If you have heard about ‘parkour’ on TV or somewhere else and associated it with those acrobatic traceurs (the ‘tracers’, as the highest-level practitioners are called) who jump over walls, balance on narrow ledges and climb the walls of houses… well, it’s time to update your ideas. Today so-called parkour (a word derived from the French ‘parcours’, meaning route) is a demanding discipline, yes, but one that almost all adults – anyone in good physical shape – can do, and children too. And it seems to be genuinely good for you, provided of course that it is practised safely.
Parkour, also known as ‘Le Parkour’ or abbreviated to PK, is a type of sport that involves moving from one point to another by overcoming obstacles such as railings, stairs, walls and houses, without any kind of equipment. The aim is to reach your goal as efficiently as possible and without expending too much energy. For this reason, it is also described as ‘the art of movement’.
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Traceurs, the athletes of parkour, practise this sport by combining different types of movement such as climbing, jumping and running. The focus is on the flow and control of movement. Parkour originated primarily in city spaces, because its philosophy is to look at the urban fabric as if it were a playing field, through which to move fluidly, using the body to overcome obstacles and barriers. It is about experiencing everyday places with vitality and intelligence, adapting to the environment and reinterpreting its features creatively so as to generate new perceptions. Moreover, the idea is, through body language, rhythm, movement and speed, to develop the ability to imagine new relationships between your own body and the surrounding environment. Just as happens in the first years of life.
But where can you practise parkour, or even just try it? Today there are several gyms that run courses, for adults and children. There is certainly one in the town where you live, or not far away. To find out more, you can click on this link.
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