What is Parkour?

What is Parkour?
Parkour is an art where practitioners aim to move in a most efficient and quickest
way possible to overcome any given obstacle in their environment, using only their
physical and mental fitness.
It is a method/lifestyle of training the human body to become stronger, more agile and more
effiecient .These enchancements are achieved by dedicating yourself to a life of unyielding
challenge, unending progression and constant adaptation .
It is to move from point A to point B across any terrain in the fastest way possible. The
practitioners use the most efficient, quickest and practical movements possible to cross
obstacles. These movements include running, vaulting, rolling, climbing and jumping with
perfect accuracy and control.
Practitioners of Parkour are called
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MALE practitioner - Tracuer
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FEMALE practitioner- Traceuse
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Traceurs take parkour as more of an art than a sport and not for competition
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It challenges your body both
mentally and physically, to think quickly,
spontaneously and outside the box in which this makes it easier to deal with mental
or physical obstacles in life.
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Use of your body and environment obstacles only
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No equipment used
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Parkour requires... consistent, disciplined training with an emphasis on functional
strength, physical conditioning, balance, creativity, fluidity, control, precision,
spatial awareness, and looking beyond the traditional use of objects.
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Parkour movements typically include... running, jumping, vaulting, climbing,
balancing, and quadrupedal movement. Movements from other physical disciplines
are often incorporated, but acrobatics or tricking alone do not constitute parkour.
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Parkour training focuses on... safety, longevity, personal responsibility, and selfimprovement. It discourages reckless behavior, showing off, and dangerous stunts.
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Parkour practitioners value... community, humility, positive collaboration, sharing
of knowledge, and the importance of play in human life, while demonstrating
respect for all people, places, and spaces.
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History of Parkour:
The earliest form of Parkour in history was defined by Georges Hebert, a naval
officer in the French army who served both during World War I and World War II.
Because he was a soldier, he often traveled to Africa, where he was impressed by
the efficient, flowing athletic movements of most of the African tribes he visited.
After he had returned to France, he began to develop a method of natural
movement for officers serving in the military, in which both men and women were
trained to move efficiently and fluently around a wide variety of obstacles in their
path. The discipline called “méthode naturelle” started to be regularly taught in the
military, setting the stage for the later development of Parkour.
The inventor of Parkour
The most well-known founding figure of Parkour is David Belle, who learned about
the méthode naturelle discipline by his father back in the 1980s. The group he
trained in came up with the term “parkour,” which came from “parcours du
combattant“, an obstacle course used to train soldiers of the French military.
Parkour is also acknowledged as “l’art du déplacement“, which French for “the art
of displacement,” and some people just call it “PK.”
What is needed to do Parkour ?
70% strength 30% skills/techniques.
1. Strength/Conditioning:
Involves gaining the functional strength that is required to practice parkour.
2. Skills/Techniques:
Involves gaining the skill/techniques through continuous practice.
Injuries in Parkour?
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High probability of injuries when there is no proper understanding no
proper Strength.
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The whole idea of parkour is to avoid injuries.
Uses ?
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Provides Functional strength
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Practical in emergency situations
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Achieve fitness and healthy living while having fun
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Boost’s mental fitness ex: courage , confidence , resilient nature.
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Becomes a natural instinct with time
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& many more
Parkour moves:
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Following are the moves involved.
Landing
Balance
Cat Crawl
Underbar
Lache
Swing
Pop vault, Wall hop, Wall pass
Dyno
Vault, Pass
Turn Vault,Turn Down
Lazy Vault
Monkey Vault
Dash Vault
Reverse Vault
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Kash Vault
Muscle up
Roll
Cat Leap
Drop
Running Jump
Precision
Tic-Tac
Side Vault
Dismount to Drop
Wall Run
Cat to Cat
Kash mount
Kong
Diving Kong
Krane
Krane moonstep
What to wear ?
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Comfortable t shirt , a supporter and a track pant (No shorts , reason being to avoid
injuries and knee bruises)
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Jeans also works provided it’s stretchy and comfortable.
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Comfortable light weight Shoe with good grip and cushioning
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A sweat band (optional)