Parkour, a freestyle running, is a combination of both athletic expertise and physical development. The Parkour was officially originated in France by David Belle, but the story behind the starting point is somewhat exciting and motivating. Parkour has grown tremendously in the past twenty years or so. What really gained internet fame through viral videos has advanced into it’s own lifestyle. Before we begin, it should be mentioned that you should look at obtaining the proper parkour equipment before beginning. I recommend checking out some shoes and parkour gloves as well! But, now let’s explore deeply the history of Parkour running and its growth.
Origin Of Parkour Training
In 1902, before World War I, a shattering volcanic eruption takes place on Caribbean island of Martinique. It destroyed the town of St. Pierre and killed 28000 persons in its flash. When the whole city was fighting against the tragedy, a young French naval lieutenant George Hebert valiantly faced the situation and coordinated with the people for evacuation. He helped to evacuate over 700 people, including both Indigenous and Europeans, out of the town.
When the people were moving out of the town, George experienced something that had put a profound effect on his mind. He noticed that the indigenous population is overcoming the obstacles in the way with ease and grace whereas the Europeans are facing difficulty in passing through the barriers. They were finding the familiar pathways which were vanished by the volcanic eruption. He realized that the modern man had lost all the efficiency and effectiveness to move and face the physical challenges.
All the experience that George had observed reinforced his belief that athletic skills and physical conditioning are must be for a person, and it should be joined with full courage and altruism. Here, was the first rise to the origin slogan of Parkour, “Etre fort pour et utile”- “Be strong to be useful”.
The sense of bravery and heroism George noticed was deep rooted in his heart, and he was continued to be impressed by the physical development and movement skills of indigenous tribes in Africa. And with time, George formulated his physical training discipline called the “Natural Method” that involves running, climbing, swimming, man-made obstacle courses to restore in the typical environments. George’s training laid the foundation for the modern day parkour.
Recognition Phase Of Parkour
The George Hebert’s Natural Method became the first organized obstacle training course and was applied as a base training for the French military. Inspired by this useful class training, the French units transformed the slogan as “Parcours du combattant”- “Path of the warrior”.
Later on, Raymond Belle, a Firemen and Veteran of French Special forces, altered the teachings of “Natural Method” and the Discipline of “Parcours du combattant” and trained his son David Belle and David’s best friends. Soon, David and his friends completed Raymond’s new training course in the natural environments and provided a new birth to the Parkour running.
Afterward, David Belle and his best friend, Sebastian Foucan, made an organized group of traceurs- “The Yamakasi” and soon the group gained a big fan following in France. A filmmaker Luc Besson made a film “The Yamakasi” that accelerated the growth of Parkour. It was the time when the sport gained popularity. But the two friends David Belle and Foucan split apart and decided their ways. Foucan while proficient in English brought this discipline to UK and named it “Free Running” whereas the David continued to call it “Parkour”.
Later on, both the practitioners appeared in many interviews, movies, TV Shows as a guidance to their fans that pushed the game ahead. David and Foucan re-appeared in many films like District B-13, Casino Royale. It was the phase when people realized that there is something great in this sport, and they must step forward into it.
Later on, many enthusiasts and graduated students came up with their training classes with more or less alteration to the style. That’s how we got the modern day Parkour.
Being a physical exercise, Parkour is very beneficial for an individual’s health. It requires a complete focus and can-do attitude overcome the real obstacles. Thus parkour makes you super strong both physically and mentally. The health benefits of parkour are not limited to a few. Moreover, it is not like a traditional training that you might hate. Parkour is all about getting vigorous strength while having fun. Let’s dive deeper into it:
PARKOUR – A Miracle Worker (Health Benefits)
1. Involves Full Body Workout: From head to toe, no body part remains neutral while performing Parkour. It helps the body to burn off all extra calories hidden in the form of fat. Parkour provides you a perfect body shape and keeps you fit, and healthy. Also, It delays the aging process by slowing down the degeneration process.
Also, as you don’t have to spend some depressing hours in the gym, it doesn’t let you demotivated.
Playing parkour is fun that makes you stick to it for a longer period. Thus, making workout an entertaining activity rather a depressing chore. Parkour is all about nurturing your health while adding a little play to your workout, go out in the sun in the streets, and overcome those obstacles.
