Living By Choice vs. Living by Chance (part 1)

In our parkour classes we help students learn to live by choice, not chance. This starts with taking responsibility for movement and personal safety. Our brains need to get familiar with a concept before we use it regularly. Learning to think before acting helps youth develop deeper thinking skills about themself and how they interact with others and their environment. Because in parkour class we are thinking about our safety and doing cool moves, our students often forget how much mental power they are using! As a result they begin developing brain pathways that start to automate 2 and 3 step thinking.

In parkour this can look like:

• I want to do a vault. I must make sure my surface is sturdy and safe. I must think to make sure I have the skill to do the vault I want to do and that I am ready to bail properly if I slip or mess up. I also must look side to side and make sure my classmates aren't about to run in front of my path. 
• I want to do a new jump. I must check my jump distance in a low risk area to make sure I know I can do the jump. Then I must think about bail options in the case I jump to short, too far, or slip. I also must check my surfaces and make sure to communicate to all my other friends in class to ensure my path is clear.

Things like this seem simple, but it is teaching a child to think before they act, to realize how their actions effect and impact others, and to take the responsibility to do their part in keeping themself and others as safe as possible.

When these brain pathways start automating students can take this lesson deeper to thinking 2 and 3 steps ahead on their parkour training and the skills they want to learn so they can accomplish certain challenges. From here the brain pathways strengthen and strength and soon spill over into school, life, and relationships.