Parkour, Public Health

5 Parkour Concepts for Healthy Aging

Overcoming obstacles is part of the human predicament. And unfortunately, the older you get the more your body seems to conspire against you. Age-related conditions like loss of muscle mass, decreased vision, and joint stiffness, can make it ever harder for some older adults to be safe in the world. With that in mind, take …

Injury Prevention, Parkour

2016 Parkour Injury Survey Summary

Anecdotal advice about parkour injuries is easy to encounter. Unfortunately, that type of guidance only works for an underground tribe. As a sport enters the mainstream, a more complete strategy is needed. With dozens of gyms and tens thousands of new athletes joining our ranks, it is time to get serious about parkour injury prevention. Ryan …

Parkour

2 Static Holds For Better Parkour Vaults

In the parkour world, to vault an obstacle means that you jump over something using one or two hands for brief upper body support. Think of how you might quickly hop over a low gate. You might let a foot touch down, but in general both feet clear the obstacle without contact. From beginner moves …

Parkour

3 Reasons Why Parkour Should Replace Gymnastics in Schools

The 2016 school year marks an important milestone for the history of physical education. Earlier this summer, American Parkour announced that parkour would replace gymnastics in Washington DC middle schools. That is huge news! From its debut on French televisions 20 years ago, to becoming a taxpayer-funded PE class, the sport has gained immense respect. …

Parkour

Parkour Gym List

In recent years, the number of parkour gyms across the world has increased dramatically. The USA has the highest number of gyms of any country, but other areas are experiencing growth as well. To be included in the list below, a facility has to be primarily focused on parkour and have permanent structures for obstacle negotiation. Exclusion …

Parkour

Playing with the Elements

It doesn’t take a genius to recognize how the weather impacts your training. A recent rainfall demands precaution with jumping and landing. Two feet of snow obscures common obstacles. An ice storm might push your training to a covered area, someplace unglazed by frozen water. As parkour athletes, we pursue our craft in the elements, …

Parkour, Strength and Conditioning

Short-Form vs Long-Form Training

You’ve been training for a few months now, building strength, acquiring skills, and gaining confidence. You’ve got some different vaults under your belt, and appreciate how your balance has been steadily improving. Most importantly, you feel safe training outdoors, and trust your ability to recover from a bail. Overall, your training has been going really …

Parkour

The Kaizen Way: Small Daily Improvements

A little farther on your broad jump. A bit faster on your climb-up. Slightly smoother with your lazy vault. While it’s a cool feeling to walk away from your first double kong, parkour gains need not always focus on going full beast mode. In fact, incremental improvements with basic skills is a much more important …

Parkour

Gym Visit: Origins Parkour and Athletic Facility

I’m winding down from a 5-hour drive after a quick overnight trip to Vancouver, BC, and I wanted to share some thoughts about the amazing parkour gym I visited. Most of you have probably heard of it by now, but for those of you who haven’t, Vancouver is home to the Origins Parkour and Athletic Facility. Situated on …

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