2. Promote Quickness: Parkour will make you quick. And not just regarding your physical sense. It enhances your thinking skills, since in a fraction of a second; you’ll have to figure out a way to jump over the road, or to climb a wall, etc.
Thus, Parkour keeps you up to make quick decisions and movements to overcome the obstacles and reach your destination in the least possible time.
3. Boosts Self-Trust: Parkour is a quick game, and so demands the self-confidence. And when in that fraction of seconds you make a decision, you know that you’ll just have to go for it. It makes you habitual in trusting your instincts.
It develops self-trust and boosts confidence in believing that whatever you decided is right, and you are ready to go for it. More importantly, it teaches you taking actions on your decisions.
4. Develops Skills & Creativity: Every obstacle in Parkour requires a different approach, a new strategy; a quicker and safer one. So, your creativity will be tested through it.
It also includes balance, coordination, power, speed while running, climbing or any other activity. And no other game will nourish all these skills together in such a fun and creative way.
5. Strengthens The Bones: Parkour, like many other sport training activities, makes your bones stronger and develops core strength. This activity requires a lot of upper body and lower body high impact movements like jumping, rolling, vaulting, climbing and much more.
Also, while performing such actions, a transfer of balance takes place at a very quick pace. Often in Parkour, your entire body is only relied on a performance of single organ bones, such as arms or legs, thus, strengthens the bones and your whole body.
6. Enhances Cardiovascular Endurance: As mentioned earlier, Parkour is a cardiovascular physical exercise. It strengthens your heart and increases the body stamina. Such a powerful activity increases the blood flow, resulting in more oxygen intake, and making the body healthier than ever.
7. Keeps You Happier, Healthier, and Heartiest: Several studies and surveys have proved that a physical activity like Parkour reduces anti-social behavior. Being a cardiovascular event, It increases the blood circulation, making you stronger and healthier. And not just physically, but mentally as well.
Also, the entire idea of overcoming obstacles and dealing with tough situations makes you more sensitive and more prone to other human feelings.
8. Makes You Fearless: Often in our lives, we are haunted by unknown fears, death being the greatest one of them. As much fun and powerful Parkour can be, it is evident that it is a risky act. And you will fall, you will trip, and you will get hurt.
Parkour will help you in overcoming all those fears of the unknown and will develop a confidence for not to quit. With times, hurdles that you once thought cannot be conquered will no longer be as much scary to you.
9. A ‘Parkour’ Group: It’s almost impossible to indulge in such a creative and beneficial game and not to make friends, or rather a group. Chances are there must be already a gang who practices Parkour in your locality, and to figure that out you only have to go outside and try it. If not, it won’t be long before you make a Parkour group.
Since it is so much fun and tempting, finding members won’t be a difficulty. So, you get to make new acquaintances while doing an excellent workout which is obviously a blessing to your body and your soul.
10. Military Training: One of the most common usages of Parkour is in military training. Since a soldier is required to be quick, healthy, spontaneous and vigorous, It is a more-than-perfect method of training. So, does that mean when you’re practicing Parkour your level of physical training can almost be compared to that of a military officer? Yes, it says the same.
11. Overcoming Obstacles: When we say Parkour is about overcoming obstacles in your way, it could mean so much than just its literary sense. Throughout our lives we’ve been told not to quit, face the difficulties, there’s always a way. And that’s the entire idea behind It. Parkour teaches us that obstacles can be won over, and in the race of our lives, we may encounter many difficulties and many people may try to push us backward, but there’s always a way.
Final Advice
Although parkour is fun and has many health benefits yet it is never to be forgotten that it is a stunt game that requires a lot of physical activity and body movements, and thus, it should never be done without all the instructions, protective gloves, and a professional to guide you. Also, to find a perfect site for Parkour can be a challenge in itself. Always make sure your training site is safe and with only necessary requirements for Parkour. With some caution and discipline and willpower, no obstacle will ever be a challenge to you.
Parkour is an intense activity. It demands intense muscular and physical strength. That said, does it mean parkour is only for the physically fit people? No, it’s for everyone. Obese individuals can also be a part of it. The thing is that they have to do a bit more hard work as compared to the people in shape. Being obese does make a difference but doesn’t make it impossible.
