fitbody Do You Parkour?


Using the World as a Fitness Playground by Randy Kambic


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thletes’ hunger for new ways to exercise, challenge and express themselves continually


prompts the evolution of new sports, often rooted in earlier pursuits. Wind- surfing, snowboarding and mountain biking are examples. Now, a growing number of par-


kour practitioners are springboarding and combining ingredients from mul- tiple sports and activities in an effort to defy gravity using nothing but sturdy shoes and props. First popularized in France, par- kour means “of the course” (specifi- cally, an obstacle course)—a form of acrobatic freerunning, spiked with vaulting, somersaulting, jumping and climbing; even running up and over


walls. Based on exacting training, street athletes overcome or use a creative range of obstacles in their immediate environment. Such moves have been popu-


larized by movie stars such as Jackie Chan and Daniel Craig’s James Bond in the opening scenes of Quantum of Solace, as well as You Tube postings. First deemed an un- conventional, strictly urban, under- the-radar training method, parkour is increasingly viewed as a way for serious athletes in demanding sports to train and secure an edge. Adult men and women that competed in gymnastics, track and field or diving in their youth particularly enjoy reviving earlier skills.


Check it Out American Parkour (APK), headquar- tered in Washington, D.C., considers itself the leading such community in the world. Established in 2005 by Mark Toorock, its website now hosts 90,000-plus registered users and is visited monthly by 100,000 inquir- ers. It provides news, daily workout emails, training guides, advice for beginners, instructional tutorials, guidelines for local recreation, and photo and video galleries. Toorock, who played high school


soccer and was then a serious mar- tial artist in oom yung doe, kung fu and capoeira (which bridges danc- ing and gymnastics), was instantly hooked in 2003 when he saw a video of David Belle; the French native and acknowledged founder of parkour has appeared in 20-plus movies and commercials since 2000. “It was so different and authentic, what he was doing,” he says.


After opening the first parkour and freerunning gym at Primal Fitness, in D.C., in 2006, APK expanded to locations in Gainesville, Florida, and San Antonio, Texas. All offer an intro- ductory session, full supervised park- our curriculum, boot camps, women- specific classes, summer camps and freerunning classes. Toorock co-created and co-


produced Jump City: Seattle, eight, one-hour parkour action shows to introduce more people to the concept (G4TV.com). Other fitness centers that now focus on parkour include: Base Fitness, in Noblesville, Indiana; Apex Movement, outside of Denver; Parkour Visions, in Seattle; Miami Freerun- ning, in Florida; and Fight or Flight Academy, in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. More clubs are getting up to speed na- tionwide, with the San Antonio parks and recreation department currently adding a parkour park.


Tap Into the Energy “Parkour allows adults to either continue or learn gymnastics for the first time in a new, creative context,” Toorock says. Natalie Strasser, a com- petitive gymnast for 13 years, includ-


22 Northern & Central New Mexico NewMexico-NaturalAwakeningsMag.com


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