Some things have to be believed to be seen.
~ Ralph Hodgson
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On this day
August 11th27 — Parkour
(Part 20 of 46 in series, Level 52 countdown)
Terrific first day of Rendezvous, was as much mental as physical. Saturday will be, no surprise, another day of parkour.
Eyebrow raised. Chuckle stifled.
Once I learned how to be a good sport, I began to appreciate getting my delusions busted as the target of a well played, real life, condescending Wonka. I’m too often condescending, and being the recipient is potent medicine.
It is to my great pleasure that such a fine example of 18th-century punking is related to typography.
~ Martin McClellan from Letters From the Hellbox: Caslon, Baskerville, and Franklin: Revolutionary Types – McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
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Typography is a field which I find intriguing. People spent tremendous time and effort understanding readability and utility of little bits of lead type, printing presses, and optimizing everything. I find it sublime that someone so into type (go read the essay) was so oblivious about something they held so dear. Yes, do tell me more about that typography minutiae.
At which point I began doing that sort of squinting, glancing side to side, I’m feeling suspicious thing. I’m not a typography nerd, but there are a couple other fields where I could probably use a good punk’ing.
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Jerks
In my opinion, we don’t devote nearly enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks.
~ Bill Watterson
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Alan Tran: Journaling, Reflection, and Looking Ahead
How does the process of reflection and self-improvement shape personal growth and teaching methodologies?
Alan Tran is a parkour coach and collaborator from Raleigh, North Carolina. He’s the founder of Enso Movement and is a director for both the Art of Retreat and the United States Parkour Association. Alan continues to serve the parkour and movement community through active service and outreach.
I carved out the space to de-evolve and reinvent myself. In many ways, it wasn’t intentional by any means, at the start of my personal practices. But in many ways, it was a way for me to redefine who I was, who I wanted to be, and where my work would lead to.
~ Alan Tran (29:36)
The discussion weaves through themes of reflection, journaling, and the impact of vulnerability on personal growth and teaching. Through daily journaling practices, the importance of documenting emotions, achievements, and challenges emerges as a way to identify growth and patterns over time. Cultural connections, like the preservation of family history through photography, also highlight how past experiences inform one’s values and identity.
The conversation also explores innovative teaching techniques inspired by training a dog using communication buttons. This segues into reflections on coaching methodologies, the value of structured progressions, and how spontaneity plays a role in both teaching and personal development. By examining challenges like preparing for workshops under time constraints and balancing intuition with structure, the dialogue emphasizes growth through experimentation and self-awareness.
Takeaways
Reflection as a practice — Journaling and revisiting past thoughts help in recognizing personal growth and emotional patterns.
Cultural connections — Family stories and historical documentation preserve identity and values across generations.
Coaching methodologies — Structured progressions and spontaneity are key elements in effective teaching.
Experimentation and intuition — Creativity and growth often stem from embracing failure and learning under pressure.
The role of vulnerability — Being authentic and open fosters meaningful interactions and personal development.
Resources
Enso Movement — A Parkour and movement facility focused on coaching and community engagement.
A New Earth — Book by Eckhart Tolle that explores spiritual awakening and the importance of presence.
The Artist’s Way — Book by Julia Cameron emphasizing creativity through practices like morning pages.
What About Bunny — A famous dog trained to use communication buttons to “speak.”
United States Parkour Association (USPK) — An organization supporting Parkour practitioners and events across the U.S.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Self-perfection
Every man, from the king to the poorest pauper, should seek his own perfection, because only self-perfection improves mankind.
~ Confucius
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Your best
To me, quality means doing the best you can with what you have to work with. Your environment. Your equipment. Your voice. Your experience. Your level of comfort. All of those things are part of your overall “working with” toolset.
~ Evo Terra from, «https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/making-your-commitment-to-quality-podcasting»
This is something I often struggle with. Terra is writing about podcasting specifically—something I spend a lot of time doing—but I have this problem more generally. It would serve me well to be thinking: Is this the best I can do now, with the tools, knowledge, situation, and skills I have now? If so, terrific! That’s great enough.
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Intention with Yolande Conradie
How does transforming a face-to-face course into an audio and digital format affect the teaching process, and what lessons arise from that experience?
Shifting to virtual teaching reveals how technology and podcast-like approaches can deeply connect with students.
