Category: Protective Gear

Introduction

These days, you can hardly avoid seeing parkour in the media. It can be seen in almost every other action movie, sports advertisement or clothing advertisement. In the last few years, parkour has become a true phenomenon. It has evolved from being just a discipline into being a true lifestyle for many practitioners. Many consider parkour as an art, where a traceur uses his or her body and surroundings to seamlessly move from one point to the next.

The moves

A traceur can perform a wide variety of moves. They can climb, jump, flip, vault, and roll under or over obstacles. If you are new to parkour, let’s go over these moves in greater detail.

Even though there are no strict limitations in Parkour, you should be familiar with some fundamental movements, which you need master first, to become an expert practitioner.

Jumping

Jump is, without a doubt, the most basic and important move in Parkour. By working on your jump, its height as well as distance, you can easily integrate all the moves we are about to mention.

Rolls

The purpose of rolling is to protect yourself from suffering various injuries when jumping distances or heights. In this case, you must familiarize with the appropriate techniques, so make sure to work with experienced traceurs or watch lots of instruction videos.

Vaulting

Parkouring usually involves running, facing, and overcoming waist or chest-high obstacles. But, to do this, you will need to work on your vaulting technique. Vaults will allow you to get over these obstacles with style and ease. By using your hands, you will direct and get your body over a certain object.

Cat grabs and leaps

These moves represent a combo of jumping and landing on some vertical object, like a wall, with your hands on top of the object and your feet flat against it.

These were just some of the basic parkour moves that you need to master first, before attempting to other, more stylish and complex moves.

Parkour Vs. Free Running

Free running is an off-shot of Parkour. It represents a more aesthetic form that involves much more spins and flips. Simply put, Free Running is like acrobatics, but without the padded floors and mats.

Useful beginner tips

• Be patient and don’t go ahead of yourself. Always keep in mind your abilities and skills. If you see an experienced traceur performing an amazing move, don’t try it until you are truly ready.
• Use appropriate equipment. Make sure your clothing is light and that your footwear is perfectly comfortable, durable and balanced regarding weight.
• Join your local parkour groups and try to learn from experienced traceurs. This way, you can learn a lot when it comes to motivation, safety, techniques and training regimes. However, don’t forget to train on your own. Just as with any other discipline or sports, no one will learn it for you. You need to do it by yourself and at your pace, but with the help and guidance of those more skilled and experienced than yourself.
• Last, but not least, train as much as you can and wherever you can. A great thing about parkour is that you can practice it pretty much anywhere. You can do it in your local gym, park, or in your backyard. However, make sure to avoid rooftops.