The parkour fantasy

In this blog post i will describe one of the strongest motivators for new students to return to your class

When introducing new students to parkour what are the crucial elements that will keep them coming back?

Realizing the fantasy that made them show up in the first place. Everyone who has made a conscious decision to show up has some ideas of what they wish to gain from the practice. 

Often it can be simple things like

• get in shape 

• Loose weight

• Have fun

• Be challenged

Reaching the next layer

But there is also an underlying layer that is often overlooked which is a fantasy of what it will feel like to embody the practice.

The feeling you get when watching parkour is the same reason a lot of different products wishes to be associated with parkour, such as different energy drinks, clothing, cars, and many more. But don't let them reap all the rewards. We have to deliver on this element as well. Because the main reason anyone shows up is to experience that feeling or idea they've gotten when seeing or hearing about parkour.

What feelings we strive to experience from practicing can be wildly different, but if we as instructors can pinpoint them and create scenarios within our sessions where our students experience this, they will keep coming back to train again and again.

For me personally (and a lot of other practitioners I would think) it is the feeling of weightlessness on the top of the curve of a jump, where time seems to slow down. You know that second you would put a slow motion on when editing. 

Which feeling is most significant to you when training?