Parkour, or free running, is actually loosely understood to be the skill of moving. Parkour entails using your body and objects within the environment to get around bodily hurdles. Essentially, the specialist of Parkour (a traceur), may run, leap, ascend or perform additional gymnastic type actions to get from one point to the other.

Parkour includes a specific focus on speed and effectiveness. Parkour coaching stresses practical power, fitness, stability and co-ordination. A traceur should be acutely conscious of their environment so they might quickly get around the route.

David Belle's Parkour

David Belle is the founding father of Parkour. Trained in gymnastics and fighting techniques, Belle highly supported building practical power. Belle started working with other people to train them ways to get from one point to the other and again using some crucial fundamental movements.

Belle stressed that Parkour wasn't for showing off however for being used in crucial scenarios. Parkour thus remains regarded as self-discipline as opposed to an activity.

Parkour Training

Practicing Parkour can be challenging because of insufficient publicly available hurdle courses. Usually a metropolitan environment offers lots of challenges where you can style your own hurdle program. Nevertheless, professionals should show respect for private and public property.

There are many fundamental actions which you can use to practice Parkour. Sound practice calls for hurdles that require stability, jumping, landing, swinging, moving, or even catapulting. You need to be certain to start with hurdles that aren't overly difficult. Attempting to hop over structures in your first practice program will be very hazardous. Accidental injuries are common even if you start slow.

Functional Power -- What you could Gain Through Parkour

Parkour depends on functional power to get from one point to the other. The body should be in maximum health to do Parkour actions. You must have a mix of power, endurance, speed and memory. Parkour creates a great work out when you are instructed to use your body in the most effective and practical possible way.

Parkour training is extremely difficult, but it's a good work out that may really help you get fit with out needing any kind of unique equipment. There might be restrictions on where you train and just how you train at first, however it could be a useful self-discipline to learn for those who have persistence.

There you have it. If you wish to be the best you can be at Parkour, the day to start training yourself is today.

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Parkour Training - The Art of Moving (Freerunning)

Parkour, or freerunning, is loosely defined as the art of moving. Parkour involves using one's body and objects in the environment to navigate physical obstacles. In essence, a practitioner of Parkour (a traceur), will run, jump, climb or perform other gymnastics type movements to get from one point to another. Parkour has a particular focus on speed and efficiency. Parkour training emphasizes functional strength, conditioning, balance and coordination. A tracuer must be keenly aware of their surroundings so that they may rapidly navigate a path.

David Belle's Parkour

David Belle is the founder of parkour. Trained in gymnastics and martial arts, Belle strongly believed in building functional strength. Belle began working with others to train them how to get from one point to another and back again using some key basic movements. Belle stressed that parkour was not for showing off but for being used in critical situations. Parkour is therefore considered a discipline rather than a sport.

Parkour Training
Training for parkour can be difficult due to lack of publicly available obstacle courses. Generally an urban environment provides plenty of challenges where you can design your own obstacle course. However, practitioners must show respect for public and private property.

There are plenty of basic movements that you can use to practice parkour. Good practice will involve obstacles that require balance, leaping, landing, swinging, rolling, or vaulting. You should take care to begin with obstacles that are not overly challenging. Trying to jump over buildings on your first practice session would be quite dangerous. Injuries are prevalent even when you start slow.

Prince of Persia Workout
A staple of Jake Gyllenhaal's workout to prepare for his role as Prince Dastan in Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was parkour. He trained directly with David Belle. Jake began by doing gymnastics routines. Jake advanced to performing jumps on harder surfaces and even did some of his own stunts in the movie. Jake credits parkour for helping him to get in phenomenal shape for Prince of Persia.

Functional Strength - What You Can Gain From Parkour
Parkour relies on functional strength to get from one point to another. Your body must be in peak physical condition to perform parkour movements. You need to have a combination of strength, stamina, power and speed. Parkour makes for an excellent workout as you are forced to use your body in the most efficient and functional way possible.

Parkour training is highly challenging, but it is a workout that can really help you get in great shape without requiring any special equipment. There may be limitations on where you train and how you train in the beginning, but it can be a valuable discipline to learn if you have patience.

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Free Running the Extreme Sport

When I discovered that the daring jumps and leaps over walls higher than those on Alcatraz made by James Bond, in the movie Casino Royale, were actual moves from an extreme sport, I had to know more. As I dug deep into the origins of Free Running, I came to realise that it's more than just an adrenaline-charged sport, it's a way of defying both physical and mental boundaries and like most things in life: It's all in the mind.

