If you've seen people jumping off railings and around town, you've probably met some "parkour" or "free running" practitioners. Parkour is a sport that emphasizes efficiency and speed, requiring you to get from point A to point B as fast as possible. Free running is similar, but involves aesthetic movements such as somersaults, spins and many other forms of evolution. Read this article to find out how to start practicing one of these two disciplines.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Self-taught
Step 1. Get in shape
You need to have stamina. Work on the basis of calisthenics (muscle strengthening) in particular exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and squats. These are the basic building blocks for practicing parkour. Experts say you should be able to perform 25 push-ups, 5 pull-ups, and 50 full squats before starting parkour practice.
Step 2. Practice landing and rotational movements
Parkour involves a lot of vertical movements and jumps (even very high ones) could be painful if you don't know how to land properly or "fall smoothly".
Step 3. Practice vaulting, jumping and climbing maneuvers
The most difficult maneuvers are designed to allow you to bypass the obstacles of the urban landscape. As you start practicing more frequently, you will learn your favorite moves and develop your own unique style of parkour.
Step 4. Practice regularly
Like all sports, parkour requires regular training. Train at least two or three times a week and make sure you keep your core skill while trying more difficult maneuvers.
Step 5. Use self-exploration
Start practicing the techniques you have created, establish new ways of moving through experimentation, and find new paths and environments through exploring yourself. When you are in harmony with yourself, no one knows better than you what is the best job for your body.
Step 6. Pick a spot and do whatever it takes to get there
Start with a slow, confident pace. Follow the path over and over, until you get to know the territory perfectly. You should notice a gradual increase in speed, endurance, and obstacles will seem easier and easier to overcome with each new attempt.
This progression could take hours, days or even years to complete depending on the path you choose, natural capacity and several other factors. The important thing is to keep progressing, no matter how slowly. This exercise is the essence of Parkour and will be needed to lay the foundation for understanding this discipline
Step 7. Develop your own style
Tackle obstacles in a way that is unique to your body and skills. Common movements used by others will not necessarily work for you. It is for this reason that there is no point in relying on a video as a method of learning parkour. Once you have overcome this mental hurdle and surpassed the standards set by others, you can take your training in many different directions.
Method 2 of 3: Training and Preparation Group
Step 1. Start training with other people
Together with a small group (2-4 people) you can shed new light on your training regimen. New people offer new ways to move, different paths to take, and constructive criticism of your methods. Since you have already developed your own style, ideas offered by new people can expand the possibilities.
Step 2. Use the training as a collaboration
Make sure ideas aren't stifled and no one dictates what should work for everyone. This training method works best when experienced as a creative discovery between friends. On the other hand, if you followed some other method at first you may have been stuck on a style that doesn't really make sense to you.
Remember that if big demonstrations have the potential to be an extension of training and discovery, too often they turn into a "herd" that quickly parades to overcome obstacles looking for the next big "trick". Understanding parkour comes through self-discovery… This is the way to make your style of parkour unique and personal
Step 3. Find a Parkour Coach
This option can be useful for those who do not know their physical state or do not know how to prevent accidents / injuries. However, solitary experimentation is highly recommended. By entrusting your development to a stranger, you run the risk of following a completely wrong path for you. A good trainer will help you get started and teach you the essentials to start parkour practice (and how to do it safely). A good coach will set the training path and help to form your style, while a bad coach will impose his own "rigid" training path.
As Parkour becomes more and more popular, many people are looking to make money as coaches. Be wary of those who don't offer their services for free, at least part of the time. A coach who is still connected to the community through free outdoor training sessions is a good bet
Method 3 of 3: Common Methods for Succeeding in Parkour
Step 1. Be respectful of where and how you interact with the environment and take responsibility if you accidentally happen to damage something
Check the surface you are going to train on before trying any exercises to avoid doing anything that could be dangerous.
Step 2. Get the proper equipment
It won't take much. All you need is a good pair of running shoes and an appropriate outfit for the type of movement and exercise you are going to do.
Step 3. Start by choosing A and B
try to chart a path from A to B. Go through the path and do whatever feels natural in that situation. Parkour is not a collection of archives, movements or "stunts". It is a way of moving.
Step 4. Develop the flow
The transition from one obstacle to the next must be flawless. This is what makes the difference. You will have to practice by simply adding good form and correct technique, thus creating the fluidity of all your movements. This includes soft landings (as opposed to "stomping-down" or falling).
Step 5. Practice regularly
Make sure you keep yourself in top physical condition. Parkour practitioners use their bodies in order to pass any obstacle. This level of involvement requires exercise for the whole body (total body fitness).
Step 6. Practice regularly
Find a place you can go to on a daily basis. Good areas include various obstacles (walls, rails, etc). Your overall goal is to find creative ways to cross the "sea" of obstacles using your body.
Advice
- Wear comfortable clothing. This does not mean jeans. Jeans are totally inadequate for parkour as they severely limit the movement of the legs and are very rough, more than you think.
- Make sure all your tools are in good repair.
- Avoid big jumps until you have mastered the smaller ones correctly.
- Practice on the floor so that as you tackle more difficult trails, you will know what is and isn't physically possible.
- Stretch only after a good muscle warm-up. Stretching tense muscles decreases strength and effectiveness by nearly 30%.
- Always warm up and stretch before exercising. Try to stretch all the muscles in your body. Loosen all joints (especially knees and ankles). A good way to do this is with one rotation for each joint.
- Be aware of the risk you might run into doing these movements.
- Take a break when you feel muscle pain. This means that your muscles are fatigued by the effort, as in any good workout, you will need to rest. Eat an energy bar and let your body rest.
- While there are some tricks you can learn, find your way over any obstacle, this will allow you a higher level of diversity and give you more possibilities.
- It is important to take training seriously and attempt to develop your style, but there are a few basics you will need to know before you can truly reach your full potential.
- Always remember safety, know your limits.
- Practice speed and endurance. Parkour is about moving and adapting to one's environment. Going slow is not Parkour.
- Do exercises on a soft surface when you are starting out.
Warnings
- Before doing a jump or other stunt, check that everything is safe. You don't want your cell phone to fall during a jump.
- Always carry a mobile phone with you. If you or someone else gets seriously injured, you can call the emergency service! This is especially important if you are alone.
- Explore the route. You won't want to climb over a wall only to find some nasty surprise (something sharp / toxic / hot / deep etc) on the other side.
- The best judge of your abilities is you. If you think something is out of place or not right, stop and ask someone to help you.
- If you find yourself in front of a jump that you don't feel safe about… Don't risk it!
- Do not irritate other people when they are about to take a leap, you may make them agitated and fail to jump.
- You could fall and get hurt, so be careful when starting out.
- Be aware of how dangerous this discipline can be. If you are starting out, stay away from the rooftops and keep everything under control. An important part of the Parkour discipline is the slow progression and control of the body.
