Defying gravity

CLIMBING and jumping off high buildings, platforms and stairs aren't everyone's idea of fun. For Abudi Alsagoff however, these movements feel like an extension of his soul.
"I have always been an active kid. When I was in high school, my neighbour told me to look up parkour on YouTube, and the video blew my mind," said the 25-year-old.
From that day on, Abudi trained hard to be a professional freerunner. His efforts clearly paid off as he won the Indo Freerun Championship and judged the Malaysian championship in the same year of 2011.
A year later, Abudi founded his freerunning lifestyle company, Alpha Movements, in an effort to meet the demands for professional performers in Malaysia.
"Freerunning is like parkour but it has a more pronounced beauty and aesthetic to the movements – achieved by adding flips, twists and spins. It is freedom of movement and self expression within an urban environment," he enthused.
Despite merging his business and passion together, Abudi admits that he has to work extra hard now to manage the business and constantly train to maintain his physical strength. He has since branched out to Dubai, where he is currently creating an awareness for freerunning.
"Living in Dubai is an experience of a whole new level! It is such a futuristic, modern city compared to my humble hometown in Bandar Baru Bangi. It's the perfect hub to meet likeminded people from all over the world," shared Abudi.
Tell us more about Alpha Movements.
As mentioned, it started out to provide professional performers for hire. Over the years, it has grown into a freerunning lifestyle and creative company. Besides performing at events and in commercials for our clients, we now design lifestyle apparel for freerunners and even parkour fanatics. We are also working to produce freerunning videos.
Why did you decide to become a 'human flag' at the peak of Dubai's Marina 101 building?
It was a spontaneous decision I made to see if I could do the same thing on higher ground the same way I am able to do it on the ground. I also wanted to conquer my fear of heights. This was more of a mental challenge rather than physical. I'm just glad I managed to fight my fear!
Have you ever fallen off or gotten seriously injured from freerunning?
I have definitely gotten a few serious injuries from it. Once, I sprained my ankle real bad, had a meniscus tear in my knee, and tore my shoulder rotator. Like any injury, they suck; but you have to learn to distract yourself by maintaining other parts of your body to stay strong. I took some time to heal, and then did a lot of physiotherapy to speed up the process.
Which species in the animal kingdom do you think would make a good freerunning competitor?
Monkeys and cats! A few of the freerunning moves are actually named after them: monkey vault, kong vault and cat passes.
What do you love most about freerunning? Tell us about your signature move.
Freerunning gives you total freedom. There are no rules, no limits, no boundaries. The world is your playground. You develop a special 'freerunner vision' to see the world from a different perspective. As for signature move, I'm known for my delayed/stalled flips!
Are your parents supportive of your pursuit of an unconventional career path?
Yes they are extremely supportive, mostly because I chose to do what makes me happy!
What are your plans from now on?
I am in the midst of producing a series of freerunning videos and there's also a movie shoot in the works!