Welcome to Tempest Freerunning Academy


<strong>Tempest Freerunning Academy is California’s first and only training facility solely dedicated to the growth and spread of freerunning and parkour.</strong> <div><a class="alignright" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fouvwilGWc"><img style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" src="/wp-content/themes/tfacademy/images/video-thumb.jpg" border="0" alt="Video Thumb"></a></div> <br> Developed by the founders of Team Tempest and X-Games course designer Nate Wessel, <a title="Our Facility" href="/facility">our facility</a> offers a real-world environment where you can learn everything from the basics of parkour to the advanced maneuvers and tricks of freerunning. <br><br> At Tempest Freerunning Academy, you get nothing but the best. Our coaches are real, working freerunning professionals with years of training and experience in film, TV and live events. Beyond that, they're part of the Tempest Freerunning family who wants nothing more than to bring freerunning to the masses, and most likely, be your new best friends. <br><br> Through hard work and creativity, The Academy guarantees we’ll challenge you to push further than you ever have before and experience Tempest’s signature ideal: Tru Freedom.

Coach DeVille Races His Dark Side in New Spec Commercial

Posted on November 2, 2012 by JBerry

Tired? Thirsty? Coach DeVille Vannik knows how to fix that: showcase your freerunning skills in a spec commercial for Vital Energy.

Produced by JoeBono Productions and shot in Rochester, N.Y., the spec commercial for the energy drink may ring some bells for people who remember the company’s viral “Epic Nervous Breakdown” video (where one of the founders pranked his parents by placing more than 1,000 cases of the energy drink throughout their home).

This new spec commercial for Vital Energy is an entirely new take. Watch the video above to see the story play out just like a graphic novel. “I had no idea that it would be an action comic and love this new style!” said Vannik. “I’ve never seen it done like that before.”

Many of the shots also featured Charles Moreland of Rochester Parkour as the other version of Vannik. ”It was a great shoot and we had a blast running around the city and getting to play on the architecture,” he said. “We had some great locations and a stellar crew who were willing to get down and dirty, scaling rock walls and abandoned buildings to capture some of those cool shots.”

Stay tuned to see if this becomes an official Vital Energy commercial, and in the meantime, challenge yourself!

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‘Arrow’ Actor Stephen Amell Trains at Tempest Freerunning Academy

Posted on November 2, 2012 by JBerry

Have you had a chance to watch The CW’s new show, Arrow? You’ll probably recognize some familiar parkour-influenced moves throughout the show’s action sequences, and that’s no accident.

Stephen Amell, lead actor on the show who plays Oliver Queen/Arrow, trained at The Academy with Team Tempest’s Paul “Diddy” Darnell to prepare for his role.

“I showed Stephen the basics of parkour,” said Darnell. “Having a strong athletic base, he really adapted quickly to it. I taught him as much as I could before he had to leave for shooting in Vancouver. He learned a great base a skills to help make his character, the Arrow, even more badass.”

Check out Amell’s “badass” moves for yourself in this behind-the-scenes footage (above) from a photo shoot for Emmy magazine that went down at The Academy. And don’t forget to tune into Arrow on Wednesdays at 8/7c!

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Celebrate Halloween…Tempest Style

Posted on October 5, 2012 by JBerry

It’s getting spooky around The Academy, and we’re pretty sure your Halloween fright night won’t be complete without a few tricks and treats with Tempest.

On October 28, we’ll gather for a Halloween Jam you won’t forget. Just $50 nets you a special edition tee, and the chance to freerun in a costume. What could be better, you ask? Absolutely nothing.

Everyone is welcome, and costumes are a requirement! But please note that we can’t allow makeup with your costume. Imagine all those faceplants on the mats and walls – The Academy would look like Frankenstein’s monster by the end of the night ;)

Give us a call to reserve a spot for you and your friends: 818-717-0525

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Oct. 14: Ladies, Learn from Luci Romberg

Posted on September 26, 2012 by JBerry

One of Tempest Academy’s biggest goals is to give women a louder voice in the world of freerunning. And on Oct. 14, we’re offering an incredible chance to help our women warriors do just that!

Come and train with the world’s greatest female freerunner, Luci “Steel” Romberg! A voice for women, a talented athlete, and a renowned stuntwoman, Luci will offer this unique workshop for all ladies who want to improve their skills.

This is a rare opportunity to train with the world’s top female freerunner!

Who’s invited? Ladies ages 15+ are welcome to come join us for this awesome opportunity to boost your parkour and freerunning skills!

Don’t let this chance pass you by – reserve your spot online or give us a call at 818-717-0525 to reserve your spot today.

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Sept. 9 & 16: Ninja Warrior Training Hits The Academy

Posted on August 24, 2012 by JBerry

This season’s Ninja Warrior competition may be over, but it’s never too soon to start getting ready for the next time Mt. Midoriyama comes calling.

Our very own Ninja Warrior champions will be showing you the ropes. Train and learn from the likes of Brent Steffenson, Frosti Zernow, and Shane Daniels, and you’re bound to get whipped into shape!

Depending on your age, you will join us either Sept. 9 or Sept. 16., during a morning or afternoon session. Please refer to the fliers above to determine which day fits your age.

During this exciting workshop at The Academy, you’ll have a  chance to learn the skills you need to master:
-The Cliff Hanger
-The Salmon Ladder
-The Quad Step, and much more!

