The NAPC7 event was this past weekend, and it was an awesome event. It always has been. The crew at Origins Parkour do sooo many things right that you can’t list all of them. It’s next level, and I see them as setting a standard for Parkour competitions that is pushing the sport ahead.
That said, there are some things about the NAPC7 (and PKFR competitions in general) that erg me to no end, and these things MUST change if we want Parkour to continue to grow through this medium. Basically, in my opinion, 2 of the 3 competitions are awful – just awful. They are poorly formatted and need to be changed in small but powerful ways. I’m writing this article to explain those problems with the goal of inspiring new thoughts about these events that lead to action that benefit the organizers, the athletes, and the fans.
Before I go into depth and give my critique, I’m going to start this off with some disclosure that may give some context to my ideas (in the case you don’t agree with them).
- I like competitions (in theory), but it took me a while to get there, and I don’t like competitions when I think they are poorly formatted. I also still think it’s weird to see people clapping for others when they are doing PKFR.
- I didn’t watch the entire NAPC7 event. I caught highlights and skipped through the full event videos to see the parts that interested me.
- Had speed run comps existed in the early 2010’s I probably would have competed. This is my favorite event for sure!
- In 2009 I began working with a production company to design a Parkour-based competition for a national television show. The show never came to fruition, but suffice it to say, Parkour competitions have been on my mind for a full decade, and there are some aspects that I’ve thought about thoroughly enough to feel very confident in the assessment I am about to give.
I’ve even discussed Parkour competitions with David Belle. You can click here to read an article on that.
In short, I like PKFR competitions, BUT I don’t like the current state of most competitions (as exemplified by the NAPC7) because I find them to be underdeveloped and a little “off.” Nevertheless, we can fix that, which is why I’m writing this. And when we do I’ll be there cheering in real time too.
Ok, let’s get into it. I’ll be blunt and get right to the point. The current format for Style competitions and Speed competitions are atrocious. Absolutely atrocious! And that’s probably the real reason why it ergs me so much that people cheer at these events, because in spite of the great athleticism and spectacle that NAPC7 created, all I can see is how poorly formatted these two events are. It’d be like people raving about how well someone baked a potato, and I’m over her saying, “Umm… guys it’s just a freakin’ baked potato. At least add bacon or butter or something? Please? Then you’ll interest me. Right now it’s boring at best.”
The problem with the Style comp and how to fix it…
There are two main problems with the style comps in today’s PKFR world as demonstrated at the NAPC7:
- Everyone is copying each other by focusing on trick combos
- The runs are too short
I’ll be blunt again. I was APPALLED to see the runs that qualified people for the semis/finals at NAPC7. All I really saw was guys clunkily throwing 6 tricks in 15 seconds. People cheered for this and the judges gave them high scores. Why? Is it because it’s difficult? It’s not. Is it because it’s entertaining? It’s not. Is it because the talent pool is so shallow? It’s not. The reason people are cheering is because we’ve convinced ourselves as a community that somehow throwing tricks from bars or blocks is the height of our sports’ style and creativity. We should feel ashamed for applauding and encouraging this.
Time is problem #1.
The first problem is time. In my opinion, It’s completely stupid to have a style comp made up of routines that last 15 seconds. That’s 1 line at MOST! And sometimes it’s not even a line – it’s more 3 sets of poorly linked tricks. We are here for “style” not to see some short urban tricking, are we not? Seriously.
The fix? Style lines need to have a MINIMUM time. Say in the competition rules, “Style runs have to be at least 30 seconds in length to qualify” (I think 45 seconds is a better number, but we have to start somewhere). Based on what routines qualified in the NPAC7, all you really have to do is be able to throw 7 consecutive corks and do an underbar you advance to the finals. I mean, throwing 7 consecutive corks is NOT what “style” in PKFR is about and YET throwing seven consecutive corks would have more “style” than what I saw in most of the competitors at the NAPC7 :\
The MUSTS of a style comp
In a style run you should HAVE to have flow. You should HAVE to have some level of artistry and creativity (this is the most important thing to me). You should HAVE to have SOME level of stamina (15-second lines don’t cut it). Some of these lines equate to about what one corner-to-corner tumbling pass would be in gymnastics. Can you imagine if the USA Gymnastics finals had a floor event where you just gave one tumbling pass? Think about it.
Examples…
I am going to pick on Max Antal because I love that guy, and I’m a big fan of him. I’ve known him longer than just about anyone because he attended my Parkour classes almost a decade ago. I also have HUGE respect for his skill. Heck, one time about 7 years ago I walked into the Revolution Parkour gym and he was throwing double gainers off of the 13 foot wall with Joey Adrian. He is amazing, and he has been for a long time!
Well, below is Max’s quarterfinal run of the style event. What he does is cool…. I guess… for a tricking comp? In my opinion, it’s not PKFR in any real capacity. It also has no real style or rhythm or creativity :\ It’s just a couple urban tricks that doesn’t last long enough for me to care. Sorry, Max, I love you, but frankly I don’t think a run like this deserves to move you to the next round at a big event like the NAPC7.
In comparison… here is a video from Oleg Vorslav’s famous Out of Time video. His first line has 1 flip, and yet in my opinion it is more artistic, more entertaining, and down right cooler than anything that ANYONE threw at any stage of the NPAC7. You’re welcome to disagree, but you can’t deny the artistry and “style” in Oleg’s run. Has “style” in the PKFR world really taken that far of a step back in the last 10 years that now all it means is throwing some gainers and palm flips? Based on what happened at NAPC7, it seems to me that that’s what most people think :\
To make the style comp relevant we need…
a) A time minimum
b) Judges need to put higher emphasis on artistry and creativity and flow over trick difficulty.
Tricks are great. Have them! But unless you can flow seamlessly WHILE throwing big tricks like Joey Adrian or Bart Van der Linden then add ACTUAL useful movement and go somewhere and do something. Otherwise it’s a very watered-down version of a big trick competition.
My advice to the competitors: start thinking outside the box. Search for real style and artistry and movement… not just one-off combos. And when you find it like Oleg did a decade ago, then you’ll stomp your competition especially when they are throwing isolated tricks poorly linked by loping strides and mediocre footwork. However, the real change has to come from the judges/event organizers who make these other components (length, style, art) the core of the scoring criteria.
Ok, enough on style. I rambled a bit, but it all felt relevant. Let’s now address the main problem with the speed competition.