Parkour Training Tips!

Parkour Training Tips Starting Parkour and Freerunning Some people think parkour looks easy others think it looks impossibly hard. Whatever you think, Parkour is not easy but it is also possible. With the right attitude and the will to perfect technique, who knows how far you could get. There is no end to parkour your ability is always improving and there is no barrier to reach when you are finished, there is always a new spot to train or a new jump to jump. Parkour is an amazingly enjoyable sport. The feeling of doing a move you have been trying to go for or doing something before any of your friends is incredible. What you can achieve is limitless. Parkour is a lot about training with others. If you can not find someone you know to train with check out the register your group page, or check the forums. If you still need help email us and well do our best to try and find you your nearest crew. There are also hundreds of online communities willing to help with more parkour training tips. The best way to start is to watch pro traceurs in action, to get you in the spirit. Register your group Email us Forum

Parkour is considered by some to be a way of thinking, a way of training and a method by which to develop one's spirit and inner strength through movement, as taught by the founders in France. The philosophy is considered a main part of Parkour. The main point in the philosophy of parkour is to understand that parkour is not just a sport. It is not just completing a list of moves or vaults. Parkour is a way of thinking and training. It helps you get from A to B as quickly and efficiently as possible. The vaults and jumps used are only by-products of this way of thinking. Trying Parkour There are much less predefined moves in parkour than sports such as gymnastics, because of the original idea that the moves are just bi-products of the way of thinking. However there are still some movements considered to be most basic and that most traceurs practise and start with. The most important movements to practise and perfect are jumping and landing. The standard PK roll is used to spread the impact of a jump over your whole body, and then flow into the next movement. After perfecting the roll vaults would be he next basic movement to try. Vaults are used to clear or overcome most obstacles and there are many types. There are several vaults that are completely efficient and there are others which are used sometimes only to add fun to the vault, or make it look more impressive. These vaults sacrifice their efficiency and tend to be used less by experienced traceurs and more by freerunners. Most vaults are specifically designed to be used on specific obstacles. But learning specific vaults is not as recommended as learning to think on the spot and adapt easily. Flips stir up much debate about whether they are truly parkour. They are not the most efficient way of moving and most experienced traceurs argue they are only designed to look impressive. Newer traceurs think that parkour is about being free to choose how you move through a specific environment, but it is probably because they are less informed. Generally flips are regarded as Freerunning and are not basic moves. Related Articles FlipTraining

Parkour Clothing Unlike most other sports doing parkour doesnt require you buying expensive equipment. You can do parkour wearing almost anything. However, you do need a decent pair of trainers. Full Article What exactly is parkour and Freerunning? Parkour and Freerunning are different but not entirely. Parkour was developed prior to Freerunning by David Belle. It consists of vaults and jumps. The deep philosophy behind parkour is not be controlled by your surroundings, which most people are. They have to walk along certain designated paths to get from A to B, but by using parkour there are no architectural boundaries and your path is free for you to choose. The word 'Freerunning' was first developed by Sebastein Foucan in order to make the word 'parkour' more accessible to an English-speaking audience. But Freerunning now does differ slightly from parkour; the freerun philosophy is less about choosing your own path but more about fun and creativity. Freerunning involves somersaulting, flipping and flaring and has a second goal of trying to make Freerunning look impressive.

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Want to learn to flip? Here's the flip training...

Flip training tutorial... WARNING! Flips are extremely dangerous and should not be tried without trained supervision. This site takes no responsibility for any injury that may be caused when trying somersaults. Any way, back to the Flip training tutorial...

First things first Flips are not parkour. But they are very impressive and many people want to learn them. So i thought i should tell you how to perform back flips and front flips correctly.
The Front Somersault... Doing a front flip is fundamental in street tricks. You should learn a front flip before you try another somersault.

Preparations Some things that will make it easier for you to do your first front flip are - Being able to front flip on a trampoline. - Someone to spot and supervise - A soft landing
The more of these you have the easier it will be. Under no circumstances must you try to somersault on concrete first.

A good place to do front flips off are benches two lined up. And its even better into woodchips or sand, but grass will do. Front Flips or in fact any flips are hard to go for at first. But once you have done it once they are much easier. My advice if you are scared to try one is go for it. Unless you have the technique completely wrong or in fact none at all it is hard to go wrong. On your first front flip you may just want to forget all of the flip training advice below because it makes you feel more comfortable. This is ok but you wont land it. After you have your confidence up and are ready to go then look at the flip training below and try to stick to it Stand at the end of the first bench and start to run up when youre ready at a speed you are comfortable with. Roughly half way down the second bench you should jump and aim to land on the end of it, this provides you with spring and momentum. Bring your arms up above your head while in the jump.

Jump up into the front flip and swing your arms down hard to provide the spin. Grab your shins tight to create a tuck position. When you see half way between the sky and directly in front of you at about 45* come out of your tuck and land. On your first try you may not land it but this is purely because it is your first time. You will improve. If you are consistently not landing it then concentrate on height more, by going up before you rotate. The more you practise the easier they are. And they do become very easy. Once this is the case move onto the backflip...
The Back Somersault...

Preparations Some things that will make it easier for you to do your first backflip are - Being able to back flip on a trampoline. - Someone to spot and supervise - A soft landing - Access to a gym or mats Again the more of these you have the easier it will be. And under no circumstances must you try to somersault on concrete first. Actually you must be able to do a back flip on a trampoline before you try in on the street. And sometimes even that is not enough you should probably try in a gym of a vault box onto a mat first to make sure you have the right technique. Stand on the wall with most of your foot off it. Depends on how far you feel comfortable. I put the ball of my foot of the edge. Start with your arms up stretched above your head. Swing them down and at the same time bend your knees keep swinging them up until they are behind your back and at this point your legs should have straightened again. Lean back and push/jump off the wall swinging your arms forward at the same time. Your arms should reach straight above your head to gain maximum height. Look forward for a split second before grabbing your tuck and rotating kick out when you see the ground and land. Back flips are much harder and more dangerous than front flips do not try until you are completely comfortable doing them in a safe environment like a trampoline or a gym.

Parkour techniques

The Parkour Way of Thinking - Drew Tayor 28/01/09 Most people are satisfied with walking or even unaware that it is possible to challenge the environment, a growing number of people have begun to discover the possibilities of more efficient movement, this realization is the key to the parkour way of thinking. Parkour has always existed. Before humans discovered concrete, walking or running was the most efficient way to travel. But humans still seem to be decades behind in terms of transport requiring nothing but your body. We need to adapt to the modern environment. Walking is no longer the most efficient way of travelling.

