What is Parkour?

Parkour is a method of training the mind and body. A parkour practitioner, called a traceur (male) or traceuse (female), uses their surroundings to improve their ability to move in space. By interacting with obstacles, be they urban architecture or the natural environment, the practitioner becomes more comfortable controlling his body and navigating any terrain. The meat of parkour is the discipline of daily training, physical and technical, to heighten the body’s natural movement elements such as strength, speed, balance, coordination, precision, power, and endurance. The application of parkour is efficient traversal when circumstance necessitates it, such as being chased, or needing to reach a destination. While this is the practical application of the training, one could do parkour their entire lives and not ever have to use it in this way, similar to a martial artist never getting into a fight. Though it may never have to be utilized in this way, the benefits of parkour are far reaching. Being that parkour is made up of a lot of movements that are natural to the human animal, the body is strengthened evenly and synergistically, meaning all the parts of the body learn to work together. This helps to balance the body and improve all movement in general.  Aside from the physical benefits, many people find training parkour develops mental clarity, confidence, self-discipline, the ability to deal with fear, and many other mental gains.

What isn't Parkour?

Parkour is not acrobatics, tricking, stunts, recklessness, or jumping off high objects for no reason. It is not any movement or activity that doesn't fit in the above description "What Parkour Is". It is also not "What you make of it" ... it is predefined and has a purpose, if something doesn't suit that purpose, it is not Parkour.