He has gone on to travel numerous countries and continents in pursuit of glory in the sport, and has managed to notch up several first place wins along the way.

In this exclusive interview Max talks to us about what it is about parkour that keeps him motivated to keep breaking barriers within the sport’s community, and gives us an insight into his first book and his work on The Motus Projects.

When did you first start out in Parkour and what inspired you to take it up?

I started Parkour when I was 11 in 2012 when my mother signed myself and a friend up for Parkour lessons in the hope that it might become a fun and beneficial after-school activity for us young lads to take part in. I fell in love with the classes and the sport of Parkour. I loved turning up each week and learning the next technique to add to my syllabus. I had such fun jumping and flipping around in a very relaxed and playful environment. It very much suited my personality and style of learning. Over the course of the next couple of years I managed to work myself up the progression ladder, loving every technically challenging step forward.

Did you find parkour was a discipline you took to naturally or was it a challenge to begin with?

To be quite honest, I think the reason why I have come so far and achieved so much within the sport is that, in the beginning it all came quite naturally to me. I was always an active, some might say, overly active child; always taking part in different sports and up for anything that involved physical adventure. I picked up the new techniques easily as my body simply enjoyed moving and therefore all that was stopping me was the belief I had in myself… and when you are 11 years old, unless you are taught otherwise, you don’t really have a massive self doubt system built up. Most things are possible!

Have you always been a ‘sporty’ person and if so what other sports have you been involved in?

Before parkour, I took part in gymnastic lessons as a small child, which most probably helped with my aerial awareness and overall movement capability when it came to picking up new techniques within parkour. I also attended open trampoline classes, which weren’t technically lessons but more of a freestyle, ‘learn as you go’ sort of thing.

Around the same time that I was getting involved in parkour, plus a couple of years prior, I was majorly involved in rugby and thought it would be awesome to become a professional rugby player. I really did love the sport and still do. I love the feeling of handling a rugby ball and love the teamwork and skill involved in avoiding the other team at all cost. However, these days in professional rugby, it’s a different game. There’s more physical contact with the other team than not. When I used to play, I loved running, dodging and weaving, and less the tackling aspect. So I think I chose the right sport in the end.

Can you tell us about your parkour competition wins and which meant the most to you?

So, I’ve only had a handful of 1st place wins, however, I have competed in multiple events and competitions around the world. Mostly within Europe. When I think of the ones that have meant the most to me, I guess I think of the overall experience as a whole, and how much of an overwhelming and exciting moment in my life they were, especially as a young teenager.

The first one has got to be my first ever competition which took place in Helsingborg, Sweden, and was called ‘The Air Wipp Challenge’. To be put very simply, the format of the competition was ‘Style’ which meant athletes had one shot to show off their skills by putting together and executing one singular combination of tricks, jumps and flips that we normally call a ‘line’. All taking place on an indoor set up of wooden blocks and rails at different heights and sizes. These lines would then be judged within four categories; flow, difficulty, execution and creativity, with four judges each specialising in and judging one of the four categories.

I was pretty young, maybe around the age of 15, so therefore I was competing in the youth section of the competition, however, it was still a massive achievement for me. I had never competed before so I had no experience when it came to the judging system and what they were looking for. I just went out there, created a line that I was happy with and enjoyed doing, and tried to relax and have fun. Once all the athletes had gone and all the lines had been given their final score, they called out my name as the 1st place spot. I was so chuffed and surprised that I had won and was extra ecstatic, as I had not only gotten 1st place but had also won a new GoPro action sports camera and a free ticket to Camp WoodWard, which is an extreme sports summer camp out in America.

The second and definitely my most memorable and exciting competition experience was when I got 1st place in the Mens Adult Speed category in ‘The North American Parkour Championships’ in Vancouver, Canada, held by Sport Parkour League and Origins Parkour. This was such an incredible experience as I was really not expecting to do as well as I did, or at least I wasn’t expecting anything at all, I was just there to have fun and try my best. I guess that laid back attitude paid off! The Speed category is slightly different to Style; the event organisers create and set up a specific route marked out by red and yellow flags that weave around the Parkour set up, In this case, being the Origins Parkour gym in Vancouver. Athletes will then have to practice running the route in the fastest time possible using their Parkour ability. The route will be designed to challenge the limits of the athletes whilst giving them the chance to take specific and/or unique directions within the route as to have the chance of getting the fastest time. It’s all a game of technique, stamina, competence, creativity and of course, speed.

