The Takeoff | A Parkour Podcast

Today, we've got Denali Siruno ( @denali.siruno ) on to chat about style, aesthetics, expression, and how we define novelty and creativity in parkour. Denali has an insanely technical style that draws heavily from tricking and has competed in most major style comps, including SPL and KOTC. He is also known for being willing to share some good-natured hot takes online regarding style in parkour and how the concept of style in our sport is constantly being reassessed and pushed by the next generation. In this episode, I wanted to give him space to share his thoughts on what "style" in parkour even means - if anything - and how we can constructively judge, compare, and talk about it from his perspective. I definitely came away from this episode with some fresh thoughts on style comps, judging, and general expression in the parkour scene. Curious to hear if y'all do as well! - Max

This week, I'm chatting with Sam Coppack - lead coach at Nova City and early days UK practitioner - about the recent Project Underground 13 comp, his perspective on the UK's growing gym/youth parkour scene, and what we may be neglecting when it comes to delivering the best possible parkour experience to the next generation of practitioners. This conversation was an absolute pleasure and (as you probably can tell) involved quite a bit of off-the-cuff brainstorming that may lead to some interesting and implementable places for coaches, gym owners, and community leaders down the line. I'm very curious to hear what your thoughts are on this one, particularly regarding the whole non-competitive youth events question I brought up. Does your gym do any inter-facility youth events that aren't competition specific? Let me know! And as always thanks so much for taking the time to listen. - Max

After a short hiatus, we’re back with a big one - a brief (ish) dive into parkour’s history with Callum Powell, nerd supreme of all things parkour. Callum just released his first book, “What is Parkour?” which covers parkour’s culture, history, and practice through hilarious anecdotes from his own training and adventures alongside STORROR. I had the privilege to proof-read quite a decent chunk of it over the past few months and I have to say…I didn’t think I’d ever laugh out loud at parkour non-fiction but here we are. In this episode, we cover the development of parkour - from the founding Yamakasi group to the modern day - in broad strokes, and try to leave references for an interested listener to dive deeper into anything we skip over. Hope you enjoy it and check out the links below for some of the key reference points we make throughout the episode! Callum Powell, “What is Parkour?”: https://www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/what-is-parkour-the-sport-with-an-identity-crisis?_pos=1&_sid=5a6f0b197&_ss=r&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnREnSf2HlzEHcHlfxq1nOFWLVexrvtMHRTEPjU1OIAoPADks2yrDrn3CmODU_aem_94H_DUiBXAGopJKACLm51A Julie Angel’s “Breaking the Jump”: https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Jump-secret-Parkours-rebellion/dp/178131554X Jump Britain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TJurAP9l-Q&t=1234s Jason Paul’s Russian Parkour video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2flqoWkVM0&t=1294s Matthias Mayer’s Eastern Parkour video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSziShdcEmY&t=5286s New Year’s Eve Eve Jam Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpA61Cty6fI

On this week’s episode, we have Jimmy Davidson - owner of Freedom of Motion in California and one of the minds behind Motion Mentors. He is also the author of Million Dollar Parkour Gym, a book that aims to help parkour gym owners create a space that is not only fun and authentic but also runs on all cylinders as a thriving business. Whether you own a parkour gym or not, I think you’ll find this episode really insightful. We dive into some of the biggest problems gym owners face today (with some simple and actionable solutions) and talk through where the sport may be going next - particularly as the current generation of young kids training parkour in gyms around the world grow into teens and young adults. Links for this episode:Motion Mentors website - https://www.motionmentors.org/Million Dollar Parkour Gym book - https://www.motionmentors.org/bookMotion Mentors Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/0BouhCqyFAkLvvnyH8a9vS

In this episode, Marcio Filipe ( @hgmrtgiv ) walks us through both his terrifying bail in Portugal and how handling the recovery has helped him answer some of the toughest questions parkour athletes ask themselves during their training. It was amazing having Marcio on to share both his story and his absolute love of parkour. He's a true parkour nerd, and we dive into some of the content that helped him become the best precision parkour athlete our sport has seen so far. I hope you find this episode insightful. In some ways, it raised as many questions for me as it answered, but I think that is often the mark of a good conversation. Be sure to follow Marcio on both YouTube and his socials (@marcio.filipee) keep up with his training and recovery. Thank you as always for listening and I'll see you next week! - Max

Robbie Corbett is the co-owner of WFPF and main brain behind both the WFPF coaching certification and USA Parkour competition circuit. In this episode, we dive into his parkour origins story and how that led him first into the stunt industry and then into his current role with WFPF, and what WFPF is up to in 2026 - including the upcoming USA Parkour Cup in Austin, TX. As always, thanks so much for listening. My apologies for the slight delay on this episode - as you can probably tell the whole family has been fighting a cold and sick kiddos make editing on a schedule a bit tougher. Enjoy the episode and I'll catch you next week! Max

Alec Blenis is one of the biggest voices in the hybrid training space right now. In addition to holding the record time for Murph and boasting a 2:40 marathon time alongside some really impressive strength numbers, Alec Blenis is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the current state of evidence-based training. It was a blast getting Alec on to chat about the fundamentals of running faster, training harder, and getting nutrition right when it comes to parkour - and how parkour athletes can get a ton out of an extra hour or two of strategic cardio work each week. If you aren't already, follow ‪@alecblenis‬ both here on YouTube and on the 'gram (his posts are equal parts hilarious and educational) and check out his programming via the links on his socials! Couldn't recommend it enough to anyone in the parkour space looking to build a better training engine without sacrificing power. As always, thanks for listening and I'll see you next week! Max

