1. How does one get into this?
a. Our club started as a hobby in college. After a year and a half the team expanded. We started off doing stunts for film, television, and commercials. We started building a name for ourselves and we started entering competitions around the world. But you can attend our Academy in Chatsworth, CA and begin building strength, balance, and full body awareness using the fundamental movements of parkour.
2. What kind of background do you guys have?
a. Some of us are elite level gymnasts; some of us have a background in martial arts and team sports. People with a background in breakdance or ballet do very well.
3. What kinds of locations work best for freerunning and parkour?
a. Schools offer really great architecture. We love the Santa Monica Pier down into Venice. This sport came from the streets. We can freerun on anything and anywhere.
4. You are using just your bodies. What about injuries?
a. We don't like to talk about it, but it would be foolish not to acknowledge it. Injuries do happen. Wrists and ankles are at the greatest risk; hyperextension and compression. There have been broken bones. But, there are more injuries in organized sports. We train to preserve our bodies. You have to know how to fall correctly.
5. Team Tempest has a school in Chatsworth, CA. Can anyone learn this?
a. We have people of all ages and all levels. We teach kids as young as 6 years old. Our gym offers a real-world environment where you can learn everything from the basics of parkour to the advanced maneuvers and tricks of freerunning.
6. How safe is freerunning?
a. Tempest Freerunning Academy offers one of the most realistic environments for children and young adults to try their hand at learning the ropes of parkour and freerunning. Freerunning and parkour are activities that are inherently dangerous. Through proper training and safety measures, these dangers can be substantially minimized and even avoided. We guarantee that our coaches keep safety in mind before any other aspect of training and we also teach kids to respect themselves and their surroundings so that they always practice safe and healthy training methods.
7. What if I've never even worked out before?
a. That's totally cool with us. All you need is a pair of shoes. Freerunning is all about finding your own way, and if we can work hard, so can you. We'll make sure to start you off at the right pace, so you can improve at your own pace – with some nudges from our coaches, of course.
Mark tries Freerunning
Find out about the Tempest Academy at TempestAcademy.com, facebook.com/TempestFreerunningAcademy, and @TeamTempest.
