We recently sat down to interview Jimmy Davidson and get some insight into his California-based Parkour gym “Freedom in Motion.” It turned into a deep discussion that’s definitely worth the read for Traceurs everywhere but ESPECIALLY if for anyone who owns a Parkour gym or wants to own one. Jimmy provides insight, wisdom, and maybe most importantly a template for how to build and run a Parkour gym the right way.
We are a parkour gym, that’s all we do. We don’t compromise or mix priorities.
When was Freedom in Motion founded and by who? What gave you the desire/vision/passion to start a gym?
Freedom in Motion was founded in 2012 by myself (Jimmy Davidson) with the help of a number of my local parkour training buddies in Temecula, CA. The idea came from the then-mayor of Temecula. I had an in-person meeting with him back in 2010 with the hopes of having the city help build a public parkour park, like a skate park which Temecula has several of. The Mayor had never heard of parkour before that meeting & was generally not convinced the city would be able to support the project. He then advised me to look into “having a park in the private sector”. Undeterred, we took his advice and began writing a business plan.
Admittedly, our original 2012 business plan had some major flaws due to our complete lack of business acumen at that time. I had just graduated high school in 2011 and had no real experience running a business. The original business plan included plans for a pool, basketball courts, massive parkour training areas with no focus on teaching classes, a smoothie bar, and more.
Thankfully with some advice from Mark Toorock of American Parkour and some local business mentors I was able to narrow the focus of the gym. Now, Freedom in Motion solely focuses on teaching parkour and we diligently stay focused on this single sport being our gym’s primary focus.
Tell us about the gym name and your logo. Where did the idea for those come from, and what do they stand for? Also, how did you decide on the blue and pink color scheme?!
The name “Freedom in Motion” was originally a phrase I had in my head to artfully describe the feeling of what someone training parkour looked like to me. Before we had the concept of the gym in our heads, we were already screen-printing this phrase on sweatpants and offering them to local parkour practitioners in our local Temecula / Murrieta California area. Later when we began focusing on the gym, the title seemed like an obvious pick for me.
Looking at the logo further you’ll notice lines, circles, and a triangle. These markings represent the Dame Du Lac in Lisse, France.
The “foot” logo as we call it is essentially a visual description of what parkour is. At first glance, It’s a foot, a symbol of human movement and freedom. Looking at the logo further you’ll notice lines, circles, and a triangle. These markings represent the Dame Du Lac in Lisse, France. This massive climbing structure had become an iconic symbol of parkour after some of David Belle’s original parkour videos. David Belle, of course, is credited with establishing parkour as an art form which then virally spread to the rest of the world via YouTube and other platforms.
Combining the foot and the Dame du lac markings we arrive at the intersection of human movement and our built environment or more importantly our joyful interaction with our built environment.
As for the pink and blue colors, they play two roles. First the colors combined come across to many as playful and creative feelings. Two very good feelings to give patrons in a parkour gym! Second, because we believe that parkour is for everyone, we wanted to pick a color scheme that would speak to both male and female-identifying athletes. Traditionally blue represents males and pink females (in America) so we wanted to use both as to indicate that everyone can and should come learn parkour at Freedom in Motion.
The original business plan included plans for a pool, basketball courts, massive parkour training areas with no focus on teaching classes, a smoothie bar, and more.
Every gym has aspects that make it unique. What makes Freedom in Motion unique? Or said in another way, what do you feel FIM brings to the Parkour world that is unique to it or especially noteworthy?
Many parkour gym designs seemingly focus on older high-level athletes. With massive gaps, heights, jumps, tall obstacles, and so on. The idea of learning parkour in gyms like this will feel intimidating to many beginners. Freedom in Motion is designed with kids and beginners in mind. We cover all the necessary design elements to ensure the space caters to their experience of falling in love with parkour. From there, we then look at the design and secretly incorporate more technical elements for higher-level athletes to discover throughout the gym.
“Play” and “fun” seem to be centerpieces of the gym’s teaching philosophy. Why is that such an important thing to FIM? Do you feel other gyms emphasize this as much? Why or why not?
Freedom in Motion has 4 north-star values across our parkour gyms.
- Teach 1 million people parkour and have them discover the joy of movement that had us fall in love with the sport.
- Be the “3rd place” for our members
- Provide an awesome work environment and perks for our internal team by offering things like great pay, benefits, 401K, and so on.
- Have a sustainable business that is environmentally responsible.
Number two is to be the “3rd place” which means the socialization hub for our guests. The place that isn’t home, its not work/school, it’s that place where they go to see their friends, work on their hobbies, and generally connect with the joy in life. Because we’re trying to build this for our members, we know how essential things like play, inclusivity, and fun are to establish if we’re to be successful in creating this value.
Freedom in Motion is designed with kids and beginners in mind. We cover all the necessary design elements to ensure the space caters to their experience of falling in love with parkour.
Does FIM focus on Parkour & Freerunning or are there other classes too? And as an extension of that, does FIM focus or specialize on any specific demographic, or is it open to anyone?
We are a parkour gym, that’s all we do. We don’t compromise or mix priorities. We do not offer things like aerial silks or weapons classes because we are not experts in those sports. Parkour, however, we know we are a world leader parkour coaching, gym design, and in fostering a love for parkour in our gym’s guests. As is type this we’re hosting a parkour coaching certification one week from today and the event is completely full. We’re stoked to be creating more skilled coaches to release out into the world.
We are open to all ages. We start at age 4 and have classes each week for teens, and adults as well! Folks interested in the gym who leave near a location can sign up for a beginner’s parkour class here. We currently have parkour gyms in Murrieta, Loma Linda, and Riverside California (2022) with more on the way soon! To see updated parkour gym locations, check out this page.
