What are the personal transformations that occur through competitive rowing and movement practices like Parkour?

Roberto Regueiro Santiago discusses his years rowing crew, both as an athlete and a coach, and his thoughts on the competitive nature of the sport. Roberto shares how an injury changed his perspective and opened up his possibilities, leading him to Fighting Monkey and parkour. He explains his ideas of mastery, as well as his approach to games and training.

“I don’t think it’s totally necessary to master everything that you do in your own practice. But master something which gives you a deep understanding — what the thing is, [and] feels [like] in the first moment that you feel like that song, like the flow state — is when you really master something.” ~ Roberto Rugueiro Santiago (1:29)

Roberto Santiago reflects on his journey from competitive rowing to movement disciplines like Parkour and Fighting Monkey. He describes rowing as the first activity where he truly experienced mastery, emphasizing the deep bond and unity formed within rowing teams. Roberto shares how the rigorous nature of rowing, with its intense focus on competition, shaped his understanding of perseverance and teamwork. However, an injury ultimately shifted his priorities, leading him to explore movement practices that prioritize longevity and holistic development over winning.

In discussing his transition to Parkour and coaching, Roberto highlights the importance of sharing his passion with others, describing coaching as a way to create training partners and foster community. He values the playful, game-centered approach in Parkour, which contrasts sharply with the rigid, competition-driven world of rowing. Games, he notes, allow for self-exploration, creativity, and growth without the pressure to outperform others, fostering a sustainable and enjoyable practice.

Takeaways

Mastery through competition — Rowing provided the first experience of mastery, teaching the importance of understanding a discipline deeply.

Community in hardship — Growing up in a poor rowing club instilled a sense of responsibility and collective ownership.

Injury as transformation — An accident forced a reevaluation of priorities, shifting focus from competition to personal development.

Longevity mindset — Parkour introduced the idea of sustainable practice, allowing for rest and self-compassion without fear of falling behind.

Games as learning tools — Using games in Parkour creates a playful, low-pressure environment conducive to growth and self-awareness.

Rowing’s hidden costs — Rowing built strength but also structural imbalances, highlighting the importance of cross-training and mobility work.

Coaching for connection — Coaching is not just about teaching but creating peers to share in the practice and maintain engagement.

Acceptance of limitations — Aging brings acceptance that not every day will bring improvement, but consistent practice remains vital.

Unity in competition — High-level competition fosters respect and camaraderie, even among competitors.

Resources

The Movement Creative — A Parkour and movement organization where Roberto Santiago coaches and trains.

Fighting Monkey — A movement practice that integrates games and physical exploration, significantly influencing Roberto’s training philosophy.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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— Hello👋 I’m Craig Constantine.

In the Movers Mindset podcast, I talk with movement enthusiasts to learn who they are, what they do, and why they do it. I’m interested in the nature and philosophy of movement and in exploring themes like independence, self-direction, and human excellence. My interests color each conversation and provide some structure to Movers Mindset. But since I like to take the scenic route, every conversation ends up going somewhere unique.

The purpose of Movers Mindset is to create and share great conversations with movement enthusiasts. Each conversation feeds my insatiable curiosity, but I share them to turn on a light for someone else, to inspire them, or to give them their next question.

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The Movers Mindset project grew from conversations I started having as part of my personal journey rediscovering movement. The project started late in 2015, and it was initially simply a web site that shared others’ writing. The project grew, and in 2017 I started the podcast. I’ve worked extremely hard, but none of this would have been possible without so much help from so many people.

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