Brokelyn Junior,
Services,
Sports and Exercise
The groovy retro Metropolitan pool. Photo courtesy of Nikyatu Jitsu blog.
Thanks to our Twitter homies @brooklynmamas for this tip. Today at noon, the NYC Parks and Recreation department is opening up its online lottery for FREE swimming lessons for adults and kids 18 months and up. Not sure exactly how it works, but we’re thinking that it’s like a Gilt sale that blinks on magically at noon. Here is the link to registration info for the three Brooklyn pools (they’re in Williamsburg, Brownsville and, er, Crown Heights?) Online registration is open through Wednesday, Jan. 25.
Outings,
Sports and Exercise
Photo by Flickr's Martin Ruiz.
Feel like you’re swimming in a school — er, pool — of outdoorsy free events? There’s plenty to dip and dive into, but the part of American summer that involves channelling your inner Huck Finn has been left out. Until now: Macy’s department store has your fishing needs covered, and not just with cargo pants and Tevas. Kids 15 and under can learn to angle with the best of them in Prospect Park with free summer-long fishing clinics. The Macy’s Foundation has partnered with the Prospect Park Alliance to teach fishing techniques in accordance with the park’s “catch and release” policy on Saturday afternoons in July and August. Even better? The program focuses on safety and responsibility, so the little ones can commune with nature in an environment that supports sustainability. 
Outings,
Sports and Exercise
Pickup soccer in Prospect Park every Sunday. Photo by Flickr's DiscoContinental.
[To bring you this comprehensive guide to pick-up games, Brokelyn turned to someone on the front lines: our friend Pete of BrooklynFans.com, a new site for BK sports fans to gather. Take it away Pete!]
A great way to trick your body into exercising this summer is through social and semi-competitive sports. Whether you’re looking to push yourself and see if ya still got it, or you’re just trying to re-create recess magic and feel better about that IPA you’ll pound immediately after. Brooklyn has an endless supply of pickup games, adult leagues, and tournaments waiting for you, most of which are free to join!
Sports and Exercise
Park Slope/ Prospect Heights
No frostbite here
If you were holding out hope for an Indian summer to squeeze in those last few outdoor jogs, that hope probably just got swept away in a gust of Canadian air. Well, lucky for your Endorphin-high, the YMCA at the Park Slope Armory (along with the Prospect Park Y) is offering a little help to keep you fit, and your wallet fat. The local YMCAs are waiving their joiner’s fee between Dec. 26 and Jan. 31 for their Winter Membership Special. The deal saves you the Armory’s $85 one-time fee ($75 for students), the $121 for a combo membership (Armory plus Prospect Park) or the $121 for Prospect Park alone. There’s still monthly membership, but it’s these initial costs that really hurt—Armory memberships run just $40 per month for adults, $32 for students and $72 for families. More info on the YMCAs here and here.
Sports and Exercise
The inner & outer benefits of backbends, on Yoga Today
Summer has long departed and with it went all the free outdoor workout opportunities, from Zumba in the park to Pilates under the bridge. Winter has far fewer options, which is why it’s tempting to stay inside hoarding cookies like a hibernating bear. If you can’t afford a gym (or fancy insulated running clothes), what do you do for a structured workout? We found a whole world of free online workout videos, perfect for the broke but healthy among us. Don’t worry: Buffed, Beautiful, and Bitchin’ on YouTube isn’t the only game in town.
Sports and Exercise
Williamsburg/ Greenpoint
This... is Nia
Human@Ease, the Greenpoint fitness and wellness center that puts your mind and body… at ease, is offering a last chance to bend and stretch outside before the cold completely takes over. This Saturday, Oct. 23, at McCarren Park, Human@Ease is holding its free Community Class Day. Head over to the NW field for free classes in Kundalini Yoga, Pilates, the always fun Zumba, Nia (“a sensory based movement lifestyle,” not the National Institute on Aging), kid’s Nia and prenatal belly-dancing. There’ll also be some massage tables set up, a few other special promotions and a raffle for deals on massage, strength training, reiki, sauna and other classes at the center.
Human@Ease Community Class Day, Saturday, Oct. 23, 1 to 4 p.m., McCarren Park on the NW field along Bedford and Lorimer Sts., Williamsburg
Sports and Exercise
Park Slope/ Prospect Heights
Photo by sporkist.
Maybe you’re a first-time yogi, maybe you’ve posed in the past and just need a little push back into your old transcendent ways. Whichever, there’s no time like the present to touch your toes and feel that surge of spiritual energy that leads straight to stress-free well-being. And forget the fancy studio with blasting A/C. Do it in nature, under the trees, with Yoga Sole‘s free Sunday-morning yoga classes in Prospect Park.
free stuff,
Sports and Exercise
Ditmas Park/ Midwood/ Flatbush
You know what's coming.
Maybe The Karate Kid is on the mind, and you’ve been inspired to whoop some ass Mr. Miyagi style. Or you’re just waiting for sweet revenge on the bully who flushed your retainer down the toilet in the third grade. Whatever the motivation, you’ve got good reason to register for the free July 16 Mixed Martial Arts workshop at Urban Martial Arts (965 Coney Island Ave. at Newkirk Ave.) in Ditmas Park. Show up, and not only will the sensei reveal the ancient art of the sucker punch, but you’ll walk (limp) away with a guest pass for two weeks of free classes. The workshop starts at 7 p.m. Learn more and register here.
via Ditmas Park Blog
Sports and Exercise
Brooklyn Heights/ DUMBO
Photo by Etienne Frossard
It’s a little difficult to recommend anything outdoors this week, but we’ll just put the stuff out there, and you gauge the risk. Tonight, Jul. 6, the Fitness Guru is holding a free hour-long Pilates mat class in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The park’s Conservancy runs a slew of events and programs (some of which, you might have heard of), and this is the first of the weekly Tuesday-night Pilates classes that continue through August. The 7 p.m. classes are open to all skill-levels, and they’re held at Pier 1. Registration, which is required, starts at 6:30. And you can “rent” a free mat with ID. Who knows? With the heat, it could be a private lesson. More info here.
Sports and Exercise
Circle Rules Football. You got what it takes?
We all know the story: you pay something ridiculous for a gym membership and swear that this time, you’re gonna use it. Really. But 5 p.m. comes around, and the last thing you want to do is run like a hamster for 30 minutes in front of a flat-screen. You want something more from your workout, something… alternative. Lucky for you, you live in Brooklyn—where football is circular, bar-hopping is aerobic and exercise need not be boring.
