Level Advancement Challenge Exam (LACE Up!)
At APK Academy are always striving for more! Our level advancement system, LACE Up, is designed to give you the best training experience possible by challenging you at just the right intensity so you’re always progressing, LACE Up! ensures there’s constantly a goal on the horizon and the stepping stones to get there.
LACE Up! is designed to test your parkour skills, help you progress faster, challenge you to take your training to the next level and reward you for your hard work. Each level is designated by a custom pair of APK shoelaces that you will receive upon graduating to each level.
LACE Up! Lace Levels:
- Level 1: White Laces with APK Logo
- Level 2: Light Blue Laces with APK Logo
- Level 3: Dark Blue Laces with APK Logo
- Level 4: Black Laces with APK Logo
Upcoming LACE Up! Exams
The upcoming LACE Up! testing dates are:
- March 28th: 7:00pm—10:00pm
- April 25th: 7:00pm—10:00pm
Frequently Asked Questions
How are the tests designed?
Travis Noble Graves, Head Instructor and Program Director has designed each test to reveal the strengths and weaknesses in your training thus far and evaluate your overall proficiency, with the emphasis on your general proficiency of movement rather than nit-picking individual movements.
How do you pass the test?
In order to graduate to the next level, you will need to pass a physical fitness benchmark and navigate multiple courses designed to measure your proficiency of specific parkour movements for each level.
You will be graded on each course from 1 to 3. “One” being nearly perfect, “Two” being solid but flawed, and “Three” being incomplete or unacceptable. You will be given 3 attempts on each course, your highest score is taken. You must receive at least one “One” and will not pass if your best score on any course is a “Three.”
When is it?
Starting in 2014, we will hold our LACE Up! event on the last Friday of every month from 7:00pm – 10:00pm. The times that each Level Test will be conducted are listed below:
- Testing into Level 1: 7:00pm – 8:00pm (or until testing has completed)
- Level 1 to Level 2: 8:00pm – 9:00pm (or until testing has completed)
- Level 2 to Level 3: By appointment only! Talk to Travis, or Travis will talk to you when the time is right.
What if I’m not testing?
This is an OPEN, FREE, and FUN event. Think of it like one big Parkour Party. Bring friends, bring food, bring a smile. When you’re not testing, the upstairs gym will be set up for unlimited play. Practice for your test, work on perfecting that one move you just learned, hang out, make new friends… PLAY! Multiple instructors will be present to teach and lead other exercises.
How do I know if I’m ready to take the test?
Students should be comfortable with the following movements to test into Level 1:
- Proper Parkour Landing
- Precision Jump
- Shoulder Roll on a mat *Note, this is NOT the parkour roll*
- Safety Vault
- Wallrun Step (Vertical Tic-Tac)
- Underbar
- Exercises: Squat, Push-Up, Inverted Row, Front QM, Side QM
Students should be comfortable with the following to test into Level 2:
- All of the above skills
- Sticking Precision Landings
- Drop-Land-Roll on a mat
- Wallrun to Cat Hang
- Precision Strides
- Tic-Tacs
- Turn-and-Hang Descents
- Combinations with smooth transitions
Students should be comfortable with the following movements to test into Level 3:
- All of the above skills
- Sticking Rail Precisions
- Rail Balance
- Jumps at height
- Strides at height
- Wallrun 6 feet
- Cat Leaps
- Drop-Land-Roll on hard ground
- Cat Hang Shimmy
- Drop Precision
- Momentum Plyo Jumps
What about Level 4?
Level 4 is for those who have shown consistent dedication and commitment to parkour and to their training. Don’t go looking for Level 4. Level 4 will find you.