I frequented this place when I was in highschool and college. I was a very unathletic shy kid who discovered Parkour from watching these guys jumping around Peavy Plaza.
Since my time here I felt like FOFA was more than a gym. They had a sense...
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I frequented this place when I was in highschool and college. I was a very unathletic shy kid who discovered Parkour from watching these guys jumping around Peavy Plaza.
Since my time here I felt like FOFA was more than a gym. They had a sense of community that was very accepting and positive. The whole idea of Parkour wasn't just simply to improve your physical being, but also to improve your mental wellness. If you can't overcome an obstacle, you find a different way to approach it. If you fail, you simply reflect on why and work on your weaknesses so you can do better next time.
These ideas were ones I took out of the gym and into the real word. I noticed my confidence improved drastically as I approached the world through the lens of Parkour. I not only was more physically fit (during the height of my time at the academy I went from overweight to having an 8-pack), I was feeling a lot happier. It didn't feel like I was doing a workout, I was simply having fun.
I took a break from it when I graduated college, but came back when I saw they had a personal training program. I was surprised I was remembered, given it was almost a decade since I last been there. The joy of the sport, the feeling of community, and the push of encouragement never faded since I was last there. I spoke with Chad, one of the founders, and he was very honest above all; he cares about seeing the students at the gym grow.
I would definitely recommend anyone new coming in, to give their classes a try. I didn't regret it, and plan to come back as a student.