training in the forest and in trees, this was beyond my wildest dreams.


Trying out the new and improved spot.

 

Enjoying thier handiwork.



So I couldn't resist seeing if the new bars were good for working on my back lever.


Unfortunately we only got to train on it for a little while since Carlos and I had to get back to his house to change, shower, and pick up our stuff before we headed to the train station for an all-night bus ride to La Concepcion (next post).



Group huddle and reflection.



Carlos, the man responsible for all this...

 The best part of this experience was not the fact that I got to live my childhood dream of making a play spot in the woods outside the jurisdiction of parental control. Instead it was the fact that I got to witness firsthand the effect that the “class” had on the students. Not only were they getting the positive physical effects of parkour, but I felt like I could see them growing and maturing before my eyes. By giving the “students” the reins in the creation of the spot, Carlos had effectively ensured that they would be invested in its responsible use and upkeep. It was not just one more spot to train parkour, it was “their spot” that had resulted from their own sweat and hard work. While I doubt that this experience could be repeated in many of the places I’ve visited (going into a public park or forest and cutting down trees isn’t exactly well received in many countries), I think that it can serve as an example of one of the non-physical positive effects of parkour. It also seems like it is an activity/lesson that can be custom-tailored to specific countries and locations as needed, since the act of a “creating a spot” doesn’t necessarily require a fortified clearing in the middle of nowhere or cutting down trees (lots of abandoned urban locations are ripe for “parkour modification”.)

*Photo credits to Carlos and the other members of the Parkour School that picked up the camera throughout the afternoon.*

Kindergarten Parkour

My second day with Carlos and the Parkour School in Viña del Mar saw one of the highlights of my time in Chile. Kindergarten Parkour.

For those of you that might have just gotten a terrifying mental image of your 4-year old taking their bed-bouncing and shelf-climbing skills to terrifying levels, I’d like to clarify that Carlos is not teaching kindergarteners how to jump between buildings or vault over railings. His primary goal is to get the kids comfortable moving and running around, and teaching them to explore their environment in a safe way. The results are pretty impressive, and as I watched the kids chase Carlos through an “obstacle course” in the yard I realized how much he was actually teaching them. Watching 4-year-olds stand on the edge of the terrace and consider the drop beneath them (not much to adults, but to them, it was almost chin-height), I bit my lip as I anticipated the jarring, straight-legged and flatfooted jump that most children do at that age (and many adults still do years later). Instead, I was surprised to see them bend their knees as they hit the ground and absorb the shock with their entire bodies. While this wasn’t pre-meditated on their part, and I’m sure that they had no idea why they were doing it, it was clear that it was the direct result of weeks of games and gentle instruction by Carlos.

Since getting a group of kindergarteners to do drills and strengthening drills is nigh impossible, Carlos’s “lesson plans” turn these movements into games and fun activities. Colored paper has much the same effect on small children that “good” playground equipment or scaffolding has on traceurs, and it immediately made anything Carlos did infinitely more interesting to the kids. While most traceurs will grimace inwardly at the thought of a quadrupedal workout, the kids loved “playing animals” and really got into the “cat walk”, the “monkey walk”, and even the “elephant walk”. Watching the kids doing the movements made me think about how we naturally do most of these quadrupedal movements for years before we “grow up” and subsequently forget them.

Games like follow-the-leader encouraged the kids to explore their playground and to see it from different perspectives, and “I spy” games that differentiated between wood, plastic, and metal objects throughout the playground taught them about the different materials that made up their environment. It was fun to watch the lesson unfold, as each activity that Carlos did with the kids could be tied directly to a parkour training drill or exercise, although in retrospect I’m not sure whether this is a reflection of the training mentality of traceurs or of the basic instincts that we all have.

Here's a brief look at the class:



Unlike at the end of many of the parkour training sessions I’ve done, the kids had plenty of energy to climb on us and run around afterwards, but I realized that the important part was not the strength or conditioning that traceurs often seek. Instead, what counted was what the kids took away on a subconscious level. As a former camp counselor for 8 years, I know first-hand that many kids in today’s world have no idea how to jump, climb, or explore their environment in a safe manner. While it comes naturally to some kids eventually, these skills never develop in others, often leaving them afraid to explore or engage in activities that might involve these things. By having them start out with “baby steps” Carlos’s classes ensure that the kids learn the basics in a safe environment while also becoming more comfortable in their movements.

