This is not parkour

I’m sure there are hundreds of blogs that define parkour.  I’m just trying to explain what it is to someone who finds it interesting and wants to learn this art.

First, let me explain what it is not.

7 years ago one of my friends showed me a video of a guy doing different kinds of flips, huge jumps from one building to another and dropping from great heights. As a nonpractitioner, I saw parkour as a sport where you run, jump, flip, climb, balance on higher surfaces and do things that people, especially our moms, tell us not to do.  I was so attracted to that and even before the video got over, I decided to learn it. It took me almost a year to understand that parkour is not just about jumping around and doing dangerous stunts.

So what is it not?

•    Parkour is not a ‘Dare devil stunt’. 

•    It’s not a competitive sport.

•    It’s not an activity that damages public property, done by reckless youths.

What is parkour?

Parkour is a discipline that will develop physical and mental strength, agility, spatial awareness, and balance. There is no set of rules, no strict path to follow, no age limit, no gender and no need of special types of equipment to practice. It can be practiced anywhere and at any time.  It does require a great deal of dedication, a good understanding of your body and it's needs.

This art was revealed to the world during the early 90's by a group of guys from France who called themselves ‘ The Yamakasi’. They started practicing this art in the streets of Lisses to become physically and mentally strong, test and push their limit every day and to get from one point to another in the fastest and most efficient way using their own body. To move comfortably in their environment without getting injured, they developed many movements.

Parkour movements involve running, jumping, climbing, dropping, vaulting, rolling, balancing and quadrupedal movement. Apart from these movements, a major part of the training is spent in conditioning and strengthening of the body.  Conditioning and strength training serve as an Armor to the body and protect it from injuries even during falls. 

Parkour is an excellent opportunity to learn more about yourself by constantly challenging and pushing yourself beyond your own limits. It teaches you what your possibilities are and helps you realise what you want to achieve.

Parkour is a safe and careful training, months of repetition, slow progression in skill and strength, overcoming fear, and finding and pushing your real limits. People only see the result of many years of intense parkour training in a few minutes of a video and they totally fail to realize the years of effort they put in to make that one video.

One question that always arises in many people's minds after watching parkour videos or talking to practitioners is -

What are the benefits of doing parkour?

The personal benefits I enjoy by practicing this art are boundless. Apart from getting fit and healthy, it helped me meet a lot of people and the friendships formed can last a lifetime. It increased my level of confidence and gave me the vision to see the world in a different way.

It may look and sound easy, being good at parkour takes dedication, discipline, and practice. Traceurs and Traceuses (those who practice parkour) have worked hard for a number of years to perfect their fitness and technique. But this dedication never stops. Parkour is a constant work in progress.

It takes a while to understand what parkour has to teach, but with patience, a lot can be learnt.

Parkourpaiyan