I think it’s interesting. [I] try and think now of where do I get that energy from, when I come and sit in front of microphone or video. But I think, from years of face-to-face lecturing, and I’ve learned to almost fetch that from somewhere inside before I start.
~ Yolande Conradie (8:46)
The conversation explores the process of transforming traditional face-to-face teaching into a fully digital and audio-based format during the lockdown period. One significant focus is the effort required to adapt classroom exercises for online learning while ensuring engagement and energy remain high. Yolande shares her discovery of unexpectedly manageable aspects, like working with green screens and layered videos, alongside the technical challenges of ensuring high-quality audio.
Yolande also reflects on the importance of delivering content with energy and intentionality, even when speaking to an unseen audience. Years of face-to-face lecturing have helped her prepare mentally to connect with virtual learners effectively. Additionally, the discussion touches on how her listening habits for podcasts—particularly those with innovative soundscapes and storytelling—have influenced her approach to teaching and audio content creation.
Takeaways
Transforming teaching formats — She adapts a face-to-face leadership course into an audio and video-based digital format.
Energy in virtual teaching — Bringing intentional energy to online lectures helps maintain a connection with students.
Student engagement — Feedback highlights the importance of making audio and video content personal and relatable.
Adapting content — Exercises and interactions need to be restructured creatively for a virtual environment.
Podcast inspiration — Listening to diverse podcasts enhances her understanding of sound design and engagement techniques.
Immediate group dynamics — Each group’s unique needs influence how course material is presented in real-time.
Unexpected challenges — The digital shift brings hurdles, but some aspects, like video editing, turn out easier than expected.
Long-term impact — Lessons learned from online teaching will influence future education methods, even post-pandemic.
Resources
The BBC Word of Mouth Podcast — A podcast about language and its development.
True Crime Bullsh** — A meticulously researched true crime podcast.
Mind Tools L&D Podcast — A learning and development podcast covering professional skills.
BBC Discovery — A science podcast offering insights into discoveries worldwide.
The Christland Podcast — A podcast celebrated for its innovative use of sound and music.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
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Forge on ahead
Why all this guesswork? You can see what needs to be done. If you can see the road, follow it. Cheerfully, without turning back. If not, hold up and get the best advice you can. If anything gets in the way, forge on ahead, making good use of what you have on hand, sticking to what seems right. (The best goal to achieve, and the one we fall short of when we fail.)
~ Marcus Aurelius
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The real fake-it-til-you-make-it
The improvements in Eliza’s speech alone do not confer the opportunities. But being able to speak like a duchess puts her in the company of people from whom she can learn the sentiments and sensibilities of the upper class. When she begins to speak like them, they treat her differently, giving her an opening to expand her capabilities.
~ Shane Parrish from, The Pygmalion Effect: Proving Them Right
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I’ve always been unhappy with the phrase, “fake it ’til you make it.” It’s always seemed that there was something missing. (Yes, sure, it’s meant to be short and simple, not long and accurate.) But this bit from Parrish hits it on the head.
By acting as if I already were the thing I want to be, I’m practicing being the thing. That’s obvious. What’s not obvious is that doing so creates a positive feedback loop as other people then treat me as if I really were the thing. I make a change, and then as if by magic, other people offer me new opportunities. I use the work magic because what I might change—for example, how I speak, as in Eliza’s case—should have no bearing on what opportunities I am offered. But it does.
Why? Other. People.
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The dedications of philosophy
[T]he dedications of philosophy are impregnable; age cannot erase their memory or diminish their force. Each succeeding generation will hold them in even higher reverence; what is close at hand is subject to envy, whereas the distant we can admire without prejudice. The philosopher’s life is therefore spacious; he is not hemmed in and constricted like others. He alone is exempt from the limitations of humanity; all ages are at his service as at a god’s. Has time gone by? He holds it fast in recollection. Is time now present? He utilizes it. Is it still to come? He anticipates it. The amalgamation of all time into one makes his life long.
~ Seneca
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§20 – Three words
(Part 32 of 37 in series, Study inspired by Pakour & Art du Déplacement by V. Thibault)
The idea of selecting three words is an amazing tool. A few years back, Yann Hnautra spent significant time traveling in the United States teaching, but also trying to get a sense of what Art du Déplacement meant there, to those people practicing. Off to the side, at most of the events, someone (who was not Yann) took little cell phone videos where people were asked a series of questions. The idea was that he would be able to watch the videos to get a different viewpoint than he would when running events and training with people; Little moments of private candor as it were.