While this Kindergarten Parkour class is only being run in one school at the moment, there have been a number of other schools in the area that have expressed interest in the program so Carlos is hoping that he’ll be able to expand his list of clientele soon.

Parkour School in Chile

My introduction to parkour in Chile was with the “Parkour School” in Vina del Mar/Valparaiso/Villa Alemana. I had been invited by Carlos Hidalgo, the instructor for the class and founder of the Parkour School.

A bit of background about Carlos and the Parkour School before I talk more about the class. Carlos started doing parkour more than 6 years ago with a group of friends that named themselves “Gorilla Attack”.  Following in the footsteps of David Belle, who he's been in email contact with for a number of years, Carlos and his friends were some of the first traceurs in Chile.  After finishing high school he entered the university and graduated in 2010 with a degree in physical education in which he did an extensive thesis project that developed a working methodology to teaching sports and fitness to children. This method, called E.V.A.U.T.I.L.E., which stands for “Educación Valórica Para el buen Uso del Tiempo Libre, (loosly translated as “Educational Program for the Productive Use of Free Time”); was created with parkour but can be used with any number of “urban” activities such as breakdancing, skateboarding, juggling, graffiti, and deejaying. Carlos will actually be publishing a book detailing his research later this spring and I’ll be sure to post details on the final product when it’s ready.

The Parkour School is a program that Carlos has been running for the past few years for the youth in the Villa Alemana/Valparaiso/Viña del Mar region. The school runs for 1-3 hours everyday after school during the week and also includes a longer training session on Saturday mornings. Participation in the program is open to all the kids in the area and is totally free (no payments, no forms to sign, no red tape). Carlos is the primary instructor but he has also been helped for a while by a fellow student at the Universidad de Playa Ancha.  The program started off with just a few kids from the area but the first class I went to had more than 30 students from all over the area.

My first visit to the “school” was at a training spot called “La Fabrica del Sol”. Walking up to the factory I had to pinch myself and check the road signs to make sure that I wasn't dreaming or hadn't taken the wrong bus to one of those crazy eastern European parkour environments that one sees on Youtube but can’t quite believe actually exists in real life. Well, being there in real life is definitely more impressive than seeing it on YouTube. The factory is the perfect training spot, a fact that is supported by the “parkour”, “freerunning”, and “pk school” tags that cover the walls alongside the work of the area's local graffiti artists. The bursts of color from the graffiti made a great backdrop for the class, and I tried to capture a bit of both in the videos that I took. Since my legs were still pretty sore from a solo training session that I had done before leaving Santiago I decided to take the day off and film the whole class. Here is a look at a class with Parkour School:



The class itself was very well run and it was clear that not only had Carlos been doing this for a while, but that there was a definite method to the apparent madness of a parkour class that was not only free but also didn’t involve waivers, insurance, or over-concerned parents. Talking to Carlos after the class, I learned that the classes are planned in 6-month blocks that are aimed at bringing all the students to the next level in a manner that ensures that everyone is constantly challenged while allowing for newcomers and less physically capable members of the group.

One of the more intriguing aspects of the class for me was how closely it paralleled many of the classes that I had attended in London and Melbourne despite the fact Carlos has never been to either of those places or had contact with any of the instructors there. While the warm-up exercises were different, there were a lot of similarities in the way that he approached developing the “touch” of the students, as well as an awareness for their surroundings (the exercise in which everyone seems to be jumping into each other is designed to forces students to stay aware of what is happening around their training environment). I was also struck by how much the students seemed to enjoy the class. While it was evident that there was a huge range of skill levels present at the class (ages ranged from 12 to 28, with both boys AND GIRLS present), Carlos managed to keep everyone engaged the entire time. While some of the more experienced guys couldn’t help throwing in the odd flip off the dismount every now and again, everyone, of all skill levels, seemed to get a kick out the class. 

For more information on Carlos’s work with the EVAUTILE program and the Parkour School take a look at his blog HERE.

(It’s in Spanish but Google does a pretty good job at translating it for those that don’t read Spanish)