What I Love About Parkour
And how it’s making me a better person
Parkour.
What comes to mind when you hear that word? Is it videos of young people on social media recklessly jumping from one rooftop to the next on high-rise buildings? Like most people, that was my introduction to it and I thought those people were absolutely nuts and couldn’t fathom why anyone would do such a thing.
The funny thing is, depending on what your childhood was like, you probably did parkour and didn’t even know it. Have you ever climbed a tree? Stood or balanced on a railing? Hopped a fence? Played “The Floor Is Lava” or any variation of don’t touch the ground? Swung on the monkey bars? When you were a walking infant or toddler, did your parents or guardians have a heart attack because you would always climb on the furniture? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you unknowingly practiced parkour.
What exactly is parkour?
Parkour derives from “parcours du combattant” or obstacle course. It is the practice of moving from one obstacle to another in a quick and efficient matter. The training methods were used in by the French military in the early 1900s. This program, called “La Méthod Naturelle” was started by Georges Hébert. He adopted these methods after noticing the locals in Martinique move…
