Parkour

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Le Parkour (also called Parkour, and abbreviated PK) is a physical discipline of French origin in which participants attempt to pass obstacles in the most efficient way possible as if moving in an emergency situation, using skills such as jumping and climbing, or the more specific parkour moves. The obstacles can be anything in one's environment, but parkour is often seen practiced in urban areas because of many suitable public structures that are accessible to most people, such as buildings and rails. Parkour also has a deep mental and spiritual side; based around the overcoming of fears and mental obstacles in an altruistic way which may one day prove beneficial to the community.

Another discipline which is related on the surface is Freerunning, which is a break-away discipline formed by Sebastien Foucan, where the freerunner moves through their environment in anyway they wish, which often includes acrobatic manouveres such as flips and kicks. These movements are generally accepted as not parkour because they are not the most efficient way of moving through an environment.

[edit] Table of Contents

[edit] Introduction

• What is Parkour?
• How can I start?

[edit] Exercises

• The Squat
• The Push-Up
• The Pull-Up
• The Lunge
• The Handstand Push-Up
• The Muscle-Up
• The Burpee

For more exercise descriptions along with a workout of the day, go to http://www.americanparkour.com

[edit] Basic movements

It should be noted that although these movements are named, due to the infinite possibilities of an environment, there is an infinite variation in the number of movements which can be applied as different situations will require adaption. Another important factor is that because parkour emphasizes efficiency, although several movements may be used to cross an obstacle, the fastest is considered to be the "best" parkour. Just as a martial artist may not pick the most suited movement in the heat of the moment, a practitioner of parkour may use a less efficient movement while missing a potentially more efficient option, be it because of lack of experience or a misjudgment of the obstacle to be overcome. Nonetheless, the ultimate goal of parkour is to minimize these misjudgements and be as efficient as possible as often as possible. On-the-spot judgment thus becomes an important part of the practice.

• Parkour Roll
• Cat Leap
• Dash Vault
• Landing
• Monkey Vault
• King Kong Vault
• Speed Vault
• Kash Vault
• Two Handed Vault
• Turn Vault
• Precision Jump
• Lazy Vault
• Reverse Vault
• Underbar
• Tic Tac

[edit] Advanced Moves

• Double Kong Vault
• Diving Roll

[edit] Aesthetic Moves (Not Parkour)

These are considered to be Freerunning or Tricking.

• 360 Catleap
• Railspring
• Handspring
• Wallspring
• Palmspring

[edit] Movement-Related Differences

Many traceurs, including a large majority of veterans and those who learn from them, have foregone certain movements in training. Specifically, most traceurs do not practice drops higher than 6 feet or any rooftop jumping. This is to better preserve the body and the image of Parkour, so that spreading the art becomes easier to do. It has also become somewhat of a debate as to whether or not drops should be considered a "move" at all. It should be noted that some traceurs still practice drops and rooftops.