The parkour way of thinking can be discovered entirely by ones self, or it can be introduced by others. Once someone has been introduced to the techniques of parkour their whole life changes. Not only do traceurs begin to see the world in a completely different way, they start to go about their every day lives in very different ways as well. After someone has learnt how to overcome obstacles in the most efficient way, they will never, not use the techniques because it would be stupid to deliberately make something harder than it has to be. They then start seeing obstacles completely differently, rather than a dead end walls are seen as a conquerable challenge. This way of thinking is then often transferred into conquering physical or mental obstacles in everyday life. There is always an efficient way to overcome these dilemmas, you just need to know the basic techniques. Of course these techniques become more efficient with practise, just like parkour techniques. Training for parkour must therefore reflect this, and always keep efficiency of the utmost importance. The training involved in developing this way of thinking is often more mental that physical. At all stages in your training life the body is in most cases much more capable than the mind will allow. When starting out one of the most difficult challenges facing you is coordinating the mind and body. How we act is a direct cause of how we think so the mind has to be constantly focused on the current challenge in all aspects of training. In most cases when practitioners start training, they make commitments in their life to improve their physical capabilities. This may include adapting their diet, increasing and toning muscle or just giving up the time to train. Parkour is all about the way of thinking. There are no obstacles just a dash here a cat there maybe. All the things above happend within seconds. And shortening this period of time, between seeing the obstacle to performing the move is also another key technique. Eventually it will flow effortlessly and gracefully.

Parkour
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Parkour

Passement Nickname(s) PK Characteristics Contact Categorization Olympic Non-competitive Spiritual art, Body art, Philosophical No

Parkour (sometimes abbreviated to PK) is a utilitarian discipline based upon the direct, successful, swift traversing of one's surrounding environment via the practical application of techniques, based around the concept of self-preservation. It is a non-competitive, physical discipline of French origin in which participants run along a route, attempting to negotiate obstacles in the most efficient way possible, using only their bodies. Skills such as jumping, climbing, vaulting, rolling, swinging and wall scaling are employed. Parkour can be practiced anywhere, but areas dense with obstacles are preferable and it is most commonly practiced in urban areas. The term "freerunning" is sometimes incorrectly used interchangeably with "l'art du dplacement". While l'art du dplacement aims to enable the practitioner to be able to move quickly and creatively past obstacles, freerunning is a competition sport, with Urban FreeFlow being credited with this change of definition. Freerunning includes the use of tricking moves such as aerial rotations and spins, but parkour founder David Belle does not consider these part

of parkour because the moves are merely for show, are not efficient, can not assist anyone and do not help the participant to get from place to place. Although Sbastien Foucan is considered a cofounder of parkour, his philosophy later turned out to be different to that of parkour and grew to become known as freerunning (see below). A practitioner of parkour is called a "traceur", which is most likely derived from Parisian slang "tracer" which means "to hurry" or "to move quickly". In proper French, "traceur" is an adjective qualifying something that leaves a trace or a trail behind it.

Contents

1 Overview 2 Terminology 3 History o 3.1 Historical precedents o 3.2 Hbert's legacy o 3.3 Belle family o 3.4 Development in Lisses 4 Philosophy and theories o 4.1 Non-rivalry o 4.2 Freerunning 5 Military training 6 Criticism 7 Movements o 7.1 Basic movements 8 Accessories 9 Popular culture o 9.1 Film and television o 9.2 Video games o 9.3 Comic books 10 See also 11 References

[edit] Overview

A basic parkour move

Two primary characteristics of parkour are efficiency and speed. Traceurs take the most direct path through an obstacle as rapidly as that route can be traversed safely. Developing one's level of spatial awareness is often used to aid development in these areas. Also, efficiency involves avoiding injuries, both short and long term. This idea embodying parkour's unofficial motto is tre et durer ("to be and to last"). Parkour's emphasis on efficiency distinguishes it from the similar practice of free running, which places more emphasis on freedom of movement and creativity. Traceurs say that parkour also influences one's thought processes by enhancing self-confidence and critical-thinking skills that allow one to overcome everyday physical and mental obstacles.[1][2][3] A study by Neuropsychiatrie de l'Enfance et de l'Adolescence (Neuropsychiatry of Childhood and Adolescence) in France reflects that traceurs seek more excitement and leadership situations than gymnastic practitioners.[4]

[edit] Terminology
The first terms used to describe this form of training were "l'art du dplacement" and "le parcours".[5] The term "parkour" (French pronunciation: [paku]) was coined by Hubert Kound. It derives from "parcours du combattant", the classic obstacle course method of military training proposed by Georges Hbert.[6][7][8] "Traceur" [tas] and "traceuse" [tasz] are substantives derived from the French verb "tracer", which normally means "to trace",[9] or "to draw", but which is also a slang for "to go fast".[10]

[edit] History
See also: Timeline of parkour [edit] Historical precedents

A traceur performing a precision jump

In the film Jump London, Sebastien Foucan states that "Le Parkour has always existed, free running has always been there, the thing is that no one gave it a name, we didnt put it in the box. It is an ancient art [...] The Neanderthals, to hunt, or to chase, or to move around, they had to practice the free run." Tangible historical precedents may be traced to movie stuntmen and martial arts practitioners. Hollywood stars and stuntmen such as Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., John Ciampa and Buster Keaton captured parkour-like moves on film as early as the 192040s. The latter was also an inspiration for the famous on-foot chase scenes of Hong Kong stuntman, martial artist and actor Jackie Chan.[11] In Eastern martial arts such as Ninjutsu and Qing Gong, movements similar to those of Parkour have been taught for centuries and with a similar aim. In Jump London, Foucan does acknowledge the influence of martial arts movies on the development of Parkour: "We also climbed onto the roof of our school. We pretended we were Ninja warriors".