On this episode of The Takeoff, Sydney Olson and I dive into everything from parkour competitions to identity in sport to building a healthier relationship with commitment. As a multi-time SPL Style and Red Bull Art of Motion winner, ‪@SydneyOlson‬ has had a phenomenal competitive career in parkour and is also a highly successful stuntwoman in Los Angeles. Additionally, she hosts the Collecting Scars podcast (available on her YouTube and Spotify) and has recently moved into the mindset coaching and personal development space. As many of you probably already know (and experience), it's easy to wrap up your entire identity in doing what you love. We talk through the benefits and pitfalls of that experience here. I hope you enjoy! Max

Giles Campbell Longley has been behind the scenes for many of parkour's most iconic moments - from capturing some of parkour's early days in the UK to filming Roof Culture Asia and starting The Motus Projects. These days, Giles is helping refine what has become parkour's biggest and most successful brand - Storror - from your experience buying merch to the emails you get over the holidays. We jump into some of the lessons he's learned from his biggest successes (and failures) over the past 20 years in the sport and where he sees parkour industry and culture going in the future...don't worry, it's surprisingly optimistic. If you'd like to see guests on future episodes of the podcast, drop them in the comments below and be sure to follow @thetakeoff.pod on IG for more shorts and BTS! Max

In this episode of The Takeoff, we dive into Chloe Reynolds' unique style and journey to parkour from the world of professional ballet. Chloe (@chloegreynolds) has really taken the online scene by storm over the past year, innovating a creative and dance-adjacent style that emphasizes unique spot use over scale or traditional parkour "technique." I was curious to hear who inspired her, how she builds lines, and what she looks for in a spot. Sorry about the stuffy nose and occasional tissue appearance on this episode! Daycare colds came back with a vengeance. Thanks as always for watching and please share this episode with your friends if you found it helpful or insightful! Max Chloe's recommendations: The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin Set Rules, Unexpected Outcomes by 530 Type Club

Welcome to 2026! After a short break for the holidays, we're back with episode 6 of The Takeoff...this time featuring Ruby Romero of The Movement Creative. I've known Ruby for a long time and seen how pivotal she has been in helping shape The Movement Creative as a community-first parkour organization. In this episode, we dig into that development and the lessons she's learned working with Brown Girls Climb. Thanks as always for tuning in and I'm looking forward to bringing you more weekly goodness for as long as I can this year! Max

In this incredibly wholesome episode of The Takeoff, I dig into all things community with David Ehrlich and Alec Reduker of The Commons. If you're unfamiliar, The Commons (‪@thecommons.boston‬) have been evolving parkour media and culture for the past three years - pushing the boundaries of how we see jams while providing the first paid platform for parkour media. I wanted to know how much of their aesthetic was intentional, where they see The Commons going in the future, and how they wanted to continue their mission of providing a community that embraces all aspects of parkour. Follow @thecommons.boston on socials and visit www.thecommons.boston to see Alec's sweet handmade site plus purchase Thyme & Roses and other recent releases. See you next week!Max

Darryl Stingley (@iamwavezilla) is known for his impressive competitive parkour record, viral short form content, and insightful parkour films like Trials Morales. In this episode, we dig into how his history as a comic book nerd and childhood in the Bay Area helped shape not only his creative voice but his incredibly physical style of movement. We also get pretty deep into the technical weeds breaking down doubletaps (a new variation of tic tacs/180s that Darryl has been pioneering) for all the fellow parkour nerds out there trying to progress. Enjoy this one and we'll see you next week!

Lilou Ruel (‪@lilouruel‬) has been on my radar since a video of her crushing at age 11 popped up ten years ago. Since then, she's gone on to dominate the competition circuit, become a Red Bull sponsored athlete, hit tons of NBDs (including first female send of the iconic Manpower gap), and establish herself as a creative visionary in the parkour space. In this episode, we dig into her early training years and the pressure she felt to perform after her early success...but also how that pressure helped shape a unique outlook on parkour that combines an Olympian's training approach with an eye for photography and fashion. Her perspective on fashion in particularly really stood out to me in this one, and I'd love to hear what y'all think in the comments. Also, please give Lilou some love for exploring a few incredibly nuanced topics in English - I really appreciated her willingness to get out of her comfort zone on this one and she killed it!

Wenxin Yang (‪@wenxinyangg‬ on YouTube and @wenxinyang on IG) is a parkour athlete and digital creative making some of the most interesting content in parkour. His media profile is a balance between short form content for some of the world's biggest brands and touching, grounded pieces about his journey in parkour. In this conversation, we dig into what he's learned about conveying ideas through video in his branded work and how he's started to translate that into his parkour content. We also touch on what it means for "everyone" to do parkour, how to find your most authentic self, and how to start creating art from that place - with plenty of nerdy parkour history moments along the way. I hope you enjoy this episode. If you do, don't forget to share it around and tag Wenxin when you do. His content is always a treat and deserves even more recognition inside the parkour community. Until next week!

Join Max Henry and Dominic Di Tommaso - better known to many as Dom Tomato - for the inaugural episode of "The Takeoff," a parkour podcast for people who train and people who don't. In this episode, Max and Dom dive into how Dom balances his reputation for pushing the physical and mental limits of the sport with his honest belief that parkour can be for everyone. Along the way, he breaks down his approach for committing to hard challenges, how he views parkour's future, some of his favorite athletes in the sport right now, and what it means to train with no finish line in sight. I hope you enjoy this episode and I'll see you next week! If you have athletes you'd like to see come on or topics you'd like to see me tackle in future episodes, please drop a comment and I'll see what I can do. Athletes mentioned: @larryvinventor @amyybaldwin @roku69pk @fletchflips