Information To Start You Off
For those looking to learn Parkour
cak010, Wednesday 29 August 2007
What is Parkour -
Parkour is the discipline of overcoming obstacles in one's path using only the human body.
The discipline of Parkour is guided by utility, progression, and sustainability/durability in all aspects physical, mental, and emotional.
With disciplined training and the mindset of doing what is useful to become useful and to progress and sustain in all aspects, Parkour helps people in their life's journey, allowing them to overcome all obstacles that enter their path and help others to do the same.
Physically, Parkour is a natural method of training the human body to efficiently overcome obstacles, making use of the environment that's around at any given time. It requires neither specific structure nor accessory for its practice. The body is the only tool. It's an athletic discipline accessible to all, because it combines the natural skills of the human body: bipedal movement, quadrupedal movement, jumping, and climbing.
Parkour is about being able to face the obstacles with which you are presented, whether they be in the natural environment or in the urban environment, in a search for movement that combines effectiveness and control. Disciplined, intelligent training is necessary as the aim is to be able to sustain the strength and abilities throughout life.
Parkour is NOT a competition. It is NOT about being flashy, extreme, or rebellious. It is NOT about doing tricks or flips.
Begin Training -
As I see it, the best way to get started in Parkour is get out there and try some stuff. Start small with just finding different areas with rails, walls, trees,...anything that can be used as an obstacle and figure a way to get over or around it. Get used to this type of movement and how your body moves. Feel how it is to jump over, climb up, grab, and/or crawl on these obstacles. Keep in mind, there is no one set of techniques that encompasses how you have to move and no one way to do something as no obstacle is the same and no person is the same.
Do not start with anything big and dangerous. You can easily get injured and also cause long term damage to your body.
Start drilling the roll. It seems simple, but is arguably the most complicated technique to do. It is very useful and can help you prevent a lot of injuries.
At first, it may be difficult to see opportunities to train in your environment. Don't hold back...get out there. The more you just get out and train, the more your "parkour-vision" will increase and you'll begin to see lots of opportunities arise everywhere you look. It's not uncommon for people to suddenly realize that the walkways, paths, and other spots they usually glance over everyday have great potential for training.
Here are some useful links to information that you will find helpful. Read them!
Some starting information, check out
Beginning Training
While there are no real "Parkour moves" here is a list of commonly used terms and techinques:
Basic terms and movements
Here is a roll video of David Belle I put together to help see the right way to roll:
Roll Analysis
I highly recommend reading all the articles on parkour.net especially the ones in the "Spirit" section. Here are some links to articles that can aid in learning more of the philosophy of Parkour:
Parkour! More than an art -- a way of life!
Aspects of Training: Conditioning, Technicality, & Restriction
The Benefits of Parkour
Mental Techniques
David Belle - The creator, the orginator
Spirit of Parkour
Process of Training
The 11th Commandment
I had the great opportunity of meeting and speaking with David Belle (the creator of Parkour) in person. I learned a lot from him and wrote an article describing some of the important aspects of what David had to say:
Cali meets David Belle
Given the general trends that have taken form in those learning Parkour, here is an article discussing some warnings and thoughts about the future:
Dilution - Thoughts for the future of Parkour
Here is an article written from a female point of view that benefits both men and women:
The Traceuse - A woman's perspective and advice on Parkour
Parkour is often misunderstood and people think it's something that it's not. Parkour is not about being flashy, extreme, and/or rebellious. Parkour is not about doing tricks. Parkour is about efficient movement...getting from point A to point B (see the description above from parkour.net). Yes, there are techniques that may look spectacular to some, but in Parkour, it's not about looking spectacular. It's about getting passed the obstacle, whatever the environment, to get to point B.
A great site that is made for the parkour community in North America is parkournorthamerica.com. There are many very knowledgeable and experienced traceurs there.
We welcome everyone to participate here on the www.pkcali.com site. There are a lot of people of varied skill and experience that are always helpful. Don't hesitate to post in the forums and ask questions. We like to help! Also, keep an eye out on the Training Grid and in the Sessions forum for upcoming training sessions/meet-ups. We'd love to be able to train with you.
If you have any questions/confusion/concerns, please don't hesitate to ask.
Have fun, be safe, and go train!
