End Of the Monkey

“For a long time I wanted to make a video called “Return of the Monkey” instead it will be “End of the Monkey”. Been training parkour for 10 years but the last 4-5 years I have probably been injured 80 percent of the time. Training so hard to be at the best level just to get back to zero.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByqAjNNHZ7B/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Then you start over but it happens again and again and again. Sprained everything, dislocated my shoulder, torn ligaments, long term fracture in the ankle, nerve injuries, several broken ribs, fucked up lower back are just some of my many injuries. But I never gave up, always started over, because parkour is all I got.

But just as I recovered from my last injury which took me 6 months, I have now torn my ACL in my right knee, on a stupid trampoline. I will get surgery in 5 days to get it reconstructed, and will be looking at 12 month with rehab and no parkour/sport. I think I’m cursed, or if someone tried to tell me something for a long time but I never listened.

Some people get back from this injury, some don’t, but most people are never the same. I’m close to 30 and not “young” anymore. I never do something half, either 200 percent or nothing. That’s the way I am. I have dedicated the last 10 years of my life to parkour. Only parkour on my mind for 10 years. It has done so much for me. Before parkour I was a lost young man, a criminal and violent loser.

Parkour helped me through addiction, depression, a life of crime and my father’s death. Parkour saved my life many times, made me feel again and gave my life a purpose that didn’t hurt others.

Found my way and became myself again. I wanted to make art like my father. To truly express myself and to create something I could be proud of. To balance out my past, to inspire others. I’m not saying I’m giving up, because that’s not me, I will try to make a full recovery.

But maybe I will not come back to parkour, maybe not in the same way. Maybe I should try finding new purpose and passion in life. My life is more than just parkour. I have to make room for other stuff in my life as well and to evolve once more.

Maybe I will document my recovery since I like making videos. If I’m not getting back to parkour again, I wanna thank all the friends I gained through parkour, I really wanted to travel more and met more people. My mind wanted to create much more, but I think my body is broken, and it needs some healing.

Hope I was able to inspire some people and thanks to all the people that inspired me. This is a compilation of my favorite clips throughout my 10 years training. Hope it can inspire some people. If you have read all this, you are awesome and deserve a medal.

I dedicate this video to my father. Hope he is able to see how much I have changed. Love you, Dad.” – Elias Zimakoff

I do not own the music, I simply just love it, and wanted it as background for my video.

Music: Yutaka Hirasaka – Eternal Moment