A "traceur" performing a "passe muraille" [edit] Hbert's legacy Main article: Georges Hbert

Before World War I, former naval officer Georges Hbert travelled throughout the world. During a visit to Africa, he was impressed by the physical development and skills of indigenous tribes that he met:[12] He noted, "their bodies were splendid, flexible, nimble, skillful, enduring, and resistant but yet they had no other tutor in gymnastics but their lives in nature." [12] On May 8, 1902, Saint-Pierre, Martinique, where Hbert was stationed, suffered from a volcanic eruption of Mount Pele. Hbert coordinated the escape and rescue of some 700 people. This experience had a profound effect on him, and reinforced his belief that athletic skill must be combined with courage and altruism. He eventually developed this ethos into his motto "tre fort pour tre utile" ("to be strong in order to be useful").[12] Inspired by indigenous tribes, Hbert

became a physical education tutor at the college of Reims in France. He began to define the principles of his own system of physical education and to create various apparatuses and exercises to teach his "mthode naturelle"[12] which he defined as: "Methodical, progressive and continuous action, from childhood to adulthood, that has as its objective: assuring integrated physical development; increasing organic resistances; emphasizing aptitudes across all genres of natural exercise and indispensable utilities (walking, running, jumping, quadrupedal movement, climbing, equilibrium (balancing), throwing, lifting, defending and swimming); developing one's energy and all other facets of action or virility such that all assets, both physical and virile, are mastered; one dominant moral idea: altruism."[13] Hbert set up a "mthode naturelle" session consisting of ten fundamental groups: walking, running, jumping, quadrupedal movement, climbing, balancing, throwing, lifting, self-defense, swimming, which are part of three main forces:[13]

Energetic or virile sense: energy, willpower, courage, coolness, and firmness Moral sense: benevolence, assistance, honor, and honesty Physical sense: muscles and breath

During World War I and World War II, Hbert's teaching continued to expand, becoming the standard system of French military education and training. Thus, Hbert was one of the proponents of "parcours", an obstacle course, developed by a Swiss architect,[14] which is standard in the military training and led to the development of civilian fitness trails and confidence courses.[12] Also, French soldiers and firefighters developed their obstacle courses known as "parcours du combattant" and parcours SP".[15]
[edit] Belle family

David Belle, parkour founder, at The New Yorker Festival Main articles: Raymond Belle and David Belle

Raymond Belle was born in Vietnam, at the time part of French Indochina. His father died during the First Indochina War and Raymond was separated from his mother during the division of Vietnam in 1954. He was taken by the French Army in Da Lat and received a military education and training that shaped his character.[16] After the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, Raymond was repatriated to France and completed his military education in 1958. At age 19, his dedication to fitness helped him serve in Paris's regiment of "sapeurs-pompiers" (the French fire service).[16] Raymond introduced his son David to obstacle course training and the "mthode naturelle". David participated in activities such as martial arts and gymnastics and sought to apply his athletic prowess for some practical purpose.[15] At age 17, David left school seeking freedom and action. He continued to develop his strength and dexterity in order to be useful in life, as Raymond had advised him.[15]
[edit] Development in Lisses

After moving to Lisses commune, David Belle continued his journey with others.[15] Sbastien Foucan noted in Jump London "From then on we developed and really the whole town was there for us; there for parkour. You just have to look, you just have to think, like children." This, as he describes, is "the vision of parkour." In 1997, Yann Hnautra, Charles Perriere, Chau Belle, David Belle, Laurent Piemontesi, Sbastien Foucan, Guylain Perriere, Malik Diouf and Williams Belle created the group Yamakasi,[17] whose name comes from the Lingala language of Congo, and means "strong spirit, strong body, strong man, endurance". After the musical show Notre Dame de Paris, Belle and Foucan split up due to money and disagreements over the definition of "l'art du dplacement",[18] The film Yamakasi (2001), and the French documentary Gnration Yamakasi were created without Belle and Foucan. Over the years, as dedicated practitioners improved their skills, their numbers of moves grew. Building-to-building jumps and drops of over a storey became common in media portrayals, often leaving people with a slanted view of parkour. Ground-based movements are more common, because legal accessibility in urban areas is difficult. From the Parisian suburbs, parkour went on to become a widely practiced activity outside of France.[citation needed]

[edit] Philosophy and theories

According to Williams Belle, the philosophies and theories behind parkour are an integral aspect of the art, one that many non-practitioners have never been exposed to. Belle trains people because he wants "it to be alive" and for "people to use it".[3] Chu Belle explains it is a "type of freedom" or "kind of expression"; that parkour is "only a state of mind" rather than a set of actions, and that it is about overcoming and adapting to mental and emotional obstacles as well as physical barriers.[3] A newer convention of parkour philosophy has been the idea of "human reclamation".[19] Andy (Animus of Parkour North America) clarifies it as "a means of reclaiming what it means to be a human being. It teaches us to move using the natural methods that we should have learned from

infancy. It teaches us to touch the world and interact with it, instead of being sheltered by it."[19]"It is as much as a part of truly learning the physical art as well as being able to master the movements, it gives you the ability to overcome your fears and pains and reapply this to life as you must be able to control your mind in order to master the art of parkour."[20] A point has been made about the similarities between the martial arts philosophy of Bruce Lee and Parkour.[21] In an interview with The New Yorker, David Belle acknowledges the influence of Lee's thinking: "Theres a quote by Bruce Lee thats my motto: There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. A man must constantly exceed his level. If youre not better than you were the day before, then what are you doingwhats the point?".[22]
[edit] Non-rivalry

A campaign was started on 1 May 2007 by Parkour.NET portal[23] to preserve parkour's philosophy against sport competition and rivalry.[24] In the words of Erwan LeCorre: "Competition pushes people to fight against others for the satisfaction of a crowd and/or the benefits of a few business people by changing its mindset. Parkour is unique and cannot be a competitive sport unless it ignores its altruistic core of self development. If parkour becomes a sport, it will be hard to seriously teach and spread parkour as a non-competitive activity. And a new sport will be spread that may be called parkour, but that won't hold its philosophical essence anymore."[23] According to LeCorre, those who truly practice Parkour have the same mind aspect of each other, therefore it brings people to work together rather than compete, it allows them to be united internationally and forget the social and economical problems which separated them globally, ultimately leading one giant community working and growing together.
[edit] Freerunning Main article: Free running

Another saut de bras

The term "freerunning" was coined during the filming of Jump London, as a way to present parkour to the English-speaking world, although, parkour and freerunning are considered to be slightly different.