-CAK010
this content item is from PKCali - Parkour California
( http://www.pkcali.com/parkour_plugins/content/content.php?content.15 )
For those looking to learn Parkour
cak010, Wednesday 29 August 2007
What is Parkour -
Parkour is the discipline of overcoming obstacles in one's path using only the human body.
The discipline of Parkour is guided by utility, progression, and sustainability/durability in all aspects physical, mental, and emotional.
With disciplined training and the mindset of doing what is useful to become useful and to progress and sustain in all aspects, Parkour helps people in their life's journey, allowing them to overcome all obstacles that enter their path and help others to do the same.
Physically, Parkour is a natural method of training the human body to efficiently overcome obstacles, making use of the environment that's around at any given time. It requires neither specific structure nor accessory for its practice. The body is the only tool. It's an athletic discipline accessible to all, because it combines the natural skills of the human body: bipedal movement, quadrupedal movement, jumping, and climbing.
Parkour is about being able to face the obstacles with which you are presented, whether they be in the natural environment or in the urban environment, in a search for movement that combines effectiveness and control. Disciplined, intelligent training is necessary as the aim is to be able to sustain the strength and abilities throughout life.
Parkour is NOT a competition. It is NOT about being flashy, extreme, or rebellious. It is NOT about doing tricks or flips.
Begin Training -
As I see it, the best way to get started in Parkour is get out there and try some stuff. Start small with just finding different areas with rails, walls, trees,...anything that can be used as an obstacle and figure a way to get over or around it. Get used to this type of movement and how your body moves. Feel how it is to jump over, climb up, grab, and/or crawl on these obstacles. Keep in mind, there is no one set of techniques that encompasses how you have to move and no one way to do something as no obstacle is the same and no person is the same.
Do not start with anything big and dangerous. You can easily get injured and also cause long term damage to your body.
Start drilling the roll. It seems simple, but is arguably the most complicated technique to do. It is very useful and can help you prevent a lot of injuries.
At first, it may be difficult to see opportunities to train in your environment. Don't hold back...get out there. The more you just get out and train, the more your "parkour-vision" will increase and you'll begin to see lots of opportunities arise everywhere you look. It's not uncommon for people to suddenly realize that the walkways, paths, and other spots they usually glance over everyday have great potential for training.
Here are some useful links to information that you will find helpful. Read them!
Some starting information, check out
Beginning Training
While there are no real "Parkour moves" here is a list of commonly used terms and techinques:
Basic terms and movements
Here is a roll video of David Belle I put together to help see the right way to roll:
Roll Analysis
I highly recommend reading all the articles on parkour.net especially the ones in the "Spirit" section. Here are some links to articles that can aid in learning more of the philosophy of Parkour:
Parkour! More than an art -- a way of life!
Aspects of Training: Conditioning, Technicality, & Restriction
The Benefits of Parkour
Mental Techniques
David Belle - The creator, the orginator
Spirit of Parkour
Process of Training
The 11th Commandment
I had the great opportunity of meeting and speaking with David Belle (the creator of Parkour) in person. I learned a lot from him and wrote an article describing some of the important aspects of what David had to say:
Cali meets David Belle
Given the general trends that have taken form in those learning Parkour, here is an article discussing some warnings and thoughts about the future:
Dilution - Thoughts for the future of Parkour
Here is an article written from a female point of view that benefits both men and women:
The Traceuse - A woman's perspective and advice on Parkour
Parkour is often misunderstood and people think it's something that it's not. Parkour is not about being flashy, extreme, and/or rebellious. Parkour is not about doing tricks. Parkour is about efficient movement...getting from point A to point B (see the description above from parkour.net). Yes, there are techniques that may look spectacular to some, but in Parkour, it's not about looking spectacular. It's about getting passed the obstacle, whatever the environment, to get to point B.
A great site that is made for the parkour community in North America is parkournorthamerica.com. There are many very knowledgeable and experienced traceurs there.
We welcome everyone to participate here on the www.pkcali.com site. There are a lot of people of varied skill and experience that are always helpful. Don't hesitate to post in the forums and ask questions. We like to help! Also, keep an eye out on the Training Grid and in the Sessions forum for upcoming training sessions/meet-ups. We'd love to be able to train with you.
If you have any questions/confusion/concerns, please don't hesitate to ask.
Have fun, be safe, and go train!
-CAK010
this content item is from PKCali - Parkour California
( http://www.pkcali.com/parkour_plugins/content/content.php?content.15 )