On Rainy Seasons

Every tricker around the world has the season as both their friend and enemy, some have winter, while others have rainy season. Especially if you’re from the Philippines, a tropical country where the first six months is a preview of what the fires of hell might feel and the remaining six months is bent on trolling you; whenever you’re out of the house it rains as fuck but when you’re inside it’s bright and shiny. But you do not have to be lethargic throughout the rain; it’s the best time to go on a sampler marathon or train your kicks (Remember: no matter what, your kicks suck – TRAIN THEM! Train them for the sake of Faerun!)

Here are a few other tips to keep your rain seasons productive:

1) Trick Analysis

                Fire up your fave tricker’s sampler, get your tricking notebook and observe how your fave tricker does his/her tricks. Pause and play, reverse, slow mo, etc. Note down the idiosyncratic movements and compare it with your tricks. You’ll realize that what you really need is already inside you, you just need awakening and realization. (So deeeeeeep)

2) Practice Kicks

                Warm up first! Visualize that you’re Bruce Lee and kick like a (Ed) boss! This will help you in more ways than you can ever conceive. Don’t kick your furniture though, pity them, pity the pitiful furniture. Hurt them not, backyard warrior, hurt them not for they hurt you not.

3) Calisthenics

                Part of tricking is making your body stronger and well-rounded. Calisthenics helps you with that; also being able to do badass bodyweight exercises is hardcore!

Why am I posing in the dark?

4) Read books

                It’s the best time to chill and learn something new; or just be immersed in a good story.

I'm deep into High Fantasy and Swords & Sorcery. Like Dungeons and Dragons shit. Play with me!

                Remember, it doesn’t mean that you’re stuck in your house you can’t do anything productive. Be creative and make use of every time you have- you only have so little it would be utterly pointless wasting your time not having fun or not learning something new.

How to Start Tricking in the Philippines P. 1

                Starting out in tricking can be quite a challenge here in the Philippines- especially if you’re a backyarder with no martial arts or dancing background. If you’re a practitioner of any martial art, I’m taking a guess that you can just train tricking in your dojo after classes, or on different days if your dojo has an open gym time. Same goes for dancers or bboys. You can train in your dance studios and even ask the tumblers in your crew to teach flips. If you’re a backyarder, you have it a bit harder. You can take martial arts classes that can greatly help you trick but if you want to work by yourself for whatever reason (I wanted to learn alone because I’m an introvert), I suggest you finish the whole article and take what you can learn.

Learning

                Though there are few trickers in the country, and they would be willing to help you, it’s an effort to meet up with them as most live in great distances from each other. Of course if there’s a tricker near your area then you can have sessions with him/her. However, since the chances of having a tricking neighbor is slim, the best you can get is to teach yourself- that’s how most learn anyway. Most learn from the internet, and here are websites that can greatly help you.

Trickstutorials.com (moved to Acrobolix.com)   
Trickstutorials.com once hosted the most active tricking forums but stopped a few years ago. However this site remains as the most influential site in tricking because it contains MASSIVE information in tricking, nutrition, flexibility and non-sense.

Justtheskills.com
Though it has long been un-updated, justtheskills.com is a good source for beginner tutorials and other tricks following the basics until the intermediate level. A tricking progression ladder is also in the site to guide you on what trick you should learn next, or the prerequisites for the trick you’re aiming.

Stormtricks.com
A good website for nutrition, strength training and tricking. Tats actively updates the website and puts many interesting articles on how you can improve your overall athleticism.

Ninja Academy
... or you can attend a basic Tricking course! Check out Ninja Academy in the next part.

Where am I going to trick?

                This is one of the biggest problem most encounter. Again if you’re a martial artist, dancer or bboy, you can probably just trick where you usual train -though it doesn't hurt to try other places either.

Ninja Academy

                If you’re around NCR, you can try Ninja Academy. It’s a Parkour and Freerunning facility that also offers Tricking (BUT STILL, tricking has no connection to PK/FR whatsoever. It just so happened that both movements dominate the underground movement scene) offering open gym (open gym simply means paying for the floor time, no coach will teach you) OR coaching. Yes, there is now a tricking ‘school’ in the Philippines! My friend Jori and I teach beginner classes there and will definitely help you get through your basic phase. Check this out for more info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/534457546677524/?ref=notif&notif_t=plan_edited

Martial Arts Dojos
                Though few martial arts dojos in the country offer open dojo time, it’s still worth a try to see if they offer it.  There is one in Manila, along Angel Linao Street near San Andres Bukid. It’s called Tricks Gym and they charge Php 45 for a small space where you can do basic kicks and few flips for the whole day.

Grass Areas
                Grass is free, it feels good, it looks good in video. You can just go to your local park and start busting tricks! Be careful though, some private parks mind you tricking on their grass. Test the waters (or grass) first before diving (or flying).
                UP Diliman has lots of open grass areas and nobody ever really tells you to not trample their grass there (except during graduation time, apparently they need the grass area behind the Oblation Building for ceremonies and don’t like you messing up their beautiful grass).

That height though!

Saturday Superheroes' First Tricking Sampler!

After multiple storms, procrastinating, funny moments and other stuff, I've finally finished my team's video.

It took me 2 years to form a team, and while, by the looks of it not, I don't think this current line up of trickers will persist (reasons: 1. They're still removed from the tricking community, 2. Ticking and trickers are fickle by default, 3. You can never be too sure), I still hope that we last long.

To Ferds, Ace, Gigz & Martin, here's to friendship long and fruitful :D