The founder and creator of freerunning Sbastien Foucan defines freerunning as a discipline for self development, of following your own way[citation needed]. His dissatisfaction with the limited creativity and self-expression in Parkour was the motivation for Sebastian Foucan to develop a similar but also very different art of movement that became known as freerunning.[25] He notes "Understand that this form of art has been created by few soldiers in Vietnam to escape or reach: and this is the spirit we'd like parkour to keep. You have to make the difference between what is useful and what is not in emergency situations. Then you'll know what is parkour and what is not. So if you do acrobatics things on the street with no other goal than showing off, please don't say it's parkour. Acrobatics existed a long time ago before parkour."[6] When questions are raised between the differences of parkour and freerunning, the Yamakasi group deny the differences and say: "parkour, l'art du deplacement, freerunning, the art of movement... they are all the same thing. They are all movement and they all came from the same place, the same nine guys originally. The only thing that differs is each individual's way of moving". [26]

[edit] Military training

After the attention that parkour received following the film Casino Royale, militaries from different countries began looking for ways to incorporate parkour into training. The British Royal Marines hired parkour athletes to train their members.[27] Colorado Parkour began a project to introduce parkour into the U.S. military[28] and parkour is slowly being introduced into the United States Marine Corps.[29]

[edit] Criticism
Parkour is not widely practiced in dedicated public facilities such as skateparks, although efforts are being made to create places for it.[30] Traceurs practice parkour in urban areas such as gyms, parks, playgrounds, offices, and abandoned structures. Concerns have been raised regarding trespassing, damage of property,[31] and the practice in inappropriate places.[32] However, most traceurs will take care of their training spots and will remove themselves quickly and quietly from a public place if asked. The Magpie Youth Centre free running club in Glen Parva, Leicester has raised 40,000 Euros to build a free running park/training utility on the park opposite the youth center. Concerns have been raised by law enforcement and fire and rescue teams of the risk in jumping off high buildings.[33] They argue that practitioners are needlessly risking damage to both themselves and rooftops by practicing at height, with police forces calling for practitioners to stay off the rooftops. [34][35][36] Some figures within the parkour community agree that this sort of behaviour is not to be encouraged.[35][37][38][39] Although David Belle has never been seriously injured while practicing parkour, there has been no detailed study of the health issues of large drops and traceurs stress gradual progression to avoid problems. American traceur Mark Toorock says that injuries are rare "because participants rely not on what they can't control wheels or the icy surfaces of snowboarding and skiing but

their own hands and feet," but Lanier Johnson, executive director of the American Sports Medicine Institute, notes that many of the injuries are not reported.[40]

[edit] Movements

Saut de prcision

There are fewer pre-defined movements in parkour than in gymnastics, as there is no list of "moves". Each obstacle a traceur faces presents a unique challenge. The ability to overcome the challenge depends on multiple factors, for example, on body type, speed, angle of approach, the physical make-up of the obstacle. Parkour is about training the bodymind to react to those obstacles appropriately with a technique that is effective. Often that technique cannot and need not be classified and given a name. In many cases effective parkour techniques depend on fast redistribution of body weight and the use of momentum to perform seemingly difficult or impossible body maneuvers at great speed. Absorption and redistribution of energy is also an important factor, such as body rolls when landing which reduce impact forces on the legs and spine, allowing a traceur to jump from greater heights than those often considered sensible in other forms of acrobatics and gymnastics. According to David Belle, the practice is to move in such a way that will help you gain the most ground as if escaping or chasing something. Also, if you go from A to B, you need to be able to get back from B to A,[41] but not necessarily with the same movements or "passements". Despite this, there are many basic versatile and effective techniques that are emphasized for beginners. Most important are good jumping and landing techniques. The roll, used to limit impact after a drop and to carry one's momentum onward, is often stressed as the most important technique to learn. Parkour has been criticised for the danger of large drops following practitioner deaths and injuries.[42][43][44]
[edit] Basic movements

Some movements defined in freerunning (tricks are not part of parkour) are:[45]

Synonym French Atterrissage rception quilibre quilibre de chat French pronouncation [ateisa] [espsj] [ekilib] Balance Description English Landing Bending the knees when toes make contact with ground (never land flat footed; always land on toes and ball of your foot, or whole footed). Walking along the crest of an obstacle; literally "balance." Quadrupedal movement along the crest of an obstacle. Jumping or swinging through a gap between obstacles; literally "to cross" or "to break through." Hanging drop; lcher literally meaning "to let go." To hang or swing (on a bar, on a wall, on a branch) and let go, dropping to the ground or to hang from another object. This can refer to almost all hanging/swinging type movements. Overcoming a tall structure, usually by use of a step off the wall to transform forward momentum into upward momentum, then using the arms to climb onto and over the object. This movement comes from climbing terminology, and encompasses leaping from a position similar to an armjump, then grabbing an obstacle usually higher than the initial starting place, often used for an overhang. This movement is used when a simpler movement is not possible. To move over an object with one's hand(s) on an object to ease the movement. A vault or dropping movement involving a 180

Cat Crawl

Franchissement [fism]Z

Underbar

Lache Lch [lae] swing

Passe muraille [pas myaj]

Pop vault, wall hop, Wallpass, wallrun

Dyno (shortened from "Dynamic[clarification needed] ", opposite to "Static")

Passement Demitour

[pasm] [dmi tu]

Vault, Pass Turn vault

Turn Down

turn; literally "half turn." This move is often used to place yourself hanging from an object in order to shorten a drop or prepare for a jump. To overcome an obstacle by jumping side-ways first, then placing one hand on the obstacle to self-right your body and continue running. To overcome an obstacle by using a one-handed vault, then using the other hand at the end of the vault to push oneself forwards in order to finish the move.

Passement

Speed vault

Thief Lazy vault

Saut de chat

[sod a]

The saut de chat involves diving forward over an Cat pass/jump, (king) obstacle so that the body becomes horizontal, kong vault, monkey pushing off with the hands and tucking the legs, such that the body is brought back to a vertical vault position, ready to land. This vault involves using the hands to move oneself forwards at the end of the vault. One uses both hands to overcome an obstacle by jumping feet first over the obstacle and pushing off with the hands at the end. Visually, this might seem similar to the saut de chat, but reversed. Allegedly David Belle has questioned the effectiveness of this movement. A vault involving a 180 rotation such that the traceur's back faces forward as they pass the obstacle. The purpose of the rotation is ease of technique in the case of otherwise awkward body position or loss of momentum prior to the vault. This vault is a combination of two vaults; the kong vault and the dash vault. After pushing off with the hands in a kong vault, the body continues past vertical over the object until the feet are leading the body. The kash vault is then finished by pushing off the object at the end, as in a dash vault.

