parkour coach Tomáš Dohnal Tomcany

I started parkour in 2008 on my own in a small town in western Bohemia. Soon after, I joined a training group in Karlovy Vary and began attending parkour events all over the Czech Republic. That’s where I met the guys from the newly formed Prague team In Motion, with whom I became friends. Before long, I became a member of the team. Later, we founded the In Motion Academy parkour gyms, where I started teaching parkour.

What I enjoy most about parkour is the freedom, playfulness, and overcoming challenges. I’m a creative person, so I love coming up with new movements and combinations. When I teach, I try to keep people moving and in a good mood. I don’t like long explanations — I prefer when we just start jumping, and people gradually learn even from failed attempts. I especially enjoy the moments when I demonstrate a trick that looks difficult and see the “fear” in my students’ eyes. Their joy is all the greater when, by the end of the training, they realize they’ve worked their way up to the trick and can actually do it.

Apart from training and teaching, I also enjoy competing. In the past, I placed in several competitions in the Czech Republic in speed and skill categories. Skill is my favorite category. Lately, I’ve been more involved in competitions from the organizational side rather than as a competitor.