By Lawrence Hsiao Over the past few years, Parkour has taken the world by storm, having appeared in several famous films such as Casino Royale, Johnny English Reborn, and The Hunger Games. When it comes to Parkour, many people think of a man running with super speed, climbing high walls using his bare hands, vaulting over obstacles, and jumping from a high place and landing with a rolling motion. But what exactly is Parkour? Parkour comes from the French term, le parcours, an obstacle course for military training. This training aims to combine running, jumping, climbing, balancing, and swimming to increase soldiers’ physical strength. Nowadays, however, Parkour has revolutionized into a sport that can be practiced by almost everyone. It often takes place in an environment full of barriers, especially in urban areas. People who do Parkour strive hard to pass through the obstacles in the shortest time. Parkour emphasizes speed and agility. Parkour resembles Qinggong a lot, a technique in Chinese martial arts (Kung Fu), where practitioners move swiftly and lightly and perform gravity-defying moves. In both cases people use their surroundings to provide greater intensity. According to the WFPF (World Free-Running Parkour Federation), there is no official or absolute list of moves in Parkour. Consequently, Parkour is a demonstration of your own personal style. The principle of Parkour is actually quite simple. No equipment is required, although practitioners normally wear light casual clothing and running shoes. You only need to focus on how to overcome obstacles in your environment, quickly and efficiently. Just imagine you are putting on a virtual combat suit and everything will be fascinating! Lazy Vault is probably the laziest vault to pass through railings or short walls. First, run to the ledge of your target object at a slight angle. Second, plant your left/right hand on the ledge in front of your body. Third, carry your right/left leg up and over the ledge with the other leg immediately following, while at the same time using both hands to push yourself up. Finally, land with your left/right foot and release your hands from the ledge and continue running. When you start Parkour training, based on suggestions of APK (American Parkour), make sure you familiarize yourself with two very important things: progression and repetition. For instance, in the beginning we don’t start by trying to jump across a 10-foot gap or doing fancy wall maneuvers. We start by jumping right where we stand. We don’t proceed until we’re totally comfortable with jumping a little higher and further. Through repetition, you will make progress. Parkour is not a competition, everyone controls his or her own training pace and intensity. Besides concentrating on going forward while passing through obstacles, Parkour can also be a combination of wildness, intuition, and elegance. That is to say, Parkour is not merely a kind of sport. In fact, it can and should be practiced in a creative and playful way. Professionals not only demonstrate high-level skills, but they also often incorporate themselves into their surroundings, making the process fluent and elegant. If you imagine that a man doing Parkour next to you is just hurrying to catch a bus, then you have understood the spirit of Parkour. As a result, Parkour can also be extended to include gymnastics or martial arts, depending on what you would like to demonstrate. Parkour also helps strengthen people both physically and mentally. You continuously consider how to use your surroundings and barriers to propel you. As a consequence, Parkour not only enables us to control our bodies better, but it also allows us to increase our problem-solving skills. So consider it pure joy, my friends, when you face obstacles of many kinds. The constant testing of your judgment will eventually enhance your confidence. Parkour is non-competitive, calorie-burning, interesting, and enjoyable. Most important of all, you don’t need to be an athlete to Parkour. All you need is the determination to set off Parkouring! Parkour helps to crush our self-doubt by learning how to focus on improvement, and it challenges us to be better than we are.
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May 2024
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