So the story goes like this: There was once this incredibly intuitive French naval officer, Georges Hébert, who went on a voyage to Africa. Upon noticing the exceptionally robust physique of the African warriors, Hébert realised that when it comes to physical strength, agility and fitness, there is no better gymnastics coach than nature itself. And so it began - a physical method of military training based on energetic, natural movements combined with the altruistic virtues Hébert considered to be so essential. He called it, "méthode naturelle."

From there, it's simple. An architect came along and created a kind of obstacle course which would serve to further the strengths of the French soldiers. These methods later influenced the life of a young boy called, David Belle, a high-school drop-out, who developed these methods into an extreme sport, known as parkour. What parkour became was a way of getting from point A to point B by negotiating tricky obstacles and overcoming urban structures with death-defying leaps and dashing vaults. But what most traceurs, or practitioners of parkour are most interested in, is "human and urban reclamation," - overcoming both the physical and mental obstacles of modern society and defying the fear that causes hesitation and makes a hurdle look more threatening than it really is. It's about moving the way people were meant to move - relying on instinct, thinking on their feet, and using intuition rather than logic. Very cool indeed. It is on this foundation that Free Running found its basis - taking freedom of movement to its most extreme level.

As a way of presenting the extreme sport of parkour, to English speaking society, the film Jump London, featured David Belle's partner in crime, Sebastien Foucan performing nail-biting dash vaults, cat passes and balances on The Royal Albert Hall and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre to name but a few. But while parkour is a sporting discipline, Free Running has developed into complete freedom of movement, urban acrobatics and self-expression through movement. Free Running is about, "finding your own way," - no imitations, no limitations; just pure freedom of movement.

It is not surprising why Free Running has spread like wildfire and is now an internationally acclaimed extreme sport. South Africa boasts some of its very own Free Running hotspots and a rapidly growing society of free runners. Cape Town tops the charts with the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University Campus, the Company Gardens, Muizenberg Beach and the Cape Town CBD being popular Free Running destinations. After all, who ever said you have to take the stairs, when you can just jump down to the next level? Ever asked yourself that question? Then you've simply got to try this.

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3 Tips for Creating a Quality Parkour Video

With the tons of Parkour videos online, it is no surprise that more and more people are getting involved in the sport/art of Parkour every day. When you start learning how to Parkour, it is natural to want to start making videos, typically of stuff that you are not ready to do yet. Many beginners feel that in order to make entertaining videos, they need to be doing crazy tricks. This is not true.

Warning - Before you you begin making any Parkour Videos, I suggest that you take the time to perfect the Roll Landing. This is going to not only help protect you while you practice, but it looks great in videos.
Making a quality Parkour video

Tip #1 - When it comes to tricks, variety if the spice of life. Even as a beginner, there is a large number of tricks that you can learn. Using basic vaults, such as the Kong and speed vault, you can start making videos. Other simple moves that will help spice up your Parkour videos are the reverse vault, 1 handed reverse, dash vault, and shoulder vault. None of these moves are very difficult to learn, and by mixing them up, you can start making entertaining videos in no time.

Tips #2 - When it comes to angles, again, variety is the key. If you are shooting all of your moves from 1 spot, of from 1 angle, the video is going to get boring very quickly. By shooting from the front, back, sides, above and below, you can take 1 simple move and make it look 10 times better.

Mixing a variety of moves with a variety of angles will take what may have been very simple, and very short Parkour videos, and turn them into longer, more entertaining videos.

Tips #3 - Use a quality camera. While it would be nice if the $20 digital camcorders that you can buy at the grocery store worked, they are going to take very pour quality videos. You do not need to spend a lot of money to get something that will really make great quality videos. If you are going to put in the time to learn the Parkour moves, and then make the video, you at least want it to come out looking good.

Extra Tip - When you start learning how to put multiple moves together, your Parkour Videos will improve dramatically. There are some very simply combinations that you can put together, and they will do great things for your videos.

One of the best combos to learn is the Kong to Roll Landing. You can learn it, along with many other Parkour tricks, at Learnhowtoparkour.com. When you are ready to start filming, the best camera that I have found is the Flip cam. It is affordable, and takes great quality videos.

You can grab one at a great place, along with pick up more ticks for making a Parkour Video HERE
Yours in Success

Joe Malone

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How to Get Involved in the Sport of Parkour

In 2004, the world had it's eyes opened to the sport/art of Parkour. Now, every single day, thousands of people try to get started with it. So, how do you do it?

