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Why do parkour?

You might be thinking parkour seems like a high-risk sport completed at height, however a large part of training occurs at ground level 2. It is a highly social sport encouraging the sharing and experience of individuals from different backgrounds and skill levels, creating a welcoming environment where everyone can feel like they belong 6. 


This leads to Parkour being a very inclusive sport with no one correct way to move across obstacles or objects, with individual’s free to explore movements how they please. Although there are often session focuses in more formal meet ups where people work through a specific type of skills together 6. This makes it easy for activities and challenges to be changed or adapted to meet the ability level of the individual completing the task 4,5. Parkour style training in schools has been found to allow children who typically struggle with sports and functional movement to join in with classes more than they would in other sports of PE environments 1. Parkour style training also allows people to work and their own pace and focus on their strengths while slowly addressing the areas they need to work on in a low-pressure environment 1,5,6. 


Having mixed ability classes are seen a positive in parkour 6, it encourages teamwork and supporting each other. Often resulting in those of higher ability levels helping and working with those who may find things more challenging to help them achieve the task of challenge that’s been set 1. While encouraging sharing and taking turns through needing to use the same piece of equipment1. 


You might be thinking that all seems great but what are some of the other main benefits of taking part in parkour 1,3,7

  • Increased movement competence 

  • Creativity 

  • Problem solving 

  • Confidence 

  • Resilience 

  • Ability to act on feedback 


“But I have a specific sport, how is this relevant to me”


Coaches of athletes from a variety of levels from grassroots-international sports think parkour is something that athletes should use as part of their training to improve their sports performance. This could be done through inclusion in their current training sessions or in an additional session 5.  As athletes increased in age, they should be involved in deciding what they would like to work on to ensure their enjoyment and focus in training, with a coach guiding these choices to ensure a balanced training routine 4,5. Use of parkour style training can allow athletes to be more adaptable to scenarios within their sport through the development of greater control of their movement and becoming more dynamic 4,5. It’s also great to compliment strength and conditioning in athletes through the development of some important physical skills including 3,4,5

  • Balance 

  • Flexibility

  • Endurance 

  • Stability 

  • Power

  • Ability to control speed (acceleration/deceleration)

  • Risk appraisal 


All these sport specific skills are developed in addition to those listed above in a more general setting, meaning parkour is the perfect opportunity to develop a well-rounded athlete who is both physically and mentally prepared to tackle whatever sport they chose to take part in 3,4,5.  


So whether you are a complete beginner looking for a way to meet new people and have some fun or an elite athlete looking to add something new to your training, Parkour is a great option!


Author Teigan Wilson


References 

  1. Fernández-Río, J. and Suarez, C. (2016) 'Feasibility and students' preliminary views on parkour in a group of primary school children', Physical education and sport pedagogy, 21(3), pp. 281–294. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17408989.2014.946008

  2. O'Grady, KA (2012) Tracing the city - parkour training, play and the practice of collaborative learning. Theatre Dance and Performer Training, 3 (2), pp.145-162. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/19443927.2012.686450 

  3. Strafford, B.W. et al. (2021a) 'Designing Parkour-style training environments for athlete development: insights from experienced Parkour Traceurs', Qualitative research in sport, exercise and health, 13(3), pp. 390–406. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/2159676X.2020.1720275

  4. Strafford, B.W. et al. (2021b) 'Exploring Coach Perceptions of Parkour-Style Training for Athlete Learning and Development in Team Sports', Journal of motor learning and development, 9(3), pp. 399–421. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1123/jmld.2021-0005  

  5. Strafford, B.W. et al. (2022) 'Feasibility of Parkour-style training in team sport practice: A Delphi study', Journal of sports sciences, 40(20), pp. 2327–2342. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640414.2022.2154459

  6. Wallace, M.B.P. (2013) ‘Determining the social and psychological reasons for the emergence of parkour and free running – An interpretive phenomenological analysis’, PhD Thesis, University of Salford.

  7. Yolcu, O. et al. (2024) 'Use of parkour in primary school physical education to develop motor creativity, divergent thinking, movement competence, and perceived motor competence', Physical education and sport pedagogy, , pp. 1–14. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2024.2400094

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