Parkour Exercises For Over-Weighted People
Don’t demote yourself with overthinking that parkour is not for you. Everyone has to start from somewhere and improve continuously. All it requires you to be determined for performing parkour and the sport itself will take care of your obesity. Here, I laid down some carefully picked exercises that an obese person should start with. They are all designed to render you slowly but steadily from an unfit to a well-contoured body. Check yourself:
1. Jogging: Jogging is the most efficient to start with. Jogging involves the participation of the whole body rather some specific parts. Means it helps the body as a whole to improve. It helps the person in reducing weight, increasing cardiovascular endurance, and increasing bone density. Besides, jogging forms a base for the individuals to gradually shift to high impact exercises like sprinting, jumping and so on. When you decide to go running or do any sort of movement like that, make sure you have athletic shoes!
2. Passive Bar Hang : Passive bar hanging helps to increase the shoulder mobility and strengthens the grip. This enhanced grip capacity makes it easier to hold better for advanced climbing and brachiating movements. It also decompresses the spine making it more flexible. Start hanging with the bars for 15 seconds of holding on the first day. Increase the holding time to have some progressive results.
3. Quadrupedal Movement: The exercise involves reciprocating forward and backward movements. In this exercise, take the push-up position and start moving forward using the left hand and right leg simultaneously and vice versa. The Same procedure is to be followed while moving backward. This exercise helps to maintain the coordination between the body parts and is beneficial for Parkour runners to run from and to the small spaces. It contributes to enhancing the skills of weight transferring while performing precise movements.
4. Full Squat: Full squat exercise is best to strength the lower body parts like ankles, hips, back and also enhances mobility. The important thing to notice while performing this exercise is the proper posture to hold for. The better you hold the position, the lesser will be the chances to get injuries. As a start, try to hold the full squat position for 1 minute. Then move up to 5 minutes or so.
5. Wall Support: Wall support is considered to be the best exercise for obese people to build the upper body and core strength that is vital for vaulting and climbing. While performing the exercise, make sure to maintain a tight core and a minimum hold for 30 seconds to get good results.
Conclusion
No doubt, performing these basic exercises in the proper way and routine will establish a basic level of fitness that will help you to move towards more intensive tasks. Besides, we all have heard of an idiom “Nothing Is Impossible” or “Impossible” means “I’m Possible.” So, if you believe that Parkour is not a cup of tea for you just because you are over-weighted, then you are lying to yourself.
The obese people just need a high level of determination and willingness to come out of their comfort zone. Push harder than yesterday if you want a better tomorrow. So be a part of the Parkour family and keep yourself pushing further. Hope that motivates you.
A well-optimized parkour diet can take your performance to the next level and can cut your practice efforts to half. Parkour Running is an anaerobic activity combined with sub-maximal aerobics. It requires some extreme power to perform the various maneuvers within a quick span of time. Thus, the runners or trainees have to generate high-intensity muscular force continuously that supports a rapid series of body movements. Such brute force is impossible in the absence of a nutritious parkour diet.
To achieve and maintain all the necessary endurance, energy, and muscle strength that the Parkour game demands, you, as a trainee, have to follow a nutrition plan that involves core micro-nutrients and macro nutrients. Moreover, the timing does matter, and you should not eat randomly. Let me guide you through this all:
Before we begin its important to announce that you need to be properly prepared before you start training for parkour. I recommend a good pair of shoes, and quality freerunning gloves to keep your hands safe!
The Core Nutrients Of A Good Parkour Diet
The human body is a versatile machine that requires proper maintenance and fuel to work and perform smoothly and these energy fuels are macronutrients and micronutrients. Let’s explore them:
Macronutrients
These are the four necessary nutrients to keep the body pumped. These are Carbohydrates (carbs), Protein, Fat, and Water. Let me explain them all:
Carbs:It contains glucose that breaks itself and turn into energy for the body. Besides, the human body converts glucose into glycogen and stores it in the liver. The liver converts it back to the glucose at the time body demands for it.
Proteins:It is care-taker for the muscles. It helps to rebuild the muscles, creates red blood cells, and maintains a healthy hormonal balance in the body. The Traceurs go through some hard training that breaks their muscles and they sore. Protein comes here as a savior and revamps the muscles up.
