Hazal Nehir is a BOSS! Gosh I LOVE this athlete (sorry, fangirling). My jaw dropped when I first found her on instagram. Her movement is so fast and smooth and her jumps are just on point! It's no wonder she was picked up by Etre-Fort! She puts together squeaky clean and powerful runs that are as flowy as her billowing, baggy sweats and does big jumps and kongs for good measure. If you haven't seen Hazal, what are you doing!? Get on this!
Follow her:
How long have you been training?
I have been doing parkour and freerunning since 2014
What got you into parkour?
Jumping, climbing, and running were always so fun for me. Moving around freely and letting my body move is something I've always done and is why I started bboying (breakdancing). I was going to the gym to try some bboy stuff then one day I met some guys who were practicing parkour there. After I saw them doing parkour, I fell in love with parkour and now I'm here today.
What do you do for a living?
I do parkour and sometimes stunts as well
Do you have any other skills/passions besides parkour? If so, what are they?
I really love dancing, I have been doing Bboying since before parkour and bboying is still part of me. I also really like ice skating as well but unfortunately I can't do them that often anymore because parkour takes up most of my time.
How do you manage fear when going for something scary?
It is really hard to explain but music makes me so motivated always. I can't train without music and having fun is the most important part of my training. If the atmosphere is good, I'm not scared to do any jumps generally but also another way is dreaming. I have been dreaming before of doing any big jumps like I know my body is ready to do it (otherwise I'm not going to try it ) but maybe my mind is not ready- that's why I must prepare my mind. Also, the more confidence you have on basics, the less fear you have trying something new.
Do you have any obstacles that interfere with your training? If so, how do you deal?
I had but there’s not anything that interferes with my training right now because I have arranged my life to be able to train more. I used to study engineering but it was hard to go train while studying so I quit the university and decided to study sport science. Currently, I can get training whenever I want.
What piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?
Basics are everything, you need to be patient and go step by step. I'm still struggling to learn all the basics perfectly, it takes time and needs hard work. So by now I can tell you guys to just work on basics and not rush things. It's also best to learn basics on both sides to be more comfortable while moving. For example, if you use your right leg for running pres, you should learn how to jump with your left leg as well. In fact, efficient training is important. That means thinking about the way you train. You can film yourself during training and take a look at your moves, see what is wrong, and compare it to those who do those moves correctly. I have always been training that way until now because someone else telling you your mistake may not be as effective as seeing your own mistake. And the last part is to not forget to have fun.
Who is a woman that inspires you and why? (in or out of parkour/freerunning)
I can't tell you special names because all women can inspire me on the little things or the big ones but I think women who have difficulties in their life and overcome them are more inspiration to me.
Check her out ↓