Global Bodyweight Training
David "Young Flip" Rodriguez demonstrates the importance of proper hip and knee location when landing a Cat Leap on a concrete wall!
This week’s video tutorial is a double feature, covering two Parkour essentials: the Wall Run and the Cat Leap. And we’re super excited to have Professional Parkour athlete and American Ninja Warrior David “Young Flip” Rodriguez teach us how to master them. Both of these movements are not only great exercises, but are also two of the basics that will help you negotiate obstacles while you’re practicing your free running. They are some of the core building blocks to any parkour (or free running) training.

Parkour was developed by the French as a way to move through space as efficiently as possible, navigating your path around obstacles with moves including Wall Runs, Cat Leaps, Vaults, Precision Jumps, and more. (And the closely related Free Running discipline adds in more cool tricks and flips). It’s the kind of sport that makes its practitioners ideal candidates for competition shows like American Ninja Warrior!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably been following (or at least heard of) American Ninja Warrior, which pits incredible athletes against the most badass obstacle course out there. The competitors come from all types of bodyweight training backgrounds – you’ll see martial artists, wrestlers, gymnasts, dancers, and, of course, a lot of Parkour athletes. You truly get a glimpse at how these disciplines all melt together at their upper levels. Becoming a Ninja Warrior requires skill, coordination, flexibility, mobility, speed, strength, power and endurance. These are all attributes that we hope to have as bodyweight athletes, and are the foundation of the GBT System.

Flip works a Spider Climb into a parkour run during training
Demonstrating how he earned his name, Young Flip executes an impressive dismount at the end of a run


Our Guest Instructor: David “Young Flip” Rodriguez

Since beginning my journey into bodyweight training, I’ve gotten the opportunity to work with many athletes who are at the top of the game in their particular field. One of them is David “Young Flip” Rodriguez, who takes us through this week’s video tutorial. Flip is quickly working his way up the ranks in the Parkour and Free Running world. His unbelievable skills and his signature black and white masks allow him to easily stand out from the rest. His TV credits span from American Ninja Warrior (in 2011 he made it to the Finals, and he’s back again in 2012!); G4’s Jump City: Seattle, and the upcoming Step Up 4.

Mike Fitch Global Bodyweight Training
Mike Fitch practices his high precision jump at the Miami Free Running and Parkour Academy
So, I know you are all wondering where is this super cool gym with all that great equipment we are shooting on in the video. I was also excited to be able to shoot this week’s video at the facility for Miami Free Running and Parkour Academy, a new location which they moved into last year. It was here that Young Flip and Adrianne Gonzalez from Miami Free Running gave me my first introduction into the world of Parkour, and I love being able to go back to work out, play, and learn more from them!

And don’t forget to check out another great video tutorial we did with Young Flip last year, right below this video.



Check out this other great tutorial Young Flip did for us last year:
Learning the Parkour Kong Vault


Published by Mike Fitch

Mike is the founder of Global Bodyweight Training. He has more than 12 years as a fitness professional encompassing a wide range of disciplines which he draws upon to create the GBT system.

Join the Conversation

7 Comments

  1. Hey Mike and Young Flip! Thanks for that quality video tutorial. Easy to understand and broken down very well. Stepped outside the gym and did my first ever proper wall run. Haven’t found anything to Cat on yet but will be looking for one where ever I go. Great thing about Parkour is you are always on the look out for objects to do the moves on. Loved the Kong tutorial as well. Keep the great content flowing bro

    1. Hey Jamie, thank you for the comment. Yes, Miami Free Running has a great facility and is not even complete yet. If you’re ever in the area, I strongly suggest you check it out!

    1. Thank you Mariana, so glad you enjoyed it! love getting positive feedback. Let me know if you try out the moves.

  4. Awesome video tutorial. I have always been interested in free running and parkour and have followed the rise of Young Flip since watching Jump city and Ninja Warrior (2 bad ass shows). You guys rock!!!Keep up the good work Mike.

Leave a comment