Dash vault

Reverse vault

Kash vault

Muscle-up Planche [pl] climb-up

To get from a hanging position (wall, rail, branch, arm jump, etc.) into a position where your upper body is above the obstacle, supported by the arms. This then allows for you to climb up onto the obstacle and continue. A forward roll where the hands, arms and diagonal of the back contact the ground, often called breakfall. Used primarily to transfer the momentum/energy from jumps and to minimize impact, preventing a painful landing. It is similar to the basic kaiten or ukemi and it was taken from martial arts such as judo, ninjutsu, jujutsu, hapkido and aikido. To land on the side of an obstacle in a hanging/crouched position, the hands gripping the top edge, holding the body, ready to perform a muscle up. Literally 'jump to the ground' / 'jump to the floor'. To jump down, or drop down from something. To jump from one place/object to another, over a gap/distance. This technique is most often followed with a roll. Static or moving jump from one object to a precise spot on another object. This term can refer to any form of jumping however.

Roulade

[ulad]

Roll

Arm jump Saut de bras [sodbra] cat leap cat grab

Saut de fond

[sodf]

Drop

Saut de dtente Saut de prcision prcision

[sod dett]

Gap jump, running jump

[so d presizi] Precision [presizi] Wall Jump

Saut de mur Tic-Tac Rotary jump Saut de rotation Rotary vault

To step off a wall in order to overcome another obstacle or gain height to grab something Similar to a kong vault, the person dives and then rotates their lower body around the obstacle. Used for shorter to medium obstacles. For people that have trouble with kong vaults.

[edit] Accessories
There is no equipment required, although practitioners normally train wearing light casual clothing:[46][47]

Light upper body garmentsuch as T-shirt, sleeveless shirt or crop top if anything is worn on the upper body. Light lower body garmentsuch as sweatpants, tracksuit bottoms or light shorts.

Comfortable running shoes, that are generally light, with good grip, are encouraged. Many traceurs think cheaper and easier to replace shoes are much more practical.[citation needed] More experienced traceurs with stronger feet tend to train barefoot, which is the best way to feel the environment. Various sport shoes manufacturers around the world started offering parkourspecific products. Some traceurs use sweat-bands for forearm protection.[citation needed] Some use thin athletic gloves to protect the hands;[48] those who do not, preferring to "feel their environment" directly, develop thick callouses.[49][50] Since parkour is closely related to "mthode naturelle", practitioners sometimes train barefooted to be able to move efficiently without depending on their gear. Some parkour artists also use the lightweight "Feiyue" martial arts shoes. David Belle notes: "bare feet are the best shoes!"[51]

[edit] Popular culture

A traceuse vaults an obstacle. Main article: Parkour in popular culture

Parkour has been used in television advertisements, news reports and entertainment pieces, often combined with other forms of acrobatics, such as free running, street stunts and tricking.
[edit] Film and television

The Simpsons: In the episode Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes Ned Flanders is trying to catch Homer because they have become Bounty Hunter's and Ned's final mission is to take down Homer.

American Dad features an extended, highly exaggerated parkour scene in the sixth-season episode Stanny Boy and Frantastic, when the middle-aged central characters Stan and Francine are suddenly invited by their much-younger new friends to engage in an impromptu run across the rooftops of urban hi-rise buildings. Casino Royale has a parkour chase scene near the beginning of the film where James Bond chases a bomb maker (played by freerunner Sbastien Foucan) into and through a construction site. Paul Blart: Mall Cop The group of people that take over the Mall use skate boarding and Parkour to traverse their newest "heist". Banlieue 13 & Banlieue 13: Ultimatum features parkour and stars David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli.[52] The Australian version of 60 Minutes featured a segment of parkour on September 16, 2007, which featured Sbastien Foucan on a trip to Australia, and French traceur Stephane Vigroux.[53] Top Gear Episode 7 (and The Challenges DVD) has James May racing two parkour athletes across Liverpool in a Peugeot 207.[54] My Playground, a documentary film by Kaspar Astrup Schrder, explores the way parkour and freerunning is changing the perception of urban space and how the spaces and buildings they are moving on are changing them[55] Jump Britain and Jump London are freerunning/parkour documentaries. Jonas Brothers: Living The Dream featured an episode where the brothers took parkour classes. The US incarnation of The Office includes an episode, "Gossip", in which several characters climb on desks and jump off chairs in an attempt to emulate parkour. Yamakasi, a 2001 movie Used by Dave (Seann William Scott) in Cop Out (2010 film) WWE superstar John Morrison is known as The Prince of Parkour and he wrestles in a parkour style. A sequence in an Indian Movie Tezz (Fast) around a canal at the end of the chase which covers half a dozen different locations [56]

[edit] Video games

Super Mario 64 as well as Super Mario Sunshine utilize freerunning in wall-kicks, muscle-ups, and precisions (long jumps), along with back and side flips. Assassin's Creed 's protagonist Altar and Assassin's Creed II 's and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood 's protagonist Ezio use parkour (although the action is referred to as "free-run" while ingame).[57][58][59] Tomb Raider Underworld 's protagonist Lara Croft uses parkour to scale walls and old buildings. It is also possible to do tricking movements. Mirror's Edge is about a gang of outlaws called "runners," who excel and specialize in parkour. Prototype mentions parkour by name and it plays a vital role in the game. Tony Hawk's American Wasteland has several techniques the player can do while not on the skateboard: free-running (although it is called parkour in the game), wall-run, wire-grab, and other parkour movements. Brink, which will feature S.M.A.R.T. (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain) Infamous's protagonist Cole uses parkour extensively. Tron Evolution producer, Alex Peters, said in an interview with GameSpot (Pre-E3) that Tron's basic movements and combat were based on parkour and capoeira. Interview from Gamespot Crackdown 2 Agents use parkour and other agility movements to clear obstacles and buildings.

Free Running, just as the title implies, is a free running game for PSP and PS2. Left 4 Dead and its sequel feature the Hunter, a zombie modeled after practitioners of Parkour, whose clothes are battened down with duct tape to prevent wind resistance. When controlled by a human in multiplayer mode, it is possible to perform Parkour from one wall to another. The Saboteur is a video game set it the Nazi occupied France where the protagonist Sean Devlin uses parkour/free-running to climb buildings, slide through wires, etc. Uncharted is another video game in which the player must climb many different obstacles and, in one chapter of Uncharted 2, jump from one truck to another to avoid being killed. Prince of Persia also incorporates the use of parkour when playing as the main protagonist, the Prince. The player can control the Prince to jump from rooftops, climb walls, vault over obstacles, and perform other elements of parkour.

Link from the video game series: "The Legend of Zelda" jumps from high things and rolls when he hits the ground. The player can also perform a roll to move faster, and climb up ledges.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series includes Parkour moves like the turn vault, simple vault, Cat leap etc.

