Enab wasn’t really sure what the proper protocol was for a situation like this. In other sports the etiquette was more definite. He knew that in surfing, when two people are on the same wave, the one with the inside track gets to go and the other backs away. Normally, Enab was not the type to worry about etiquette. At over six feet tall he was bigger than most people, and usually was doing things that few others thought about. However, this was his first time at the waterworks plant and he quickly encountered another traceur. As he was cat-balancing up on a duct with no easy way down, he was in a quandary. Had he ever been in this type of situation before, he doubted that he would have thought about turning around. As it was, Enab is a large, young man, full of confidence, and had never encountered a situation where he would back down. Barely twenty, his body was sculpted from years of competitive boxing and swimming. However, the man in front of him was huge. Much larger than he, with a wild mane and beard. He looked older – much older – but his chest and shoulders were simply massive, demanding respect. One of them had to turn around and retreat more than twenty metres.
Much later on the ground, Enab introduced himself to the man. “Surd,” he replied. Obviously a man of few words, but this did not deter Enab in the least.
“How … when we were up there, you looked at me, then turned around and seemingly without thinking pirouetted and went back in one motion. How did you do that?” Enab was aching to learn from this seeming expert.
However, “Balance, my boy – balance is the key to everything,” was all the knowledge the mountain of a man would release. This didn’t seem like a huge revelation to Enab, because after all, he was just up there working on his balance. He was out looking for new areas and stumbled across this duct that he had never seen before. It wasn’t dangerously high, but it certainly demanded all of his concentration.
After a short rest and water break, they decided to do a little training together. Surd was a very solitary man by nature, but it had been a long time since he had trained with anyone, and he knew that a fresh viewpoint, a different way of looking at things, was always good. At the far end of the duct was a large wall run – probably close to four metres. Surd had done it many times, and accomplished it with little difficulty. Enab, however, seemed perplexed. He couldn’t quite get one hand up on the ledge. He knew that his strength was far above average, so that if he could just get his hand up there, then he would have little trouble with the rest. As he was about to attempt it for the fourth time, Surd looked down and said “Relax. Breathe.”
“What’s that, Socrates?” Enab replied with spite.
“You’re rushing too much. You need to relax. Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Slow it down. Do this a few times, then finally after you have exhaled again, give it another try.” So Enab did that. He controlled his breathing, which helped his focus a little. One last inhale and exhale, and then he made another attempt. No worries, Enab accomplished it with ease.
“Thanks…Socrates,” he jested, and the two shared a knowing smile.
Enab continued to work on this breathing before attempting things – kongs, lazy vaults, wall hops, cat leaps and precision jumps – every day for the next week. It helped. The old dog certainly taught him a new trick, that much was certain. Enab had worked daily since meeting Surd, concentrating on a different technique each day, but his main focus was on breathing properly with each activity.
Then, exactly one week after initially meeting Surd, Enab saw him again at the waterworks. This time, Surd was working on climbing up and down some scaffolding. Enab was again struck by the size of Surd – so much bigger than he, but his agility in negotiating the scaffolding was amazing. He would leap up and merely hook his hands around a pole, and then immediately his entire body was past that spot. He seemed not to rest at the top, but would merely have a brief look at the route down and then descend. He appeared to just fall down, but it was in a very controlled manner. Enab watched in amazement, and seemed to have trouble catching his breath. He tried to follow Surd up and down, but could not keep up with the old man’s pace. Flummoxed, he asked for a breather after their thirteenth time up and down. Surd asked him what he had been working on, and Enab said “I did just what you told me. Every day I have been working hard on all of my skills, but most importantly my breathing.”
“Ahh, but you forgot my first lesson,” Surd replied, sagaciously.
“Whad’ya mean, Socrates? I thought that was your first lesson.”
“No. Balance.”
“Balance, what do you mean by that?”
“You haven’t had any days off in a week. Your body needs time to recover. When you make muscles, you are actually tearing the muscle, and new muscle is being formed beneath. And when you aren’t building muscle, fatigue also comes into play. You need to rest to maintain optimal performance. Balance training and days off.”
So Enab took this to heart as well. He continued to step up his training, but did take days off as well. He moved out of his family home a few months back, and enjoyed the freedom of his new lifestyle. However, Parkour is important to him, so he planned days off as well as training days. After going around to a few different spots, Enab found Surd at the waterworks again the following Saturday. They drilled together for about two hours, on the scaffolding and across some rooftops. However, again Enab found himself tiring before the old man. Enab’s conceit was taking blow after blow from this man, and he couldn’t figure out the reasons why. Why did this old man have more endurance than he? What made him so special? During the next water break, Surd asked him about his tired countenance. “Well, are you taking days off?”
“Yes, two full days of rest this week.”
“Hmm. Are you eating well? Lots of fruits and vegetables?”
“Um… err… actually, no. I moved out of my parents’ place not long ago, and I don’t do much cooking myself.”
“That’s not good. You have to stay away from those late-night chippies and such. Get on the internet and figure out some healthy eating habits. People much smarter than I have figured out what you should and shouldn’t eat, and they have written tips about it on the internet. One easy one to remember is ABS DIET POWER.” Then Surd told Enab what that meant.
The next week Enab had all of his confidence from before he met Surd. He was feeling strong and rested, well-fed and breathing properly. He saw Surd again the next week and the two were absolute marvels. Great balance between the both of them, proficient at everything they tried. However, toward the end of the workout, Enab again was having some troubles with the wall run. He didn’t know what else he could do.
“How confident are you? Do you feel that you can do it?” asked Surd.
“Yes, I have done it many times.”
“Well, that’s a good start. Do you know that you can do it?”
“Um… yes.”
“Well, as you are relaxing and breathing, picture yourself doing it. Picture yourself doing it perfectly. Mental training is a very powerful weapon that is highly underutilized.”
Enab thought about that a bit. Then he stood in front of the wall, and looked at it. He slowed his breathing down, and then pictured himself doing it. He saw himself doing it. And then he did it. “I see. Kind of like the ‘perfect practice makes perfect’ adage, eh?”
“Something like that,” grumbled Surd.
Enab was happy training with Surd, but it seemed odd to him that they would meet only once a week. “So what are you doing tomorrow?” asked Enab.
“Resting,” Surd exhaled.
“Well, how about going training with me?”
“Nope. Gotta rest. Gonna make a big stew also.”
“Well, how about the next day?” inquired Enab.
“Persistent little bastard, aren’t you? Well, okay then. Meet here, about 10?”
“Well, actually I was thinking of going to the fireman training centre. Maybe about 8pm?”
“But I like training here,” said Surd.
“Well, that’s okay Surd, but a man much wiser than me once said ‘balance, my boy. It’s the key to everything!’”
by H. Murell
i think i cud learn a thing or two from this guy !!
Surd is a wise man, and Enab has the ability to learn from him. I think that is the most important thing. being able to learn is what keeps us progressing.
I kinda get but at the same time i don’t really. Is this a real story or just made up?
simply, awesome due
All the best practitioners, whether it be Parkour, or martial arts or whatever, seem to have a mentor. Their own personal Mr. Miyagi or Surd. I believe that we all just need to find our own mentor, and remember the lessons that they teach us. Also the funny shit they say… Ahem, in all seriousness of course