How competition boosted my training

By SAM McFARLANE, Aerial Edge instuctor

Parkour competition time is over this year, and I've walked away with so much insight into how the competition scene is growing in Scotland. And I'm living out my childhood dreams walking away with the title of Scottish champion for the year.

I always wanted this kind of thing growing up, and seeing friends compete in their own freestyle sports like snowboarding and BMX made me feel a little sad that parkour didn't offer that opportunity. I started training it around 2005 and it's come a long way since then.

Being at the UK Championships this year and taking on the skill division really kick-started my love for training again and off the back of that the motivation to push myself.

I know some people disagree with competition in street sports and I'm totally on board if you want to train for yourself and in a casual way. For me, competition has got me back to serious training. Gym every day, saunas, yoga, running, swimming and eating right to hold it all together.

There are other competitions starting all across Scotland run by leaders and good role models in the sport, and one I need to mention is @glasgowparkourcomps run by my good friend @iamscotthouston. A lot of people really enjoyed his style and format so head over to his page if you are interested and keep an eye on it.

Now we have the Scottish Parkour Takeover League and the chance to compete is open for everyone. I'm hoping this will inspire the new generation, giving them a goal to strive towards, and to help nurture their love for parkour.