[edit] Comic books

Nightrunner, aka Bilal Asselah, is the Paris-based member of Batman, Inc., and a practitioner of parkour.[60] Saltando al vacio (Jumping into the void), is a Spanish production containing five comic books. The story is set in Barcelona, and tells the story of three teenagers who do Parkour.

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Parkour

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of Guide to Parkour

Par course Buildering the act of climbing the outside of buildings and other urban structures. The word is a portmanteau combining the word "building" with the climbing term "bouldering". Drive a French situationist philosophy of re-envisioning one's relation to urban spaces (psychogeography) and acting accordingly Free running a form of urban acrobatics in which participants, known as free runners, use the city and rural landscape to perform movements through its structures Tricking an art with roots in different forms of martial arts and gymnastics, often mistaken for parkour by the media and public Qing Gong a traditional Chinese martial arts that translate into "light body skill" where the martial artist would perform feats of great agility and jump to great heights. Certain Wudang

martial artists are seen using this skill to scale vertical heights in a way similar to parkour movements. Yamakasi a group founded by Yann Hnautra, David Belle, Laurent Piemontesi, and Chau Belle Dinh 3 years before parkour with emphasis on style, fluidity, and freedom; also the name of a 2001 movi

Parkour Conditioning
Parkour Conditioning - Drew Taylor 24/12/09 Conditioning is an important aspect of your training. Although movement training can directly increase muscle mass and power, conditioning can help speed up the process and allow your body to keep up with your skill related improvements. Without any preparation for parkour practitioners are highly susceptible to injury, especially when dealing with great impact. Not to mention that without the necessary power there is a limit to your ability. When starting Parkour any kind of conditioning will make some difference. A lot of the time on the internet when practitioners are looking for parkour conditioning resources to give them an idea of a suitable workout routine, they are just given individual exercises with no information on how often to use them, or how long for. Hopefully this article will help you understand the theory behind conditioning, and teach you how to build your own specific training regime. The template routine use only bodyweight exercises. This means you dont have to buy any weights, membership to a gym or any special equipment just like parkour! Setting Targets When creating any workout routine, its important to bear in mind what you want to gain out of the workout. Common aims for parkour conditioning might be something along the lines of faster climb up, or jump further. Although these are goals, theyre not specific enough to be rewarding. Being able to jump a foot further would be a better goal as this can be measured and definitely achieved. Key areas that are essential Parkour are as follows; power, agility, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. Training programmes should focus on improving weak areas from the above, conditioning should be included as part of your training to improve power. Basic Principles for Training The fundamental movements of Parkour use arm and leg power. Strength can be defined as the ability to generate large forces regardless of the speed of contraction, power as explosive strength. Power and strength are often incorrectly thought as of the same. Its possible for someone with great strength not to be powerful, yet power requires a certain base of strength. Parkour requires forces to be exerted at a quick rate to generate momentum. Therefore power is vitally important to any Parkour training; however it is important to have a base of strength developed before or along with power. Two main principles that would lead to increased strength and power are overload and specificity. Overload can be understood as the principle of applying stress that is greater than normally experienced. Overloading is necessary because the body only improves when it has to, if it is experiencing stress that it cant deal with it needs to get stronger in order to cope with it. Specificity is the principle of performing exercises as close to the actions the power is required for as possible. When the body adapts by getting stronger, the adaptations are specific to the action. The specificity applies to the actual movement, the speed and frequency of contractions. This means that when training to increase power the exercises should resemble the movements they are required for.

Repetitions The basis of power training should be based on sets of maximum repetitions. Maximum repetitions are the maximum amount of a given exercise in a row physically possible for you. Three sets of maximum have proven to be the most efficient way of building power. Exercises should be performed as quickly as possible in order to build explosive strength. Keeping it Simple, Template Routine To start you off, here is a template programme for beginners to follow. Of course its adaptable for you if you feel any changes are necessary. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Push Ups 3-4 sets of maximum repetitions (resting 1-2 minutes between sets) vary width between arms Pull Ups 3 sets of maximum repetitions (resting 2-3 minutes between sets) focusing on pulling as quickly as possible Forward Squats 4-5 sets of maximum repetitions (resting 1-2 minutes between sets) focus on moving both ends of the femur simultaneously Ankle Raises 3-4 sets of maximum repetitions (resting 2-3 minutes between sets) focus on constantly keeping your heels raised off the ground Twisting Crunches 3-4 sets of maximum repetitions (resting 2-3 minutes between sets) focus on using core muscles Plank 2 sets of holding for 1-2 minutes (resting 2-3 minutes between sets) if you have any back problems, avoid this exercise Leg Raises 3 sets of maximum repetitions (resting 2-3 minutes between sets) focus on using lower abdominals

Conditioning can be used as an aspect of your training. Its important to remember that were not designed to spend all day in the gym exercising for hours and hours. Parkour conditioning should be done irregularly (progressively more regular) and intense in order to build muscle in the most healthy way.

When accompanied with the correct diet, you will find that your maximum repetitions increase, and parkour movements become quicker and less tiring. Exercising damages muscles its important to rest enough, and eat well to make sure the tissue repairs how it should do.

Controlling Breathing for Parkour

Controlling Breathing Drew Taylor 19/07/09 Your muscles need oxygen in order to perform the reaction to transfer chemical energy from your food into movement. We need oxygen to survive, without it our heart couldnt beat and our brain couldnt function. Breathing is the action in which all animals inhale oxygen which then passes into the blood and is transported to your muscles. Parkour as we know is an extremely demanding activity both physically and mentally therefore we need our muscles and brain to be in top form to enable us to move efficiently without getting injured. So as you could have guessed controlling breathing is important in order to perform the movements required. Some people have problems breathing when doing parkour. A lot of people dont know but they arent breathing in the most efficient way for them when they are doing parkour. The best way for me to teach you how to breathe when parkouring isnt to list specific moves and to tell you when you should breathe in and out. Then youd have to remember it all, Im going to teach you how to work it out by yourself, and make it the natural way to breathe when you do train. Its quite simple. When the pressure or stress is on, breathe out. When the pressure is relieved, breathe in. In simple terms this means that when youre actually in mid air or taking off for a jump you should be breathing out, this is when you have to exert all your explosive energy to achieve the power necessary. Once you've landed and you're taking the few steps in-between movements you can inhale to take in enough oxygen to keep going. Each normal resting breathes last about a second, and so should most movements. This means that you can breathe in a perfectly natural way during runs. It takes some time to get used to using this technique but eventually it becomes second nature. For me I found that breathing out when jumping can actually improve my ability and I can jump further and more precise. I presume this is because the action of sharply breathing out helps you exert all your power more explosively. Also breathing out for many people can be used to relax which allows you to concentrate on what is important. If you try this technique and your breathing problems persist, you might want to contact your GP. The more you practise breathing and parkour the more your body will acclimatise your breathing to account for the intense exercise.

