Friday, September 18, 2009

MLW Takes a Step Forward

In all rights and respect I am Texas Parkour. I am not abandoning my community but I am building a new front for Matthew Willis and his concern is Parkour. Look for the weeks to come of workshops, events and teaching that will now be allowed through my own personal measure. Thank you everyone and stay with Texas Parkour. Its a great community.

From what I have found I am in no way capable of running an organization with Texas Parkour's current leaders. I have fought for over four years to try and unify a Parkour community. From what I have seen there will always be those who question you and your integrity when you’re trying your best. I in no way attack persons individually. I have always fought for Parkour and Texas Parkour. I however am threatened personally about my tactics and am personally attacked for trying to solve issues in the ways I see as best. I am no longer allowing myself to be subjected to personal attacks from members of Texas Parkour . Texas Parkour has been a democracy since its inception but even in a democracy there are levels of authority. I have officially lost all authority over Texas Parkour due to the dance of misconception and spreading of hate. The process is as follows. I call a meeting of importance, half show up late and half don’t show up. I try to make the organization transparent and share everything with its leaders. Leaders then do nothing to help the organization, bicker about the organization and then do nothing. Respectfully the organization behind Texas Parkour is nothing without its leaders trying to lead. I have the inability to rally the leaders to do their job. It is a job, because you as a leader accepted the responsibility. Why be a leader unless you want to lead? Why accept responsibility when you have the intension to do nothing.

I have come to the conclusion that I do not have the gut, intensions or will power to remain a man at center attention. A man blamed for not making an organization better, when it’s all I want to do/have done. As much as I have done for this community I expected more from many of the leaders in the organization. I have always expected leaders to care for their community as much as I had and it just never happened. I laid in wait for people to care more and to grow their community. I give too much as a man to be mocked on public forums and to be disrespected by members. If anything I want you all to remember, I try. I try every day to connect new people to the art. I try on an everyday basis to make Texas Parkour better and it is beyond me to do so with the poison being laid around the organization. We have leaders who question ideas because they would rather talk circles around the idea of an idea. We even have a group of individuals turning a city into a relic for other organizations who believe in a lesser of two evils debate.

Whether these leaders do or do not, Texas Parkour is still lead by these people. I would like to include that a Leaders is not just an assigned representative of Texas Parkour, but those who you look up to in your community to do more for you. Not all Leaders have attacked me personally and I want to make that clear. As I stated above, I have the inability to lead my leaders. There are many reasons for this, personal inadequacy on my part and unwillingness to be lead.

I try too hard to be treated the way I have. I try too hard to be spoken to the way I have. I try too hard for Texas Parkour to go nowhere. I try too hard to have my efforts striped of all its good intensions. I try too hard to be heckled for what I stand for. I try too hard to allow people new to the art tell me how Parkour is/was/will be. I try too hard to get paid nothing. I try too hard for members to expect money from me. I try too hard to get organizations like American Diabetes association helping us, Clear River Advocates helping us to have them be put to a vote whether or not they are good enough for members/leaders to be a part of. I try too hard to be legally responsible for people who could care less they are ruining my image as well as Texas Parkour’s image. I try too hard to be disrespected on online videos of our own audience. I try too hard to be told I don’t understand what Parkour needs. I try too hard to let others teach Parkour inefficiently without me stepping in to help out. I try too hard to be spoken down to in front of my own class. I try too hard to allow people who don’t know much about Parkour come in and take over what people think of Parkour.

I felt that I have always acted in the interest of Texas Parkour's members. I have also felt that I never attack people on a personal basis and have always tried to work with others. I have recently been heckled for transparency and professionalism. Is my letter professional? I feel the members of Texas Parkour have a right to know my sadness over this issue. Texas Parkour has always brought me up, but it was because I fought and screamed the whole way. Texas Parkour was always destined to grow I just never thought it would grow away from me. What does this mean for Matthew Lee Willis? Matthew Lee Willis, will still do/train/teach free Parkour in and around all of Texas. Matthew Lee Willis will also be a part of Texas Parkour Inc…whatever comes of it in whatever fashion it resides. Texas Parkour has always been a community organization and it will now stand on community organization alone. Maybe that is what Texas Parkour needs? I give you all a personal invitation to email me or call me. I love you all and a very heartfelt God Bless to you all individually and your training.




Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Master of Backflips

Many of us want to learn a back flip. I want to show you a video that will undoubtedly explain what 90% of the people who come up to me already assume. Someone actually was able to put it down on a video and for that, I smiles on how accurate this situation truly is in the Parkour world. Enjoy.

Monday, July 27, 2009

San Antonio Workshop


The San Antonio workshop went well on Sunday July 19th. Matthew Lee Willis and Levi McGlathery lead a 2 1/2 hour workshop with local Crossfitters in San Antonio Texas.

We started with a great warmup that even made the crossfitters break a sweat. We loved the space because we were able to utilize it with all the basic movements for Parkour. QM, Vaults and even some great Laches. The event was held at Alamo Crossfit. Texas Parkour will be back for more workshops in the future there! Thank you again Rick and Alamo Crossfit.

More Pictures

Questions

This caught my eye, and I figured I would do a semi personal post, just so people could see a little more incite about me. What better to do that with then a random 50 question quiz thing.

1. What time did you get up this morning? I woke up at 7:30am

2. How do you like your steak? I like it Done, not exactly Well done, but just Done.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I saw Harry Potter last night, and it was alright, but not great.

4. What is your favorite TV show? Conan, The office, Daily Show, Colebert Report, Jimmy Fallon

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? I would only live there for a year or so, but it would be Lisses Paris. (parkour)

6. What did you have for breakfast? No idea yet.

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Thai

8. What foods do you dislike? Mushroom, Liver, Fruit Salad

9. Favorite Place to Eat? Random Asian Shacks

10. Favorite dressing? Ceasar

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? Ford Tarus

12. What are your favorite clothes? Loose pants, tennis shoes, Texas Parkour t-shirt

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? If I had a chance I would visit Paris for a while.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Empty

15. Where would you want to retire? In TX some where

16. Favorite time of day? 7pm

17. Where were you born? San Angelo Texas

18. Favorite sport to watch: I dont watch sports but it would be Gymnastics.

19. Is this worth it? Probably not

20. Who will comment on this? No one.

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Anyone.

22. Bird watcher? I hate birds

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning

24. Do you have any pets? a cat. KEKE

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? I'm moving into an apartment this week.

26. What did you want to be when you were little? Fireman

27. What is your best childhood memory? Really, just getting out of the house at any point and time.

28. Are you a cat or dog person? Neither

29. Are you married? No.

30. Always wear your seat belt? Yes.

31. Been in a car accident? yea like 10 or so, only 2 or so my fault.

32. Any pet peeves? Too many to say.

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Hamburger (extra long cooked)

34. Favorite Flower? Dont have one.

35. Favorite ice cream? Vanilla

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Taco Casa

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Never took one :)

38. From whom did you get your last email? Tina Rottman.

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Hardware Store.

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Not really.

41. Like your job? Yes sir.

42. Broccoli? Love it!

43. What was your favorite vacation? New York City

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Chris Fontanes, Katie Beth

45. What are you listening to right now? The sound of me typing.

46. What is your favorite color? Blue

47. How many tattoos do you have? None

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Expert Villiage


I just wanted to post a little something that happened a couple years ago. I got a "parkour" gig to make some Parkour tutorials. Long story short, I didn't like them at all, I even said the wrong name of David Belle's Father. I asked for them to be taken down and I even asked for at least that one video to be taken down. They were not. Now, these videos have been up on Youtube for about 3 years now and I have learned a lot.

1. Don't trust that people care enough about their job to edit YOUR "umms" and "auhhs" out of a piece to make you look better. These videos being one large motivation to clean up my vocabulary, get rid of the word LIKE, and start to become a real teacher

2. Do not say SEEMENT. Hours of youtube comments of my trying to explain that you should roll on cement does not work or grasp your audience the way it should. Many comments involving semen are on these videos. I check them out once a year or so.

3. More people will recognize you for a video that you would expect. People have been truly influenced by my videos. I feel they are crap but I have emails coming in from all over the world and people in person tell me, "You taught me how to do a certain type of vault." I am extremely proud of that do not ever take as much credit as I should from these videos.

4. I am going to re brand myself. I am going to make a website dedicated to teaching more in the community and becoming involved as a master "workshopist". I am one of the best coaches for parkour in the world and the fact that I get that on a daily basis from friends, family and complete strangers fills me with confidence.

5. A lot of people have seen these videos. So much in fact that I am going to post the top viewed videos. I am so extremely surprised!

6. Too many things to still learn and not enough room to write them all down.

TOP VIEWS
372,000


203,100


178,000


Thank you all for your support.