Parkour!
When you live in the city, and perhaps far from outdoor areas, parkour is a way to use the urban landscape around you to get your body in shape. It is defined as training discipline with the goal of getting from A to B in the fastest way. This means jumping, swinging, running on all types of surfaces and urban obstacles. Some pros even jump from rooftop to rooftop to minimize time spent running around buildings on the ground. Parkour is badass and not for the faint hearted – and that’s what we love about it! It’s originally inspired by the military training parcours du combatant, which means obstacle course, mixed with moves from ancient Asian martial arts, athletics, and gymnastics. So it’s safe to say, you won’t become a pro overnight.
Some people have managed to perfect this activity, and one of them is Robbie Griffith. At the age of only 22, he is already a professional parkour athlete with 115k people following his journey online. Robbie is what some people might call a multitalented as he’s not only pro in parkour, but he has also competed in contemporary circus arts and he’s a champion in competitive trampolining.
He mainly practices his hobbies around the UK where he lives, but Robbie also travels a lot and does parkour everywhere he can. Find him on Instagram @robbiegriffith and see his awesome photos from his days spend parkouring.
The World of Free running and Parkour Federation states the following steps to become good at practicing parkour:
- Prepare Your Mind
- Get in Shape
- Learn Balance
- Practice Safety Shoulder Rolls and Landing
- Learn Vaulting, Jumping, and Climbing Maneuvers
- Practice Wall Run/Tic-Tac
- Develop Your Style
- Pick a Starting and Finishing Point
- Get a Coach and Begin Group Training
Well, our guess it that it takes a lot more than just following these nine steps to become anywhere close to being good. But how about you try it for yourself?
We have been fascinated by parkour for a long time here at Fat Moose. It’s a type of training that combines everything we stand for: being outdoors where you see the opportunity. You don’t necessarily need to go somewhere far away to chase the perfect hiking, swimming, running, etc. conditions. With parkour you have your next journey in the very city you live in. But it’s so much more than just training. Parkour is, just like any other sport, a way for likeminded people to meet and enjoy their hobby together. There are many parkour communities around the world – there’s probably one in your city as well. Reach out and start a new journey.
Go out, stay out!