How to Get Started in Parkour or Free Running

edits by:Manlier Me, Ben Rubenstein, Versageek, Jack Herrick (see all)
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So you want to get started in Parkour or Free running. The videos are out there... people doing insane jumps between buildings, over railings and through cities. These trained experts are probably practicing either parkour, or free running. Parkour is a form of movement that stresses efficiency and speed. The point is to get from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible. Free Running is similar but it also involves aesthetic movements such as flips, spins, and many other forms of 'flair' (Traceurs, practitioners of parkour, usually frown upon movement "wasted" on aesthetics). Also, Free Runners usually don't have a set path.Many people freerun and do parkour so they can stay out of trouble and it is fun to do. Ads by Google

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Contents

1 Steps
o o o o

1.1 Self Exploration 1.2 Small Group Training 1.3 Coaching 1.4 Summary

2 Tips 3 Warnings 4 Things You'll Need 5 Related wikiHows 6 Sources and Citations

edit Steps
1. 1 Before beginning to train Parkour..., you must consider your physical condition. You must eat healthy and be fit. You must be physically fit (healthy.) You should not attempt any technique that your body cannot handle the consequences, or progress at such a slow rate that your body is conditioned by the training process. Learning how to do a long jump would be useful to learn before starting parkour or freerunning!

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2. 2 Pick a point off in the distance and do whatever it takes to get there. Keeping your personal limitations in mind, start with a slow safe pace. Trace a path between two points over and over until you are a master of your territory. You should notice a gradual increase in your speed, endurance, and the ease with which you transition between obstacles. This progression can take hours, days, and even years depending on the path you choose, your natural ability, and several other factors. The important thing is to continue progressing no matter how slowly. This method is the essence of Parkour, and will lay the foundation to understanding it.
o

Once you have practiced this method for a while, you will begin to develop a personal style. You will approach obstacles in a way that is unique to your body and abilities. This is an important step in the early stages of training, because it will combat the mentality that Parkour is a set of tricks or moves that is often instilled in beginners by Youtube videos and other popular yet misleading websites. The common movements employed by others do not necessarily make sense for you. That is precisely why it does not make sense to rely on videos as a way to learn. Once you have overcome this mental obstacle and risen above the poor standards set by many others, you can take your training in many different directions.

Self Exploration 1. 1 Begin to drill the techniques that you have created, establish new ways of moving through experimentation, and find new paths and environments to master through self exploration. When you are in tune with yourself, no one knows what works better for your body than you. Small Group Training 1. 1 Start training with other people. This is a good compliment to self exploration, as getting together with a small group (2-4 people) can shed new light on your training regimen. New people offer new ways to move, different paths to take, and constructive criticism of your methods. Since you have already developed your own style, the ideas offered by new people can only expand your possibilities. 2. 2 Begin your training as a genuine collaboration within a small group of people. If you start off this way, be sure that ideas are not stifled and no one person sets the bar of what should work for everyone. This method works best as a creative discovery between friends. On the other

hand, if you followed someone else method from the beginning, you could be stuck with a style that does not actually make sense for you. 3. 3 Remember that while large gatherings have the potential to be an extension of the smaller training and discovery sessions, too often they devolve into a roaming herd that quickly grazes over obstacles looking for the next big trick. Understanding Parkour through self discovery is the sure way to avoid falling victim to this useless practice. Personal experience makes a traceur and his Parkour unique. Coaching 1. 1 Get a Parkour coach. This option can be helpful to someone who does not know how to condition or prevent injury. However, experimenting by yourself first is highly recommended. By entrusting your early development to a stranger, you run the risk of following a path that is completely wrong for you. If you insist on finding a coach, be very cautious when choosing one. As Parkour gets more popular, an increasing number of people are trying to cash in as coaches. Be wary of anyone who does not offer their services for free at least part of the time. A coach who is still connected to the community through free outdoor training sessions is a good bet. A good coach will help you get started and drill you in the essential moves necessary to begin parkour and will also teach you how to stay safe. A good coach will set you down the path of discovery and help you form your own style, while a bad coach will set you down their own path. Summary 1. 1 Remember to stay safe by not attempting anything beyond your bodys means. Also, the most fundamental understanding of Parkour comes from the personal challenge of tracing from one point to another. Whether you are a beginner or a veteran it would be wise to make that a part of your training. It is after all, at the most basic level, the practice of Parkour. 2. 2 Tread Lightly. Some surfaces take damage more easily than others. Be respectful of where and how you interact with your environment, and take responsibility if you accidentally damage something. Check out the surface you are on or will be going on before trying anything remotely dangerous on it. Some surfaces are not as they seem (e.g what looks like a solid wall for a cat

leap could actually be crumbling.) and if you check them out first, you wont have to learn the hard way. 3. 3 Get the proper gear. You won't need much - all you need is a good pair of running shoes and an outfit you're comfortable moving and exercising in. 4. 4 Begin by choosing A and B. Try to trace a path from A to B. Go through the path, and do everything that feels natural in that situation. Parkour is not a set of vaults, movements or "stunts" it is a way of moving. Don't bother with the names, as long as it safely gets you where you want to be , then its acceptable! 5. 5 Flow. The most important aspect of parkour is a form of 'flow'. This is what separates traceurs from your average trickster or acrobat. Flow is the flawless transition from one obstacle to the next, to the point where there might as well not be any obstacles at all. Flow can be practiced simply by adding good form, and correct technique, thus creating fluidity to all of your movements. This includes soft landings (as opposed to stomping down, or falling, etc., losing all momentum). 6. 6 Exercise. Make sure to keep yourself in peak physical condition. Traceurs and traceuese use most of their body in order to navigate any obstacle; this level of involvement requires total body fitness. Not only do you need stamina, but you need strength, speed, and power. 7. 7 Practice. Find a spot that you can come to every day to train. Good areas include diverse obstacles (walls, rails, etc) Your overall goal is to find creative ways to make it through the "sea" of obstacles using your body in any way necessary. 8. 8 Get involved. Find people in your area that can be willing to train with you. This is a much better way to learn than reading any online guide. But most importantly, go out and train yourself, have fun and be careful.

