
Startups: It's Not a Race, It's Parkour - wallflower
http://www.kenbautista.com/thoughts/startupsandparkour.html
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zacharycohn
As someone who has been training Parkour for about 6 years, I think this is a
great article and draws a lot of great comparisons.

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Mz
I had no idea there was a word for that. I briefly did gymnastics when I was
real young and I think Parkour is amazing. I also love the visual metaphor of
navigating the urban landscape like this -- men in suits with briefcases doing
this -- and the comparisons. Very spot on in my opinion. I would only add that
you clearly need to be in good shape to do this and I think the same applies
to business or any other "creative" endeavor (defining "creative" as
"something you make up as you go). You can overcome a lot if you are starting
out from a basic level of strength, flexibility, know-how and so on. But some
people will need to do a lot just to get to that starting place.

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zacharycohn
If you're interested in starting, email me (in my profile) and let me know
where you are. I know of people all over the place and can connect you with
the local community.

It's never too late to start - like I said in my longer reply below, parkour
is awesome because it can scale to anyone at any level of fitness.

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Mz
Thanks, but I'm someone who is currently walking seven miles at least once a
week so I can reverse the damage to my body from a deadly genetic disorder
(that nearly killed me 10 years ago). That's currently enough challenge for
me. :-) If I ever feel like I have gotten my body back from the demon that
stole it, I will consider getting in touch.

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zacharycohn
Sounds good. Parkour is all about doing things that are challenging for you,
not necessarily the next guy. If you're making moves to improve your health,
you've got my support. :)

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kiba
Isn't it's more like a marathon Parkour game?

You have to adapt, move with strength and all that, but you have to do that
thousand of times until you hit what you're looking for.

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zacharycohn
People who practice parkour train movements a thousand times before they're
able to do a lot of the things you see in popular videos. :)

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flipside
Flat ground marathon running is for big companies that can just throw
resources at a problem. For a small company to get ahead, it needs to take
some creative shortcuts.

Sure, a lot of parkour is "frivolous" and "flashy", but so are most startups.
For the serious traceurs and entrepreneurs though, finding a shorter path can
be the difference between being a success and an also ran.

In short, do what it takes to get to where you need to be, obstacles be
damned.

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Cushman
As I mention below, parkour is not actually "flashy". From Wiki: _However, the
term free running has come to represent a separate concept, distinctly
different from parkour — a distinction which is often missed due to the
aesthetic similarities. Parkour as a discipline emphasizes efficiency, whilst
free running embodies complete freedom of movement — and includes many
acrobatic maneuvers. Although the two are often physically similar, the
mindsets of each are vastly different._

It's not just semantics; "real" parkour and free running are very different
approaches to interfacing with the urban environment. This article clearly
refers to literal parkour, not free running— a little confusing since the
embedded video has a lot of flashy stuff going on that "real" traceurs
wouldn't put up with.

If you want a better example of "real" parkour, think of the opening scene of
Casino Royale. That guy (Sebastien Foucan, one of the "founders" of Le
Parkour) was running away from a professional killer, he didn't have any time
to stop and do a handstand. And yet the entire time that Bond is crashing
through walls trying to keep up, Foucan is moving with speed, grace and
elegance.

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true_religion
Parkour is not _intentionally_ flashy for the mere sake of being flashy.
However if the fastest way to go from point A to point B is to leap over an
obstacle, a lot of people are going to be impressed with the leap regardless
of why it was made.

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shpoonj
The metaphor only stands if you're willing to admit that your startup is
entirely frivolous, strictly a trend, and flashy without any attention to
substance.

So yes, your startup probably does have a lot in common with parkour.
Shouldn't we change that?

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zacharycohn
I'm not sure why you think parkour is "frivolous, a trend, or flashy without
any attention to substance."

I've been training parkour for almost 6 years, and I've seen a lot of
misinformation out there.

Parkour is all about improving yourself, being creative, and play. We focus
hard on increasing strength, flexibility, durability, speed, balance, and
coordination - in addition to more specific skills like climbing, vaulting.
But creativity and play is one of the best parts of parkour - finding fun or
silly ways to wiggle through tiny spaces, swing through a jungle gym, or games
to play in a field.

Seeing the changes in our students' attitudes when they first walk into our
gym versus after they've been training for a year or two is amazing. They look
healthier, they are more confident, and they are happier.

Parkour is more than just a trend in the fitness industry - it has the breadth
and depth of something that is rooted in what the human body was designed to
do. It isn't a game (contrary to the OP's post), it has no rules, it has no
rankings or belts or levels. It's scalable to any person at any level of
fitness and it's capable of constantly providing new challenges.

So I'm not exactly sure where you're getting your facts from, but it's likely
based on shitty youtube videos of dumb kids jumping off of their roofs.
Misconceptions from these videos are something I've spent years fighting,
educating people one at a time.

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brain5ide
You seem like a marketing guy for the "parkour 4 hackers" putting it against
traditional martial arts just like the hacker culture is against corporate
culture. I'm not against that, just a notice.

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zacharycohn
I'm not sure where you got the impression that parkour is "against"
traditional martial arts. I had been training various martial arts for about 7
years before I started parkour, and then kept training for another 3 or so
afterward. I'm a huge fan of martial arts, as are many traceurs.

I'm not so much a marketing guy for "parkour 4 hackers" as I am a marketing
guy for "people finding something they love and doing it."

It's been incredibly influential in my life and it's helped make me who I am.
Because of that, I do tend to go out of my way to help correct misconceptions
and misinformation.

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brain5ide
Cool, really cool. I'm now trying to get into shape(loose weight, improve
breathing and stamina) with simple jump rope and hope to start training
something specifical in near future so looking into different stuff. I didn't
want to offend you or something. That post about parkour being without any
kind of rankings/belts just seemed like an argument against those rankings a
bit, which just related to the hacker culture for me, that's all. Sorry for
the trolling about it ;)

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zacharycohn
No worries. Never any hard feelings or anything. :)

Do you know what you want to train in the future? Whether it's parkour or not,
I'd love to chat and see if I can help you find what's a good fit for you.
Email is in my profile.

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Rayzar
Fantastic post!