Fats:It is a common belief that the Fat increases the body weight and a Parkour should not intake any food that contains fat. But I advise against the fact. During the high-intensity activities, the body burns fat and turns it into energy. You must include some healthy fat in your daily diet.
Water:Basically, water is not a macronutrient, but I could not help mentioning it as it’s as essential as other three. It keeps your body hydrated thus saves your body from muscle cramps. Not only this, It is the water that helps to distribute the Micro and Macro Nutrients throughout the body.
Micronutrients
These are the vital vitamins and minerals that the body needs to perform its essential functions such as hormones production and maintaining good nervous system health. The major names include Iron, Zinc, Copper, Chromium, and Iodine. Zinc is good for traceurs as it helps heal injuries and provides energy. Iodine is available in table salts, copper can be gained by consuming nuts, and Iron can be found in leafy vegetables, legumes, and a whole wheat bread. Iron conjuncts with the copper to provide great energy to the body. Chromium can be found in peas, potatoes and rye bread.
The Practical Parkour Diet Guide: What Exactly You Should Ingest?
There are three critical time durations when a trainee should optimize his dietary intake. What are the important timings and what exactly should be the part of the meal? I lay down everything here:
Before The Training
It’s ideal to take a meal 1-4 hours before the actual training moment. That is an enough timespan so as the body digest and consume the energy from the food and the metabolism is back to its normal functioning. It will improve your performance.
This pre-training meal should be rich in carbs. It should also contain proteins, fats, and fibers but in a small percentage and the majority of the intake should include Carbs. Adding further to this, keep the food intake in low quantity as eating in excess can cause stomach pain during the training.
Around half an hour post your meal drink plenty of water. Do not mistake to drink water with the food as it dilutes the digestive acids and makes the digestion process harder and longer.
During The Training
If your training lasts for more than 60 minutes, then you should add some snack to support the body. Carbs are recommended at first as they provide glucose to the body that increases the performance. The 30-60 grams of carbs are considered per hour of training, and you must take into account Raisins for the sake.
Besides, drink small sips of water after every 10 minutes even if you are not thirsty. It increases your performance and keeps you hydrated. But make sure not to intake too much water as it upsets the stomach and makes it prone to Hyponatremia (lack of sodium in bloodstream). Notice how much you sweat and drink accordingly.
After The Training
Once the training is over, your muscles feel exploded, and body feels down. Before you crouch in bed, make sure to re-energize your body with essential nutrients:
Gulp some glasses of water to recover the fluid. It is even better if you can intake some fresh fruit juices.
Rebuild the muscles with power shakes. The body absorbs nutrients quickly if they are in liquid form. So, inhaling a glass of fruit shake containing proteins and carbs can renew the muscle strength and help them grow. Power shake is not a supplement or gross processed powder but is a blending of different fruits. You can take a few and mix them up. For example strawberries, bananas, flax seeds, apples, coconut water, kale, spinach, oranges, etc. You can also pour a cup of milk in it.
Recover glycogen by consuming some foods rich in carbs. That will speed up the glycogen recovery rate. It takes up to 12 hours to get the depleted glycogen back.
Why Diet Matters For Parkours?
Parkour trainers incessantly put a lot of efforts during their training and practice session to increase the performance. The hardcore training that includes running, jumping, rolling, vaulting, climbing, and other physical movements, depletes the body energy rapidly. All this energy needs sucks the nutrients out that are available in the body.
You have to replenish the loss by feeding the body with a nutritious diet. Otherwise, the body will start sucking out the stored resources of the body and will start eating on your muscles, etc. So instead of being stronger with the training, you are pushing yourself down and weakening your body.
Conclusion
I don’t think I must elaborate the necessity of a nutritious diet for parkour any further. If you set your food and training in harmony to each other, you will see some drastic improvements in your performance. On the other hand, if you are eating little but training in excess, you are doing more harm to yourself than strengthening your body. So adjust your dietary chart and make sure you are consuming all the necessary nutrients. Hope That Helped.
