All systems go (kinda)

You may have noticed, my tens of readers, that there have been quite a few changes going on with the website. Remember when I announced that Fifth Ape was open for business? That was pretty exciting, huh? It turns out, though, that there was still a ton left to do.  Little things, like Branding. And scheduling actual classes. And figuring out how people could pay me. You know, details.

Well, just a few short weeks later, I think I've taken care of most of the mess. Here's a catalogue of things to check out and get super excited about:

• Fifth Ape is on Facebook!  You can find it here or check out the nifty widget on the right. You should Like it and then tell all your friends!
• Note the nifty new Fifth Ape logo and slick banners. Now that the marketing elements are in place I can actually do marketing - exciting! Some day soon, I may have actual business cards! I'll give you one!
• Fifth Ape has its own digits: 919-636-3270. You should give us a call sometime!

...and the really cool stuff:

• My scheduling system is online! If you navigate to any of the Training & Classes pages, you'll see a whole bunch of info and links in the right-hand column. Those links should pop you into my Mindbody system, where you can request appointment times, register for events, etc.  I'm still working on credit card processing, but the system itself is pretty neat and should make signing up for training a snap for you folks.
• On that note, I've scheduled the next Fifth Ape Fundamentals course. I've received a bunch of interest, but many of you have said you don't have time during the week - so this is an immersive series that takes place during the weekend! We'll do 3 hours on Saturday afternoon and another 3 hours on Sunday afternoon. If you're interested, check it out here!

So, lots of exciting developments. Now, I must ask once again for your help with spreading the word. Tell a friend about Fifth Ape? Better yet, grab a friend and sign up for some training! I'll see you out there!

Models, dogma, and entrenchment

It is a ridiculously beautiful day here in Chapel Hill. The leaves are at their peak color, the sun is out, and the temperature is warm. It doesn't get any better than this.

I spent the morning outside with a stalwart band of Fifth Ape trainees and the wonderfully talented photographer Beatrice Yaxley getting some martial arts and barefoot running photos taken for the website. I had a blast rolling around in the leaves, crawling in the sand, and running barefoot down some trails - it was a beautiful start to a beautiful day.

I then read this wonderful post by the always insightful Josh Leeger. You should go read it, but I'll summarize here - all medical/health/exercise systems and models should be viewed as tools, not laws.  After my beautiful morning, it got me thinking...

The appeal of a model is that it makes infinitely complex systems relatively simple and understandable. As our little species attempts to make sense of the universe around us, it helps to have a lens to look through. The problem, of course, is that every model must leave out and/or ignore much more than it explains. The great statistician George E.P. Box said it best:  "All models are wrong. But some are useful."

The problem, as Josh points out, is when we start codifying a model into a law. We stop asking questions and start accepting what we're told wholesale. Thus, we've come to accept certain "truths" in our society such as "The key to health is a low fat diet" and "In order to run safely, you need a fancy pair of shoes." We're only now starting to wake up to the fact that neither one of these is actually true.

(Sadly, I fear the reactions to these dogmas are rapidly becoming just as dogmatic. Paleo fanatics promote high saturated fat, zero carb diets, and statements like "barefoot running is the only way to run!" keep popping up.)

Once a system becomes dogma, it is entrenched. It's supporters rally around the banner, dig their foxholes, and prepare to repel borders. They cease trying to fit their system into the world and instead try to force the world into their system. As the challenges and inconsistencies pile up, the zealots become increasingly shrill in their defense - until the whole system implodes under the weight of its own hypocrisy.

(For a humorous modern day example, look into the blog wars between the vegans and the paleos - ridiculous.)

(For a less humorous example, look at every fundamentalist religion)

The wise among us look at models and systems as tools - used to gain a particular perspective, then taken apart to look at the underlying assumptions. Use models to inform opinions, but never stop questioning and evolving your worldview.

Of course, that's just what I think. You should form your own opinion.

The epicness and majesty of J15

This past weekend, Fifth Ape hosted the 15th statewide parkour jam in North Carolina. It was a pretty incredible time - a big thanks to everyone who came out and trained!

I was a little hesitant when NCParkour asked if I could host the event. I'm not an event planner. But everything ran smoothly and I enjoyed the process. Clearly, I have a knack for organization. I think the next logical step is to unite the scattered tribes of Terra under a single banner and launch the Great Crusade to conquer the galaxy.

Actually, I didn't have to do too much, thanks to the efforts of my volunteers. An extra special thanks to Alex Cerwin, Eric DiMarzio, and Sean Rogers for helping me coordinate and run things throughout the day - it wouldn't have been possible without their efforts.

The weather didn't exactly cooperate. The morning was very chilly and wet with periodic rain. Some forecasts warned of ice pellets - just the thing for an activity that requires balance and traction.

But that didn't stop an intrepid group of Duke's Nicholas School grad students from having their first parkour lesson! Everyone did great, despite the early hour and the challenging weather. I had a lot of fun and it was great to see so many women interested in parkour and natural movement skills.

By 11AM a pretty large group had gathered in Forest Theater and we were ready to begin the main event. After a quick warmup, the Fifth Ape team manned a variety of stations, and the training began!

Most of the stations focused on parkour and movement skills - rolling, jumping, vaulting, etc. I did want to include some other complimentary skill training so Eric ran a few barefoot running clinics (made extra fun by the cold & wet conditions) and I ran a large group through a few basic lifting techniques. I was pleased to see many people make noticeable progress with their lifts after just 20 minutes of practice.

Then it was time for the highlight of my day: the long-form run. We had about 25 brave souls sign on for the run, so we split into two groups. Eric led one group on a 20 minute course while Sean and I led a 50 minute monster run. I think it's safe to say that the 11 guys who came with me got a pretty intense workout. They all did really well - there were many high-fives when we finally made it back to Forest Theater. I received a lot of positive feedback from people about the experience and more than a few said they would be incorporating similar training into their regime.

After a short break for lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon hitting a few of the best training spots in Chapel Hill. Duncan Germaine arrived on the scene and dazzled everyone with some incredible skill. Another afternoon arrival was Stephen Carr. Stephen teaches parkour classes up at Wake Forest - I've heard of him but we'd never actually met. Stephen is an extremely nice guy and a very skilled traceur - watching him and Duncan perform synchronized diving kong vaults was a special treat.

Between coordinating the event and dealing with a pulled piriformis I wasn't able to do much training myself. But Eric did Fifth Ape proud. He's finally got himself a real pair of shoes and he was hanging with the elites all day. I can hardly take much credit for Eric's incredible skill development over the past 6 months, but that didn't stop me from feeling very proud. Here's two short clips of Eric doing his thing:

It was a great day - I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. All of you are welcome in Chapel Hill whenever you can make it.

There were many cameras on site and I will do my best to post material as it becomes available!