Parkour Training – Learn How to Parkour the Right Way and Avoid Injury
Learning Parkour can be done in two ways, either by taking a class or by doing Parkour training at home using tutorials, videos and guides you can find online. Although Parkour is best in a community setting, so you can have spotters, it is not a requirement or necessity.
Remember, Parkour is not for everyone. Freerunning and stunts can be difficult and complicated and take a lot of practice. You want to learn safely and avoid injury.
Parkour is not about being dangerous, it’s about becoming one with your world and learning the art of movement. The goal with Parkour is finding the most efficient way to move from point A to point B, using obstacles if need be to aid you.
What Is Parkour? – A Brief History
What Is the Difference Between Parkour and Freerunning?
Parkour is “the art of moving” and is the physical discipline of adapting your movement in such a way that you quickly, swiftly and efficiently overcome any obstacle in your path using running, jumping and climbing.
Freerunning and Parkour are quite similar, however Freerunning uses the basic concept and takes it a step further by incorporating acrobatics and tricks. They are two completely different concepts. One, Parkour, focusing on efficiency and the other, Freerunning, encouraging freedom of movement.
They both encourage self development and take a lot of practice.
What is a Traceur?
A Traceur is simply the one taking part in the activity of Parkour or Free Running.
Learn Parkour Moves
To begin your Parkour training you’ll want to learn some basic moves, which include Parkour vaults and climbing walls. If you know of anyone in your area that is interested in learning Parkour or is already doing so get together and practice some moves together!
Start by practicing running and simple jumping. This is the first step in most classes as it will teach you good balance, which is incredibly important.
Find a safe location where you can begin, and if possible use safety mats. Once you can do some moves safely on the ground, attempt them from a surface onto a trampoline. Other examples of good locations include one-story roof tops, gardens and fences. When you have become more confident, move on to hard surfaces such as two walls.
It’s important to wear the right clothing and shoes for Parkour. High-grip shoes or sneakers work best, do not use Converse or Vans (they will restrict your running ability). Wear loose, baggy pants and a loose shirt, especially for the first time.
See below for some examples of good Parkour shoes and gear:
Parkour Training Videos and Online Parkour Lessons
If you don’t want to venture out and find a Parkour gym in your area (or there isn’t one), there are Parkour training videos and online Parkour lessons that you can try out first to see if it’s something you want to pursue. This one, put together by Jonathan Tapp has a free 5 day training course that will teach you, how to overcome the fear of getting injured, the safety vault to jump over rails, the #1 body weight exercise for parking training, simple techniques to run up 8ft walls in seconds, easily.
Jonathan Tapp knows first hand how hard it can be to learn Parkour, he and his brother had to learn on their own using videos and tutorials but are now teaching and training others around the globe. They have done commercials, interviews and helped test and develop the course for America Ninja Warrior.
If you want to progress quickly and learn properly while avoiding injuries sign-up for their 5 Day Training Course Here.
How to do a Parkour Vault 101
1. Scout the obstacle before you attempt to vault. Pay attention to both the launching section and the landing section. Make sure it is flat and clear of anything that could injure you.
2. Imagine yourself performing the vault. Make a plan but don’t be rigid in the execution. Perform the vault freely.
3. Begin with a moderate running start and approach the object. As you draw near to the obstacle perform a simulated jump onto it, but don’t commit. Notice how you naturally approached it and see if there is anything you can improve.
4. Commit to the vault on the second try. Step into the vault and make sure you get a forward and upward jump off your launching pad. Using one hand, kick over the obstacle with a lazy Parkour vault. Use both hands to plant and bring your legs through (as you would with a monkey vault). You can use a combination of the two to get over the obstacle safely.
5. Spot your landing when you are halfway through the jump, extend your body towards the landing and then keep running through the landing to dissipate the energy of the vault.
Basic Parkour Vaults Include:
– Speed: Jumping sideways in the center of an obstacle and using one hand to push yourself forward
– Kong: A dive motion at the tip of an obstacle. Hands are used to push up, legs are put into a monkey position
– Dash: A jump first, then hands are placed down to carry yourself over
– Pop: A run towards a wall using one foot on the wall then kicking upwards and grabbing the top of the wall to get over it
– Turn: Placing one hand on a railing, usually in the underhand position and placing the other hand on the railing and turning over 180 degrees
What got you interested in Parkour? Have you tried it? Please leave comments or questions below and if you sign-up for the Free 5 Video Course, please come back and leave your feedback.
Thanks!
Kat
Owner, NurturingYourBody.com
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