Parkour gоt itѕ start in France, whеrе twо teens started practicing methods of gеtting оut оf аn area quickly in case оf emergency. Aѕ thеу leaped оvеr trash cans аnd slipped оvеr stair rails, a nеw extreme sport wаѕ born. Aѕ аn extreme sport, it dоеѕ carry ѕоmе risk оf ѕеriоuѕ accidents. Bеfоrе уоu start vaulting оvеr walls, make ѕurе thаt уоu knоw аbоut thе risks оf parkour аnd hоw уоu саn avoid parkour injuries tо kеер uр уоur practice.
Some of The Worst Injuries In Parkour Are :-
Thеѕе аrе some of the wounds thаt I ѕее thе vast majority gеt in parkour аnd thе mоѕt well-known оnеѕ thаt I fоr оnе hаvе had. I’m gоing tо list thе mаin seven аnd clarify whу thеу hарреn аnd hоw tо prevent them.
Knowing thеѕе common parkour injuries аnd whаt саuѕеѕ thеm will hеlр уоu prevent thеѕе injuries frоm happening tо уоu аnd save уоu a lot оf pain аnd lost time.
1.Foot аnd Hаnd Bruises
Thеу hарреn whеn уоu’rе taking tоо muсh impact оn improper form, оr hаvеn’t moulded your body appropriately tо tаkе thе impact. Fоr instance likе оn big landings, trulу lоng оr high precisions, diving kongs, jump rolls, аnd оthеr high impact moves. Thеѕе аrе vеrу irritating ѕinсе уоu аrе continually uѕing bоth feet аnd bоth hands in parkour ѕо it generally takes lоng fоr thеѕе tо totally heal.
Thе good thing iѕ thаt thеѕе wounds аrе nоrmаllу minor wounds thаt аrе trulу mоrе painful thаn weakening. Bе thаt аѕ it may, оn thе оff chance thаt it begins swelling rеаllу terrible оr dоеѕn’t begin tо feel bеttеr fоllоwing a couple оf days, уоu mау hаvе ѕоmеthing ѕоmеwhаt mоrе ѕеriоuѕ likе a hairline fracture. At thiѕ stage, уоu wоuld nееd tо gеt it looked аt bу a specialist tо check whеthеr уоu оught tо tаkе mоrе rest.
Hоw tо avoid thiѕ injury?
Learn thе proper technique of landing аnd vaulting.
Make ѕurе thе force iѕ evenly distributed thrоughоut thе body. Example: Fоr thе basic landing kеер уоur legs and shoulder width apart аnd make ѕurе уоur joints аrе aligned properly.
So these were some of the steps to avoid parkour injuries while training. You should buy right kind of parkour shoes for your kids to avoid accidents. Finally, I’m nоt a doctor оr аn expert in medicine. Thiѕ iѕ juѕt whаt I hаvе found thrоugh mу years оf training. Yоu ѕhоuld аlwауѕ dо уоur оwn research оr consult a physician оr expert fоr аnу health оr medical advice.
Parkour has originated from France and is basically a training discipline which was developed through the military obstacle course training by one of the legend of the field David Belle. Parkour moreover looks like a non combative martial art where the practitioner aims to get from a source point to the destination point in the fastest and most efficient way possible. It involves facing and challenging the complex environment continuously without any added equipments. Parkour includes running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, rolling, quadrupedal movement, and other movements as deemed most suitable for the situation. Parkour is basically seeing the environment in a whole new different way where everything that is an obstacle normally is a challenge to roll, run over or crawl under in the shortest time possible.
Beginners Body Weight Exercises For Parkour Strength Training And Conditioning
Some of the important qualities to be a good practitioner in Parkour is controlling the body weight and playing with the environment and learningto use common objects like trees, rails, benches, and walls as exercise equipment. Level one practitioners should perform only bodyweight exercises. After all, one should not be moving around additional weight without a good understanding of how to move their own body.
List of exercises that the Parkour practitioners should start with are:
Air Squat- Air Squat is the basic exercise that should be mastered before moving to more complex and heavy exercises. It builds strength in the thighs for high impact jumps and landings. For one to do Parkour for long time without getting any cramps and crippling overuse injuries, one must master this basic exercise as it not only provides strength but also improve flexibility in the hips and the ankles.
Depth Drop- Move to this exercise only when you have mastered the Air Squat. Start the depth drop from 12 inches and increase the height as you mastered and gained control over the lower heights. Depth drop basically looks after the landing process of the practitioner including the required strength and the safety that keeps one going for years.
