Hi Fagan, who are you?
My name is Fagan and I am an Art Du Deplacement / Parkour coach at Move Academy Singapore. I started practicing since 2003 and have been
coaching since 2013. I have always enjoyed being an active person and I aim to be that way till old
age! I find that ADD / Parkour is such a holistic discipline that teaches me awareness, self-control,
respect, tenacity, gracefulness and most importantly, to be confident in myself.
Training before and after Yamakasi?
Hahaha I thought I was training in the many years before I met the Yamakasi but it was really
nothing compared to after meeting them! I dare say that I made more progress in 1 year’s training
after meeting the Yamak compared to the 10 years of training before that. Similiar to many young
practitioners, I realised that I had neglected a huge part of training ‘to be and to last’, specifically the
lack of conditioning for body armour. Their influence made such a big shift in my training journey
that I felt like I was only scratching the surface of the discipline before. I feel that every practitioner
needs to meet them if they get the chance, to properly understand the original training styles and
values or at least to keep an open mind and to explore all avenues of our movement.
The Discipline
This discipline has shown me how to live and to appreciate what I have, teaching me many life lessons along the way. It keeps me fit and healthy in both mind and body. It is definitely a lifestyle, mindset and a catalyst for me to lead a meaningful life.
I’m not obsessed with it as I have many other parts of my life balanced out quite well, but it is an integral part of who I have become. This discipline to me, is training for life!
MOVE SINGAPORE What is the biggest obstacle you’ve encountered both in teaching and in training?
In teaching, the biggest obstacle is still to be able to effectively teach students of various levels in the same
class! I find this the hardest to accomplish because I think it is important to make the class and learning
relevant to EVERY individual that makes the time to come for class!
In training, the biggest obstacle I have encountered is the lack of confidence in going ahead to do what I need
to do. I have a lot of ideas and things in my head that I want to try, but I am always too concerned with what
people think or how the outcome would be like. I am aware and learning to control this, and with Sasa’s
encouragement, I am attending my first international Parkour gathering in Gerlev this year! Excited for
growth once again. 🙂
Competition and competitiveness in parkour and how do you think it affects it?
I generally do not think that Parkour suits well for competition, as the primary training motivations of a
competitor will be very different from most others who pick up Parkour. I feel that Parkour is a great tool to grow from the inside and perhaps the only competition should be within ourselves to do better than oneself.
I can see how competition has its merits as well, as it is a different way of bringing people together and pushing the boundaries of our discipline further. I think competition affects Parkour because it makes it harder for people to control their egos due to the nature of competitiveness against others more than against oneself.
I like the fact that Skochypstiks was made by traceurs for traceurs, with a great reason behind the name! It’s comfortable and versatile enough to wear for training and as part of regular outfits.
Thank you Fagan for great time in Singapore, it was amazing train and teach with you. Keep sharing and stay in motion!
Skochypstiks Clothing
www.skochypstiks.com
FAGAN Cheong
Coach
MOVE SINGAPORE