Anyway, to round it all up, I managed to come away with the fastest time winning first place; a 16-year-old boy from the south coast of England. That was a surprise, and such an amazing experience.

Check out the video linked below on The Motus Projects YouTube channel and continue watching at 3:53 to see the experience I had in Vancouver with your own eyes.

https://youtu.be/QUfjEySWsAw?t=233

Tell us about ‘The Motus Projects’. What is it and what are you currently working on?

The Motus Projects is a Parkour oriented clothing brand founded by Giles Campbell Longley, creating Parkour content from documentaries to weekly YouTube videos, community projects such as an annual Film and Photography festival, collaborations and giveaways, and specialises in ‘functional streetwear, born from Parkour culture’.

Over the years, The Motus Projects has sponsored up and coming athletes from around the world, giving them the chance to gain exposure, travel to events around the world and create a variety of different content for the Parkour community to enjoy. The team now consists of 12 athletes, myself being one of those athletes. We are always looking for new and unique ways to expand our creative horizons and help the sport of Parkour to gain exposure and to be better understood by the general public.

Our latest project was a top to bottom tour of the UK, from John O’Groats in Scotland all the way down to Lands End in Cornwall, visiting what we considered to be all of the best parkour hotspots and well-known cities as we travelled down through the UK. Our objective was to film and document our every step in order to showcase the whole experience of a Parkour tour.

We started off in Scotland and made our way through the highlands and the NC500 coast line; hiking, camping in the sticks, visiting little villages, swimming in the freezing Scottish rivers and seas, and mainly enjoying the exciting feeling of anticipation as the tour began to progress into full swing. We then made our way down to Glasgow, which marked the start of the city hopping part of the tour and the emphasis on capturing and showcasing the athlete’s movement.

The tour took place from the end of June to the beginning of July and the footage is currently being sorted through ready for editing. The final piece should be out for purchase at the end of September. All details and information will be published either on The Motus Projects Instagram and/or www.themotusprojects.com.

We are very excited to see how the final film turns out and are eager to make even more content as time goes on. So please do follow our journey to learn more about the ins and outs of Parkour, and to support our hobbies and passions.

Who most inspires you from the world of parkour?

I think these days I get inspired by individuals just because of their talent when it comes to movement but everything about them, their creative ambitions, their style, what they stand for, their life circumstances etc. I think due to this, I get most inspired by the people closest to me, because I know their story and I have had time to analyse them as individuals.

A few people who inspire me: @longboijumps – Because he isn’t someone who trains parkour as often as some and even though his main focus is videography and film making, he still manages to surprise me with his ability when it comes to technical and difficult Parkour moves.

@kelaaann – Because he is a very close friend of mine and I am in honour of and inspired by his individual and unique life experience as a human being and who he is as a person. I also know how much of a journey he has been on when it comes to the progression of his style in Parkour over the years and I love watching him move knowing how talented he is. 

I could go on forever, but here are a few more names that I want to mention, just simply because of how unbelievably good they are at the art of moving. – @joseph_marx @marcashigaru @camilastefaniu @robbiegriffith

(The names above are all Instagram handles).

We hear you have written a book – tell us a bit about it and where we can get it?

Wild Thing In A Wild World – The Chronicles of a Parkour Athlete, is what some might call a short autobiography written by myself, Max Collinge-Barker. I talk about the early years of my life and how my Stiener education played a big part in creating my adventurous attitude. I then go on to how I discovered parkour and write about my early achievements and most standout memories. The book also includes two exclusive parkour tutorials by Callum Powell, Storror, and Travis Verkaik, two incredibly talented and internationally renowned Parkour athletes. The book is beautifully Illustrated by my good friend Royce Quizora, an amateur artist studying illustration at Bournemouth Arts University.

I started to write the book over the course of the first national lockdown here in the U.K.,which I believe was around March 2020. I give a full explanation of why I decided I wanted to write a book, in the book itself, however, all I have to say here is, it was a very rewarding and peaceful experience, and I would urge anyone to have a go at creative writing in general.

I have now sold 200 plus books; the parkour community being my biggest market. The book is no longer for sale, however, it will be back up for sale as soon as possible on my website which is currently under maintenance. For all info regarding anything me, my Instagram is the place to be – @max.motus

Where can our readers keep up-to-date with your projects?

The best places to keep up-to-date with all topics I have mentioned above are; mine and The Motus Projects’ Instagram handles (@max.motusand @themotusprojects) and www.TheMotusProjects.comwhere you can get more involved in the community and support our brand.