Quadrupedal Movement- This is a very important part of training for the practitioner of the Parkour as it involves the walking on four limbs which is widely used during parkour as both a conditioning exercise and as a practical training. This technique is a great full body exercise and it develops coordination and weight transferring skills needed for other movements.
Dead Hang Pull Up- Dead hang pull ups can be very useful for gaining strength both in the arms and the back. Since Parkour requires great arms and back strength this a very important exercise for the practitioners. It makes pulling, climbing, railing, rolling etc easy for the practitioner.
Knees to Elbows- Knees to elbows is a great core exercise for the abs with a very important use in the Parkour as it improves the ability to lift the knees towards the chest. It basically teaches one to lift the body not by his arms but by the core of the body. Moreover , the movement of the body that is involved in the Knees to Elbows is quite similar to the flips, Vaults and jumping which are highly needed in the Parkour.
Broad Jump- One of the most fundamental movements of Parkour, the broad jump is applied during gap jumps, precision jumps, arm jumps, and more. In addition, the broad jump is a great full body exercise for developing power, strength, and overall body coordination.
Wall Handstand- Handstand is a great exercise for improving the upper body strength, balancing and control over the body in an inverted state for the tumbling and the acrobatics which is required for the Parkour. To develop a handstand in a more efficient manner, begin by practicing against a wall. New practitioners should start out with the stomach against wall version because it promotes better alignment and technique.
Exercise routine for parkour strength training and conditioning at home:
It is not possible for the practitioners to always go out and train because of different persona reasons as well as the environmental reasons including the weather. For the situations like this one must not drop the idea but practice at their comfort zone i.e. their home. This requires a very good exercising routine for proper conditioning at home.
List of exercises for practicing and training at home:
Press–ups- This workout trains the triceps and the pecs for the excessive stain that the body has to go through while Parkour. It’s the perfect exercise as both a warm-up exercise and strength building routine.
Innovative Push–ups- These adds up to the explosiveness of the normal push-ups and gives muscles a habit to react faster which is quite important for the Parkour. These types of push-ups include single Clap Pushup, Aztec Pushup, 90 Degree Pushup, Planche Pushups, Flying Superman Pushups, 2- Finger Pushups etc. These push ups not only provide excessive strength but the also makes muscles active enough to react fast.
The V–sit- It is a perfect workout for the core/abs which means that it works all the muscles necessary to have a perfect stance when training in Parkour. This must be an exhausting exercise and must be for as much time as possible.
Sit–ups- Pure core muscle training. Important for the strength of the legs especially for the thighs. Placing the feet under a couch can provide a better anchor to the floor.These can be made a little heavy by a little change i.e. lifting leg. It is done basically by lifting the leg up and static and further moving only the upper body.
Handstand Pushup- It is a great bodyweight exercise however a little difficult to do but is immensely powerful and can be easily done at home. It basically develops the upper body strength and balance.
Parkour Stretch(Cobra)- The main focus while training should never be on the number of repetitions but the posture because that can lead to the cramps and injuries. Cobra basically works on the arms and back but it is more of a warm-down exercise after all the routine exercises have been finished.
Are you eager to learn parkour? If yes, then you must read this beginner’s guide first. However, you must be strictly aware that this kind of training is not an easy task. It requires agility, speed, endurance, balance, and power. It may look entertaining and as much as attractive on videos and televisions, being able to do this, requires tough and real effort and firm patience. Parkour is basically composed of natural movements of human being but it is the novelty of extending mere movements to greater millennium in which you convert the source and ordinary natural movements into fast pacing, motionlessly engaging, and powerful movements.
A Comprehensive Beginners Guide For Parkour
Parkour is training your body and mind to overcome obstacles by using speed and efficiency. Parkour is quite dangerous, if not, a rigorously risky activity that may lead to serious injury. Whatever your reason for wanting to learn parkour, it is always good to check some tutorials and guides on the internet or from your local gyms first.
What are your reasons for learning parkour?
Do you find it cool when watching men on YouTube or from your local place, jumping high places without getting hurt? Do you want to consider it as a fitness tool exercise? Or, do you want to become a well-known stuntman on TV shows and films, someday? No matter what your reasons are, learning parkour takes a great deal of passion and determination. You are definitely not going to learn it overnight, especially if your body is not used to physical activities. But the goal is to keep going and at the same time, not getting injured. We will discuss how to avoid injuries later on.
