Where it all began! The Jungle House.
It all began as a dream. The vision of two parkour athletes to create something special started in a backyard in Austin, Texas in the spring of 2017. Josh, Matthew, a community of friends, and two angel investors helped build the first rendition of The Jungle Movement Academy using scrap wood from Home Depot (the good ole 70% off warped wood in the back of the store). Craigslist surfing helped us build up enough equipment to start a small gym out of our own home. Buying our first set of rails was our first substantial purchase, and we put them to use!
All of a sudden, people from all over Austin heard about the new parkour “gym” located in the backyard of a rented house near Rundburg. Parents took their kids to learn parkour from coaches who were teaching classes in the nicely shaded and spacious lot. Adults who were learning parkour came to public jams that were hosted not only at The Jungle House, but also in local parks. We would bring all of our obstacles and setup a pop-up parkour spot. Only then did we learn about how you are supposed to have a permit for these things… oops.
The Jungle House lit a spark that fueled our goal of creating a movement temple where not just parkour athletes can call home, but ALL movement disciplines can come together. While continuing to operate out of The Jungle house, we began searching for a location that could become a legitimate gym. Though, it was not easy and there were many obstacles in our path.
As self-made entrepreneurs without business degrees, we experienced a very hands-on approach to creating a business. We experienced failed loan attempts, denied tenant applications, and “no” after “no” after “no”. It took a while for The Jungle to gain momentum. However, with a convincing real estate agent on our side, and a landlord willing to take a risk, The Jungle Movement Academy transformed from an outdoor playground into a full-on 8,000 square foot movement gym!