It’s been a minute! Recently I had to either renew my Level 1 qualification or sit my Level 2. I had gone for the latter, so we are talking 5+ years maybe?

For me, this whole thing came about by complete accident. Throw it back a good few years and a good few kilos of bodyweight, I was working for Dundee City Council as a joiner, running about climbing and jumping off all sorts of buildings, and coaching kids and adults how to move efficiently. Parkour/Free running has played a massive part in where I’m at now. The whole ethos that moulded the athlete and coach I am now came from that discipline. “Be strong to be useful”

I’m not just talking physical strength but also mental strength. Yes, I would train my body to run (not your conventional running – nobody has time for that) jump, balance, climb, swing, vault, flip (everybody loves a backflip) in various combinations and styles in order to have the ability to overcome any physical obstacle that was placed in the way. The physical side was the easy part and always will be in any sport. You train smart – you get the results. The mental aspect for me was the fascinating part. Let’s take something like a running jump from a raised platform over an 8ft gap down to a lower platform. At ground level we would nail this every time, eyes closed, long run up, short run up, three step set up, add a 360 you name it, every time. Now take that exact same scenario but place it 30 stories high… the game changes right? Or does it? Same jump, same distance, done in your sleep. We “fear trained” our minds so that the “if I don’t make it this time I’m done” voice didn’t creep in and create doubt. Doubt never leads to anything good.

Push forward a few years of training this way, sitting in my pants drinking beer (nothing has changed) watching YouTube videos of new tricks to learn and in the “related videos” section the title “Fittest man on earth does…” caught my eye and then the obsession began. Mr Rich Froning obliterating a field of absolute monsters. A little more research and here was a sport that you trained all aspects of fitness to be prepared for the unknown… sounds familiar right? Booked into a class at FFD and the rest was history! I left my joinery job and pursued a career in coaching not only Parkour but now also CrossFit.

Still to this day my training, but more so my programming follows the ethos of “be strong to be useful”

Athletes, you’ve hit the big lifts in training, you’ve worked out a million times, competition day, nothing changes physically, train your mind to realise this. You don’t need to be an athlete for this to apply. You throw your dog a ball and it shoots off to the right over a fence, you’ve trained for this, climb it. Mum needs a couch moved, you’ve trained for this, move it. Doing some lockdown gardening, delivery of paving slabs, you’ve trained for this, lift em.

You get my point.
Be strong to be useful.