Today we’d like to introduce you to Chad Deaver.
Chad, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
After playing every sport as a kid, my understanding of movement began as captain of my wrestling team in high school. I moved on to get a bachelor’s degree in Crime and Justice Studies, and worked at a law firm as I debated whether to pursue a JD or MBA. I found CrossFit shortly after college and was introduced to parkour from there. I was particularly drawn to the philosophy of efficient movement, whether moving yourself or an external object and began combining them instantly. After hitting a plateau as a paralegal, I decided to devote myself to this idea of combining parkour, martial arts, and strength training into a system that would allow people to move efficiently through any environment. Our fighting system, then, is an extension of that same idea, where the obstacle or external object may be a person which you have to overcome. We brought on the most experienced parkour coaches in the region and the decades of overlapping knowledge in our respective fields. We began Fugitive Fitness in 2013, and opened the first parkour gym in North Texas, The Asylum, in June of 2014. We have now taught more people parkour than any other institution in North Texas. We have promoted some of our first clients up to coaches, and just hosted a certification to promote a few more to teaching positions. We work with cities and schools across the Metroplex spreading the values of strength and integrity inherent in our philosophy.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Besides the usual struggles of opening a small business, introducing a little-known French activity (especially such a physically strenuous one) in Texas proved difficult. We anticipated broader knowledge of the sport by the general public, who are still just hearing about it for the first time in relation to shows like American Ninja Warrior. We, however, did not base our concept on some television show’s predetermined course, our idea of parkour requires the individual practitioner to use their own creativity and trust in their own abilities to determine the most efficient path for them in any environment.
The idea that people want to be able to walk in without ever having tried these movements they’ve seen on YouTube and be proficient after an hour leads to a lot of disappointment.
Moving your body around is hard work, harder than some people realize. And you have to do it a lot before getting to the point that you are totally comfortable with it. But, it is your one and only body, you may as well learn how to use it.
Scheduling can be a struggle as well, you can’t please everyone all the time…
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Fugitive Fitness – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We specialize in helping people move better. The basic concept sets us apart, one which is the crux of our training. Being physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared for any situation you can encounter is our core philosophy; parkour, fitness, and defense are the pillars of our system. Our system isn’t about being flashy, it’s all about function.
Another point of pride would be implementing our ideas while opening The Asylum, the first of its kind in North Texas, and maintaining a stellar reputation through uncharted waters. This has allowed us to create relationships with other movement institutions, the founders of parkour, cities, school, sponsors, etc. and spread a positive and beneficial message.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Expansion. DFW is huge and people are begging us to come to their area. We’re still pretty young, coming up on 3 years of the gym being open, so we’re still trying to fully grow into our 6500-sq. space. But, with outdoor classes in cities like Wylie, Kilgore, and Richardson, and indoor classes in Carrollton, we’re already on the move!
Get ready for a total revamp of our Fighting system as we finish taking our favorite elements of Muay Thai, Wu Wei, Capoeira, Pencak Silat, Aikido, Kali, Wrestling, Jiu Jitsu, and others into a systematic approach to overcoming human obstacles appropriately.
Our Strength program is also getting an overhaul to incorporate options for Olympic and Powerlifting, calisthenics, and HIIT-style classes.
Pricing:
- Single visit is $20, Monthly memberships and punch cards are less per class
Contact Info:
- Address: 10500 Metric Dr #132
Dallas, TX 75243 - Website: https://fugitivefit.com
- Phone: 214-283-0696
- Email: fugitivefitness@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fugitivefitness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fugitivefitness/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fugitivefitness
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/fugitivefitness
Image Credit:
Jherich SIlas
Andrew Simmons
Julie Angel
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