For folks not near our gyms, we have free online parkour tutorials and inspirational parkour videos on our YouTube page @FiMParkoyrgym
Has the gym had to overcome any big obstacles in its development? I’ve heard of some gyms having employee problems, and others losing their leases. Has anything happened to FIM or has it been pretty much smooth sailing?
We have had quite a bumpy road! We have had three existential business crises in our first few years open.
To start, just 1 year after opening I made the decision to move to Seattle (900 miles away) so i can live with my then-fiance and soon-to-be new baby girl! We had to transition from me personally coaching all classes and doing all customer service to getting more of my friends involved in key management roles. Later, it was clear this was actually a blessing in disguise in many ways.
We have had quite a bumpy road! We have had three existential business crises in our first few years open.
At the end of our second year, the owner of the building we were leasing informed us that they were selling the building and that we had just three months to vacate the building. Only three months to demolish your gym, find a new space, and build a new gym is absolute madness. Especially considering that at this time in 2016 the gym was essentially making no money, so our cash reserves to take on this project were zero. With a massive amount of support from my friends and coaches, we were able to move the gym to a new location just down the street. We were able to raise enough money to make the move via crowdfunding and storytelling. Our local Temecula / Murrieta, CA audience really came through for us and we are forever grateful for their kindness. A local Film Maker (and OG parkour athlete), Daniel Robinson made this documentary about the ordeal, and it won 1st place at a local film festival!
Of course, the covid-19 pandemic was the most recent major disruption. Get this – we signed the lease on our second location on MARCH 1st 2020! Let that sink in for a moment. Just 2 weeks later a 1-year shutdown began. We transitioned to online coaching sessions and once allowed began hosting outdoor group training sessions. In the meantime, we completed the building of our new location and sat with an empty gym for 5 months. Our landlords did allow if to forbear the rent payments, which we were able to eventually catch back up on as the world reopened, government grants were awarded, and membership fees returned.
Through all of this, I’m happy to say that our internal systems and preparations have made us rather resilient as a business. Who knows what the world has in store for us next…
It looks FIM currently has 2 locations and you’re expanding to a third! That’s a pretty big achievement. Congratulations!! What has given you the ability to do this, and what has been the most challenging aspect of expanding?
Thank you! We’re very excited to open our Riverside, CA parkour gym in 2023.
We have been able to open gyms at a quick rate due to a whole host of factors. Primarily I feel as though we have landed on a parkour gym model that works. Focusing on one sport keeps quality high and overhead relatively low. While we do have an open gym membership for just $9/week some of our more popular levels of membership are $170 (one class a week) to $350 (4 times a week) a month. Because our coaching quality is so high, once parents see what our gym is all about and how we focus on creating impact moments for our students, teaching them applicable life skills and connecting them to their daily lessons in the gym, not just teaching them parkour, parents see the value of what they are giving their kids is more than the dollar amount they pay.
…parents see the value of what [we] are giving their kids is more than the dollar amount they pay.
Behind the scenes, I’ve personally hired various mentors and business coaches to get me past my own personal limiting beliefs. I’ve worked with about 5 different mentors at the time of typing this. Knowing how much of an impact it has had on me and my business, ill be sure to continue investing in my own education and coaching so I can get to my personal next level in business, as a father, and as a human.
What advice do you have for young Traceurs who are entrepreneurs and want to have their own Parkour gym one day?
My advice would be to make a decision now to seek out people who have been down similar paths and learn from them. Many people have launched successful gyms, clothing brands, media companies, and other typical parkour-niche adjacent businesses. Seek out their books, podcasts, and webinars, and get clear about what their journey looked like and how that might inform your next step. If you’re unsure, just reach out to someone who seems a little further along in the game than you may be and ask them some questions. What’s critical here though is to be open to their advice and wisdom. Beyond that, take action on what they say.
My advice would be to make a decision now to seek out people who have been down similar paths and learn from them. Many people have launched successful gyms, clothing brands, media companies, and other typical parkour-niche adjacent businesses. Seek out their books, podcasts, and webinars, and get clear about what their journey looked like and how that might inform your next step.
Attending parkour entrepreneurial events like Parkour Vision’s Art or retreat is a good place to meet like-minded parkour entrepreneurs and coaches. I’ve attended a number of times myself!
How can people best connect with your gym, and is there any way for Tracuers in the community to support what you are doing?
The best two channels to follow our gym on are Instagram and YouTube.
Folks can connect with me personally on Instagram or Linkedin. On Instagram, I tend to post more flow and “skill” style parkour clips. Find me @jimmydavidsonpk.
Linkedin may be the better place to chat with me about business. Im down to offer some free advice if I feel like I have some good nuggets to share! Find me here on LinkedIn.
As for how readers can support the gyms, the number one way is if you’re a parkour athlete come by our gyms and train with us! Your creative energy is a huge boost to our coaches. We absolutely love when athletes come to visit. Let us know in advance and we may be able to throw a mini jam in your honor! (yes actually, we have done this many times, and its always a blast).
Beyond that, following our channels and leaving your comments is always very appreciated. If you care to browse our parkour clothing and training gear store, we have some goodies in there. Our parkour blog is also a great place to read emerging news and find great training inspiration.
Additional Resources…
Video of movement in our gyms:
Documentary made of us around when our first gym needed to be demolished and we were told to move out:
Video of me personally training, my 10-year parkour video:
If you know a Parkour gym that you’d like to see featured on our site, send us an email through our contact page!