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edit Tips

Wear comfortable clothing. This does NOT mean jeans. Jeans are totally inappropriate for parkour as they greatly restrict leg movement and are actually rougher than most people think. Stay safe at all times! Don't try anything stupid, know your limits. Be aware that you might get seriously injured performing these movements. Warm up always. Then do stretches. Try to stretch ALL the muscles in your body. Loosen all joints (especially the knees and ankles). A good way to do this is by rotating each joint. IMPORTANT: Only stretch after warming up your muscles. Stretching tense muscles will actually decrease strength and effectiveness by as much as 30%. Avoid those large jumps until you learn how to properly deal with the smaller jumps. Practice all the time on the floor so that when you transfer the skills into the more difficult locations, you know what is and isn't physically possible. Although there are certain tricks that one can incorporate, finding your own way over any given obstacle will allow a higher level of diversity, thus allowing you greater options. If your hands hurt (sting) after a session of Parkour/Freerunning, it's probably a good thing, as when they heal up, they will be tougher the next time, and you will be able to train for longer without your hands giving up on you. When you are sore - take a break! This means that your muscles have broken from the strain, as with any good workout, and need to rest. So go grab an energy bar and kick it. Make sure that all your gear is tight and fixed, you don't want any mishaps.

(i.e. You go to run up a wall and your shoe falls off)

Remember your limitations and understand that one of the most important ways to move forward is lose fear,if you fear what you do then you most probably will get it wrong,but if you don't have fear then your confidence will help you do it better. While it is important that you take your training seriously and that you try to develop your own style, there are certain basic things that you need to know before you can truly reach your full potential.

edit Warnings

You might fall and hurt yourself, so be as careful as possible starting out. If you feel that something is amiss - stop. The best judge of your abilities is you. If you think that something is out of place or not right, just stop and get someone to help you.

If there is, say, a jump ahead that you're not sure you can make, don't try it! Scout your route. You don't want to go up and over a wall, only to find something sharp/toxic/hot/deep etc. on the other side: when you're airborne is not the time to find out that you don't have a safe landing point. Don't do anything big while hungry,thirsty,tired etc. Don't bug other people when they're about to do a big jump- they'll just get agitated and might fail the jump as a result. Be aware of how dangerous this discipline can be! If you are just starting out, please stay off the rooftops and keep everything within your control. Don't start off too crazy. A major part of the discipline of Parkour is SLOW progression, and body control. Be safe. Be in control always. You need to know your limits. Precision is as important as overall ability.

edit Things You'll Need

A pair of good running shoes with grip and shock absorbers. You don't want your shoes to be too tight or too loose, as this could cause you to break an ankle or your shoe to fall off during your running session. Make sure your shoes fit you just right. Light, comfortable clothes or under armor, whatever you feel most comfortable in. Climbing gloves if you have soft hands and want them to stay that way. Water to drink when thirsty. Ability to break through your mental boundaries.

Free Running
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Free Running

Free Running

All you need to start free running is a pair of shoes, a place to run and some creativity.

Free Running - What Is It?

Free running, also known as parkour, is a combination of jogging and gymnastics. Free runners view a city as one big playground. Every day city objects like stairs, rails and walls are used in a series of vaults, leaps and climbs. A free runner might leap on to a park bench, backflip over a newspaper box, then walk across a stair rail, before climbing over a wall. The idea behind free running is to link moves over and around obstacles into one fluid run - kind of like the way skateboarders move through a street course. The sport requires great strength, flexibility, creativity and discipline.

Free Running - Getting Started

Becoming a free runner or traceur, as they're sometimes called, is pretty easy. All you need is a pair of shoes and a place to run. City parks and playgrounds are great locations for free running, or anywhere else where you can make use of a city's obstacles. There are several basic moves in free running that you should learn including how to land, how to roll, and how to properly balance yourself on obstacles. For a look at some basic free running moves, click here. To check out pics and videos of free running, click here. Free Running - Safety Free running is a fun, cheap and healthy sport - but it's important you practice free running safely. Know your limits and don't try any jumps or moves until you've checked the landing and have learned how to land properly. Start off my trying basic moves over small obstacles before moving on to more challenging jumps and leaps.

 Always free run with a friend. It's more fun, friends can offer suggestions on how to best move around an obstacle and they can help you off the ground if you have a nasty wipeout. Free Running - Did You Know? Parkour was started in France and comes from the French word, parcour, which means obstacle course. A video game based on parkour, called Free Running, for the PSP will be coming out in Fall 2005. Nike and Adidas now make special running shoes for free running.

Parkour Jumping and Leaping Tips

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Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images Parkour Jumping and Leaping Tips

Overview Parkour, also called "freerunning" and the "art of displacement," is an urban athletic practice. Practitioners learn how to move through and over obstacles in a smooth, gymnastic manner. Popular movies featuring parkour include "District 13" and the opening sequence of the modern version of "Casino Royale." Parkour moves are rigorous and require dedicated practice. Tic-Tac A "tic-tac" is the practice of pushing yourself off a vertical surface in order to jump higher. Done on two perpendicular or opposing surfaces, the move can even be used to climb a wall by pushing off from progressively higher points. The trick to a successful tic-tac is to emphasize placement and speed over power. If you take the time to put an aggressive push into your tic-tac, you'll lose momentum and slide down the wall. Vaulting Vaulting is the core vertical jump of parkour practice, practiced when clearing an obstacle above hip height. A successful vault involves two separate impulses. The first is a standard jump using your legs. As the leg jump nears its apex, you then involve your arms, shoulder and torso to "ride" the momentum even higher. This adds the extra height you need to clear your obstacle. Long Jump A parkour long jump is not significantly different from the long jump practiced in track and field. You leap off the ground after a sufficient running start, then position both legs in front of you in preparation

for the landing. As with other long jumps, the key is in your approach to the jump. A jump at the wrong point in your running rhythm will be short and sloppy. Practicing approaches is the best way to learn how your physical rhythm interacts with your jumping form. Landing Parkour practitioners know better than anybody that it's not the fall that hurts -- it's the landing. To mitigate this, they practice rolling landings similar to those found in judo and aikido. Two tips are key to successful landings from parkour jumps and vaults. First, bring both feet to the front of your body while you're in flight. This allows for the best landing, and puts your legs between your torso and head and the ground. Second, land soft -- bend your knees on impact and tuck into a roll immediately. Rolling turns the impact of the fall into a circular momentum that actually helps bring you to your feet.