One of the best things about Parkour is that you can do it pretty much anywhere. You do not need special access to a gym, or special place to practice. That is what it is all about. Freedon of movement. So, no matter where you live, you have someplace to practice.

There is more to it then just a location when you want to learn how to Parkour. Everyone loves watching the videos on YouTube where people are jumping from roof to roof, or off roofs, flipping off walls, and other crazy tricks. Take a minute to watch some of the Parkour Fail videos. It can be very dangerous, and people have died. This is usually because they try to do things that their body, or their mind, simply aren't ready for. In order to get started with Parkour the right way, you need to have a strong physical base. Strength, speed, flexibility, agility, and endurance are very important in keeping you safe during Parkour. Nothing will guarantee that you will not get hurt, but believe me when I say that you want every advantage on your side that you can get. The mental strength will come when you progress you skills, starting with the basics of course.

Finding a group to train with is also very important, and there are a few reasons for that. First of all, there is safety in number. If you are out practicing and you get hurt, you want people to be around to help you. This is why you never practice Parkour alone. Second, the more people that you train with, the more ideas that are being shared. It is also a great way to meet new people. There are plenty of groups out there. A simple search online may help you find one in your area. Facebook is a great place to find area groups.

Before you go trying the crazy moves that you see online, take the time to learn the basics. I suggest starting with the roll landing and basic vaults. By mastering these first, you will give yourself a strong foundation for your Parkour. These will help you not only get from point A to point B in the fastest way possible, which is typically what Parkour is about, but some of the vaults are pretty easy to learn, and they will look great when you start making your videos.

Learnhowtoparkour.com is a great place to start if you are serious about getting into Parkour. There are videos on the various vaults and the roll landing, safety tips, training advice, and great deals on Parkour gear. If you are looking to get started the right way, take the time to learn the moves on the site. They will help you go along ways, and, let's face it, the more moves you have to work with, the more fun you may have. Learn Parkour at Learn How To Parkour.
Yours in Success
Joe Malone

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Parkour Training Inside

As much as we would love to do our parkour training out on the streets, where it is meant to be used, that is not always a possibility. The weather can keep you cooped up for days, weeks, or if you live in the northeast like me, months. Between the mass amounts of snow, and the extremely cold temperatures, free running training outside is not always an option.

While the majority of people think that they can just go out and start parkour, it is important to understand the importance of training. When you are free running, your body is placed under extreme demands. If it is not ready to handle those commands, then you are just asking for injuries. You will also find that the more prepared your body is, the more you will be able to do, which means the more fun you will be able to have.

What kind of training can you do inside to prepare your body for the outside fun of free running. Your parkour training needs to accomplish several things.
It needs to;
- Increase strength
- Increase endurance
- Increase flexibility
- Increase coordination

Basically, you want lean muscle mass, amazing cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, and the ability to control your body. Here are some exercises that can help you accomplish these goals.

Increase strength - There are some very simple exercises to incorporate into your parkour training that will help you make some amazing strength gains.

1 - Pushups - These are simple, and much more effective than most people would think. By varying your style of pushups, you can target your chest, triceps, shoulders, and core.

2 - Pullups - Again, simple, and they can be varied to truly give you an incredible workout. By varying your hand position, you can really blast your back, and biceps.
These 2 exercises can be varied in enough ways to really hit your entire upper body, so don't underestimate them.

3 - Squats - Again, simple, and you can do them with no weight at all. By varying the position of you feet, and varying the intensity, such as doing squat jumps, these truly are an essential part of your parkour training.

4 - Wall sits - It doesn't get much simpler than that. While the exercise is simple in terms of the technical aspect, it is very intense and effective with strengthening the legs.

5 - Plyometrics - Most people are under the misconception that you need expensive plyo-boxes to do this. The truth is that there are plenty of effective, body weight only plyometric exercises that can take your parkour training to a whole new level. They will increase your speed, power, and you will jump like you never have before.

All of these exercises can be done right in the comfort of your own home. The key is knowing how to incorporate them all into an effective program. P90X [http://beachbodytrainer.com/parkour.html] is the ultimate system for creating lean muscle mass, along with increasing your speed, strength, and power. It is a great way to get an amazing workout in when the weather is not cooperating. I even recommend it as a regular part of your Parkour Training [http://beachbodytrainer.com/parkour.html] when the weather is on your side. Take your training seriously, get your body ready, and have a blast with your free running.
Yours in Success

Joe Malone

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