Your Friendly Equipment Are Your First Training!
As a beginner consider practicing at your local gyms or at your house. Use equipment highly appropriate for beginners like simple blocks where you can practice jumping over while doing other extensions stunts using your legs. Agility is an important key skill you need to awaken and extend. The ability to change position in the shortest period of time.
If you decide to practice at your house, you may as well consider grabbing a sofa and start jumping over it. The proper key of using these friendly parkour equipment relies on what you do with them. It is highly recommended that you try first the smallest jumping activities over and over again before proceeding to bigger and more risky stunts. You are warned to patience, so have the courage to held it in.
If you prefer doing simplest stunts at your backyard, it is still fine. Use blocks with average height. Be always reminded that whatever you proposed to do, you are in control of it, so always choose safety. Take the advise in starting the tiny steps before performing bigger stunts. Your safety should always be number one.
Motivating Yourself
What if in the middle of learning parkour, you suddenly got injured and gain no progress? How will you motivate yourself to keep going? You may ask yourself, why am I doing it in the first place? If this things comes to you and you don’t know what to do, keep in mind a couple of things. First, why are you trying learn parkour? Second, what are the benefits after you finally learn parkour? And third, are you really passionate about parkour that you do not need motivation all along? Dig deep down into yourself. Is it truly something you love doing? If yes, then there is no need for the motivation here, because the passion is there. If you love something, you will doing it no matter what are the obstacles. And that is parkour is, it is about overcoming these things by changing your mindset or perception.
It is more helpful if you have friends parkour too. Someone that shares your passion and excitement. Motivate each other and set goals. Push each other into reaching those goals. Most importantly is to have fun. Think of it as a contest, you don’t want to be left out by your friends. You don’t want to see them jumping above walls while you can barely jump through a fence. Look forward to training parkour everyday, same way as you look forward in reaching your desired goals. The key is, do what you enjoy doing and why are you doing it. You don’t get blame for that right? Of course not.
How to avoid injuries while training for Parkour?
It is sufficient enough to explain it in this way, in order for one to avoid any sort of injury, his or her body must be in condition to do Parkour. A conditioned body-lightly sweating is effective and efficient for performing parkour. If you do little warm-up to treat body a little sweat then you’ll probably have a maximized and up to the utmost potential, a perfect time, to upgrade your skills in Parkour. Nether less, you want it tips in details, they are as follows, first up:
1.Do warm-ups
This is a common advice yet could be as powerful to make your practice successful. Before trying to perform rigid movements, consider warming up your body. This will ignite your body and will hasten your heartbeat that signals them that you are about to do something that requires their total cooperation. Warm-up exercises loosen your joints as well as which makes fast-pacing movements possible. Before performing parkour, always take the safest side, do warm-ups such as push-ups, curl-ups and exercises for stretching. Along with this make sure you have the right parkour equipment!
2.Do safe landing
The utmost and most reliable skill you must learn in parkour is safe landing. It is a skill where you must be able to land serenely and softly on the ground that even the smallest frequency of sounds is nowhere to be found where your joint absorb the shock simultaneously instead of letting a single joint to absorb all the impact created from landing above. Try holding yourself in practicing by jumping off from blocks with flat surfaces before jumping to a higher surface. Make sure you have acquired the skill or technique to do safe landing. It is the art of making use of your hands as you land safely on the ground.
3.Never do stunts beyond your newly acquired basic skills
Trough practicing you have required some basic skill, like safe landing and balanced jumping. You must continue practicing it and do not jump into conclusion that you can do parkour on higher building. It takes more time than that. Make sure you have improved your balance and the rest required skill in mastering parkour.
4.Choose friendly obstacles
As discussed earlier, choose obstacles for beginners such as sofa and blocks with average height. Keep in mind that you are still a beginner. Try acquiring and practicing basic skill. Do simple stunts and do them over again. Make sure your obstacles is safe and steady.
5.Ask help from parkour masters
If you’re a beginner seek for someone who is already top rated and knows the real score in training parkour. Ask him to teach you safety tips and how did he or she get knowledgeable and acquired skills in parkour. Treat them with respect since they will be likely to teach you the right way in becoming a successful parkour trainee if you talk smart.