Don’t wait to call The Academy as soon as possible to reserve your spot: 818-717-0525.

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Coach Frosti’s 4 Tips for Stronger Freerunning

Posted on August 8, 2012 by JBerry

By Frosti Zernow

The best thing you can do to improve your Freerunning is always to go out and do it, but for those trying to improve their skill level quickly or who have hit a plateau, cross training is not only useful but practically required to truly reach your full potential.

Why You Should Cross Train
Many Freerunners get stuck in the “freerun all day every day” mentality and lose sight of any thing else. There’s a lot of different things you can do to get better as a freerunner, without freerunning. Cross training can not only help beginners get started and stay healthy through their training but can be a vital part of stepping your game up as an experienced practitioner.

Get Stronger
The number one reason why people need to cross train is to improve their overall strength or focus on a specific weakness. The idea isn’t to replace your training with something else, but compliment it with the right balance of exercise. This is one reason why Crossfit has been such a great addition to so many Freerunner’s training. For me, personally, while training for Ninja Warrior I recognized the weak link in my chain was my grip endurance, so I started rock climbing heavily to improve it.

Think Differently
Besides strength training, getting involved in other sports can open your eyes to new ways to use your body. Gymnastics is a commonly focused-on movement discipline, but things like breakdancing, diving, and capoeira are all ways to learn to use your body and to see more possibilities for ways to move.

Take it Easy
One common problem Freerunners have is over-training, especially when injuries are involved. Finding something to do that has less impact on your body, or that you can do to switch gears for a while, will always improve your recovery time and can take the itch of recovery time down a notch. Try out something like slackening or swimming, or take a page from Livewire‘s book and give handbalancing a try.

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Special Edition Tru Freedom Gear Available First at The Academy

Posted on August 5, 2012 by JBerry

We wear it. Heck, even Colin Farrell wears it. Now you can wear your Tru Freedom on your sleeve (or tank top) with these limited-edition pieces.

This summer, Tru Freedom has launched special, seasonal releases of our gear. This third release is our last warm weather launch, and it’s fresh, clean, and only here for a short time. Get your duds now at Tempest Academy, or mark your calendars for August 10 when it’s officially available online!

Want to know what inspires our stuff? Check out the Tru Freedom blog for a little bit of humor + fashion that gets our creative gears turnin’.

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Meet the Manager: Heath Hensley

Posted on July 27, 2012 by JBerry

[If you've visited Tempest Freerunning Academy lately, you've seen the scope and scale of what goes on at our gym. Each week, hundreds of athletes come to work, train and play, and there are a lot of people behind the scenes who make each day at The Academy successful. It's an important team, and we want to start introducing you to the people who make it all happen.]

If you haven’t met the gent who heads up The Academy’s operations, Heath Hensley (pictured here with the cat ears on!), here’s a bit more about the kind soul who helps make your freerunning dreams come true.

How’d you get connected with Tempest?
I went to college with Gabe Nunez [pictured on the right] and I’ve known him about 12 or 13 years. We used to run around the campus and climb up and jump off things. Later, I moved to Nashville and did the singing thing [check out Heath's music here], but I always kept up with Gabe. I followed Tempest and supported them from Nashville, promoted them at all my shows. I always asked if there were ways I could help out with the team, and he told me they had this idea to build a gym. I knew I wanted to be a part of it.

Did you ever think you’d be running a freerunning gym?
Never in my life, in my wildest dreams, could I have imagined that I’d be running a freerunning gym.

What’s it like getting to do your job?
It’s just great. I love working with kids, and I’m very passionate about helping them. It’s near and dear to my heart. I grew up coaching football, baseball, basketball, all the traditional sports, as well as giving music lessons. At one point I was an asst. youth director at my church. Now, every day I get to, go to a “playground” for work, and help young people.

What’s one of the best parts of managing The Academy?
Watching everyone progress in their skills is definitely the best. Athletes come in, and they’re green, and they don’t know how to do anything. But now, we’ve got kids wowing us left and right. Also, working with close friends and people I consider my family is amazing. I couldn’t ask for more.

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Tempest Academy Featured on AskMen

Posted on June 25, 2012 by JBerry

We’re proud to showcase some of the latest coverage of Temepest Academy via AskMen. AskMen is the No. 1 men’s lifestyle site online, and its goal is simple: “helping guys become Better Men. We’re pumped to be a part of that mission.

Check out this latest episode by AskMen Aspire host Peter Schwartz, which also features some fast cars and stunt driving (two things we definitely love).

Enjoy!

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Second Week of Summer Camp Added

Posted on June 5, 2012 by JBerry

 

We’ve got good news, and we’ve got bad news.

Let’s start with the bad: Summer Camp at The Academy from July 9-13 is full. Completely, utterly full. No more spots are available, so if you didn’t already reserve your place, you’re outta luck.

Ok, now the good news: We’ve opened up a brand-new Summer Camp Session from July 16-20! Session 2 is just like the first week, but allows everyone who missed the first session to have another opportunity to attend.

Camp is available for kids ages 9-16. If you register early, the cost is $450, which covers camp from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, lunch each day, and a Tempest Summer Camp T-shirt.

Call today to reserve your spot! (818) 717-0525

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