I was standing, being recorded, when I was introduced to this question. Something like, “how would you describe your practice in three words?” Honestly, I have no idea what I said—sometimes I think I should ask Yann to find my video, but I’m terrified to hear what I said even just those few years ago.
When I started the Movers Mindset podcast I wanted a way to give each episode a specific ending which would be recognizable to the listener, but which would give the guest a framework to wrap up what they had said in their own way. Many podcasts have a rapid-fire section of questions they go to at the end. But I felt that would completely change the pacing; Whatever the pace of the interview was by the end, shifting to a preset, rapid-fire pace would be a jarring change. At some point it occurred to me to ask them for three words to describe their practice.
As the podcast grew, and the guests’ backgrounds began to vary widely, the question proved to be even more powerful than I was at first aware. Ask someone who self-identifies as doing Parkour, FreeRunning or Art du Déplacement for “three words to describe your practice” and exactly what you expect to happen happens. But I soon learned that the word “practice” is itself a powerful tool. Ask someone who self-identifies first as operating a school, as a mother, or as a community leader, and the power of the question is multiplied by their having to select words and unpack “practice.”
In case you’re wondering, I do have three words these days, and of course they are Vincent’s…
force | dignite | partage
They are in French to remind me of the global scale, (of the practice, of people in general, all of it.) I have a wrist band with these words on it. It’s black and the words are black so they are difficult to notice; It’s a reminder for me, not a blaring advertisement.
Two final points: The other side of my wrist band reads, “maximum effort.” My favorite answer given by a podcast guest is, “break all the rules.”
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A tweak to the name
(Part 7 of 11 in series, A Tracer's Manifesto)
( In late 2016 I began a small discussion with a few friends about an idea. Eventually the project became a web site [now gone] and this series contains the posts from that site. The project continues in the Parkour Forum. )
Originally published Jan 25, 2017
A Tracer’s Manifesto
After some discussion about translations – this entire project is intended to be made available in as many languages as possible – I decided to use the English word “tracer” in the title. When we translate to French, for example, we’ll use “traceur”, etc.
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Day 10/100 – Run
(Part 11 of 104 in series, 100 Days of Training (2017))
Out the door for a “quick” 2.5 mile run. #skochypstiks #100days #artdudeplacement https://constantine.name/100days
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Live immediately
Putting things off is the biggest waste of life: It snatches away each day as it comes, and denies us the present by promising the future. The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today. You are arranging what lies in Fortune’s control, and abandoning what lies in yours. What are you looking at? To what goal are you straining? The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately.
~ Seneca
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Chalk Study with Tourist
“A bit more… more… just. one. more. step . . .” Found another visitor to swap photos with!
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Where there’s tea, there’s hope
Turns out the awesome-meter goes to 11. Sea breeze, France is just visible across the Channel… and Kentish Tea. Yes, ok, it’s kitschy, but I _am_ a tourist.
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The White Cliffs of Dover
Another thing I thought I’d never see! I came straight from Heathrow …just hiked two hours from the train station at Dover Priory. TOTALLY worth it.
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Allo Allo! London calling…
Across the pond. But before I meet up with some other ‘Yanks tomorrow, I’ve a bucket list item to tick off. Heathrow, to Paddington station, to St Pancras station, to a certain Southeastern traing . . .
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Seat backs and tray tables stowed!
London here we come! #swirlsOnTheMove #RDVX
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Tipping must die
If there’s no tipping, then how will the servers be motivated to do a good job?
When you step back and think about this for a second, it’s actually kind of hilarious. The person asking this question would have a full-time job as a software developer, or lawyer, or journalist, or doctor, always working to a pay rate that was negotiated ahead of time. We would never suggest that a code jockey or surgeon would be motivated to do better work by the thought that their clients, if pleased with the service, might toss in a few extra dollars.
~ Jay Porter from, «http://jayporter.com/dispatches/observations-from-a-tipless-restaurant-part-3/»
Hear! Hear! You should go read that whole series by Porter.
Then you should start talking about how we should include the cost of providing service in the price of the menu items, or include a line-item percentage service charge on the bill. Pay EVERYONE who works in the restaurant a fair, living wage.
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