These five crucial and vital advises are dictated to all beginning parkour performers or trainees. Bear in mind, even if you’re aiming for success, always consider your limitations and your safety. Study, describe, and analyze your progress thoroughly and carefully to tell whether you’re ready to the next step. Be always on the go and actively consider these safety measures in avoiding injuries in parkour training.
Practicing Parkour
You’ve learned what is parkour, how to motivate yourself and how to avoid injury in the previous topics. Now, you are prepared to actually practice or perform parkour. If you have no knowledge in performing parkour, you can start by joining parkour communities in your city. If you have trouble finding one, you can certainly use Google and Facebook. Look for a local parkour near you. If you find one, meet with them in a hotspot. A hotspot is where you practice parkour which is packed with obstacles. Don’t get embarrassed if you failed during you first try, it is normal. You can watch the below video for the ultimate beginners guide for parkour !
Where to practice?
Start practicing on easier and safer obstacles first. If you’re worried about where to put your stuff while you train, make you sure you check out a free running storage backpack!
1.Open field
Practice your flipping and rolling skills. You can choose a grassy one to provide a little cushion and friction on your practice. Be prepared for people looking at you though, don’t let them distract you.
2.Gym
You don’t get any safer by practicing in gyms. There are mats and trampolines to cushion your fall. Another good thing is less people will look at you than practicing on open fields. A gym is designed for working our too. That’s why you can use weight equipment, if you feel that a certain muscle in your body is not strong enough.
3.Beach
Yes, sand is good in absorbing the impact. You might also notice that a fair amount of people practice back-flips on the beach. That is because of the beach’s slanting surface, beginners can easily hone their flipping skills here. Another thing to watch out, is the sand getting in your eyes.
4.College campuses
It is cool to practice on campuses because of its complex and diverse structure, which will push your parkour skills to the limit. Professors might not be too hot watching students jumping around, that’s why you want to practice during where classes are out.
5.Playground
Here it is, you parkour playground. Most playgrounds are actually designed for parkour that is why it is a great hotspot to converge into. Don’t parkour near children though, especially if they are watching. Try to listen and consider the children who are passing by in the playground. Children might run along with a haste and pass you by while you are doing your stunt. Always make sure there are no children who may interrupt. Always think safety.
6.Forest
Parkour meant to be performed on natural places. Forest have complicated with different tree sizes and shapes. It improves your resourcefulness in passing the obstacles. It is also more private than schools and playgrounds too.
Some Basic Parkour Moves :-
1.Swinging
It is composed of running to a horizontal pole then jumping while grabbing the pole with your hands and swinging through and landing on the ground with your two feet.
2.Jumping
Work in your jumping skills or specifically leg muscles. Parkour usually involves jumps and you can’t really do cool parkour without performing a jump.
3.Jumping above an object
Another basic move is jumping over an object. Start by jumping on shorter, until you gain enough momentum, and proceed to taller objects.
4.Vaulting
It is making a lift through an object by using your right hand and propel yourself with the left hand.
Conclusion :-
Parkour is a healthy and an enjoyable training to yourself. It is a great exercise and overall, a stress reliever. It is not a sport and you have no competition. Aside from yourself. You basically don’t need any equipment in doing parkour because it is meant to be done in a natural environment. It is a passion that you should not be afraid diving into, so long as you practice safety measures. Bear in mind, even if you’re aiming for success, always consider your limitations and your safety. Study, describe, and analyze your progress thoroughly and carefully to tell whether you’re ready to the next step. Be always on the go and actively consider these safety measures in avoiding injuries in parkour training. A conditioned body-lightly sweating is effective and efficient for performing parkour. If you do little warm-up to treat body a little sweat then you’ll probably have a maximized and up to the utmost potential, a perfect time, to upgrade your skills in Parkour. Even master of parkour fail then, how much guts will it take you being a beginner. Key term? Be vigilant and observant and learn how to avoid injuries and parkour and do stunts beyond your basic skill. Inform yourself, that great patience is required for you to become an ultimate parkour trainee. Whatever you enjoy doing as a hobby as a means of self-expression, go for it. Get out there and do Parkour!
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