What Is Parkour ?

Le Parkour is a physical discipline started in France, some years ago, in which the exponent (called a "traceur") attempts to pass static obstacles in the fastest and most direct manner possible, using skills such as jumping, vaulting and climbing, as well as some more-advanced techniques. The obstacles can be anything in your environment, so parkour is often practiced in urban areas because of many suitable public structures, such as buildings, rails, and walls.

Parkour Exercises

It's important that you have a good all-round level of physical fitness before you even attempt Parkour, with emphasis being on the core muscles, as well as stamina. Exercises such as press-ups, stomach crunches, and chin ups will go a long way to building your shoulders, arms & trunk. In addition, you should be jogging or running on a regular basis to keep your all-round fitness, legs and joints in top condition. Before going on a run or Parkour session, you should go through a thorough warm-up, to minimise risk of muscle and joint strains and sprains.

 

Jumping & Landing

Getting over those obstacles in your path is what turns a run into Parkour. As a beginner, you should be starting off with small objects, just a couple of feet high at most. Try some simple vaults over low railings and benches, and work your way up from there. As you take on more and more obstacles, and take different and varying routes, you'll learn to spot more opportunities and more-challenging routes, but be mindful not to take on too much, too soon. Accidents do happen, but are easily avoided if you know your limits.

Use Parkour to Increase Functional Strength

Your body must be in superior physical condition to perform movements in parkour. As such, you have to rely on functional strength to move from one point to another. You need to have a combination of strength, endurance, power and speed. Parkour forces to use your entire body in the most effective way possible. Parkour training is extremely hard, but is a workout that will really help improve your conditioning without requiring any equipment.