What Is Parkour Or Freerunning?
Parkour can be defined as the training that one undergoes so as to move with more efficiency, speed and safety from one point to the other. It can also be described as tough training that coincides with an individual's enjoyment of the freedom of play. It is among the exercises that are currently experiencing exponential growth all over the globe.
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Originally introduced to the world by the French, its basic aim is to get from one point to another using movements that are precise and that are characterized by efficiency with regard to both the energy expended and time. It requires extensive physical demands by the human body so as to perform the exercises correctly.
Parkour has numerous health benefits to the human body that includes a person’s physical skills and mental abilities. The secret to parkour is to constantly anticipate the next movement so as to program your body accordingly to perform it best.
Individuals who have succeeded at parkour have learned the technique of mastering their own body and are always in complete control.
Is Parkour Dangerous?
There is a definite risk involved with participating in parkour. The primary causes of injury in parkour are falls, trips and slips. A participant may become seriously injured or killed if they fall from a dangerous height.
The injuries that are mostly sustained in parkour are tendonitis, fractures, sprains, and strains. Some of the injuries can be quite serious, forcing one to take some time off from work or even require surgery.
Minor injuries, such as bruises, may properly heal in just a matter of days. However, serious injuries especially to the knee or ankle will need significant time to heal. Knee injuries such as torn ligaments and knee sprains may need surgery, physiotherapy, and even rehabilitation.
Nonetheless, there are ways by which parkour injuries can be successfully avoided:
- Train with a parkour practitioner who is experienced.
- Always stay hydrated and ensure that a proper warm up routine is performed.
- Have knowledge of how to properly land as well as to fall safely in order to avoid the risk of serious injury.
It is not advisable for a participant to practice when fatigued, as that would cause one to have slower reactions, and increase the odds of being susceptible to injury.
It is true that parkour has high risk of long-term injuries but learning techniques of how to fall and to consequently land in a safe manner can greatly reduce the risk of injury.
Is Freerunning Good For Fitness?
Parkour is very good for fitness as it has an array of health benefits associated with it, some of the notable ones include the following:
Complete Body Workout
Parkour workouts tend to encompass complete body fitness. Running as well as jumping over obstacles needs work from each and every muscle in the body. This is why parkour is considered to add a fun twist to the usual routine at the gym that is static. It promotes play while addressing fundamental and tackling practical movements.
Enhances Quick Thinking Skills
Parkour needs participants to quickly negotiate obstacles. Such sudden movements need an individual to think on their feet and exercise the brain. Practicing the skills of instinctive decision making in parkour leads to participants learning to trust the instinctive decisions that they make in everyday life.
Promotes Creativity
It greatly encourages all participants to utilize their creativity. Each and every obstacle encountered in parkour will not have a solution that is obvious, this is why creativity is required in order to overcome it.
Bone Strength
It helps to develop the strength of the participants’ bones. This is because people perform a good number of both upper and lower body high impact body movements. These are what allow the body to build bones that are stronger as they endure high impact.
Builds Strength Of The Core
The core happens to the center of the whole body and is what allows an individual to twist, bend, and even transfer strength and power across the human body. The development of a string core via parkour functions to prevent injuries to the lower back. Furthermore, a strong core facilitated by parkour aids in the easy maneuverability through obstacles.
Skills that are fitness-related are comprised of reaction time, coordination, speed, power, balance, and agility. Parkour demands these skills when balancing through obstacles, climbing, and jumping.
Builds Confidence
It boosts confidence by allowing participants to be conquer obstacles they would not have otherwise previously attempted.
Cardiovascular Strength
It requires the participants to be very active. The constant movements as well as the jumping increases the stamina of participants and ensures that they have a strong heart. In addition, it enables the increased supply of oxygen to the body.
Anybody Can Do It
Parkour can be done practically anywhere and does not need any special equipment.
How And Where To Learn To Parkour Or Freerunning
People can learn parkour on their own at home as it does not require a gym or alternatively they could enroll at parkour academies. These academies teach beginners how to utilize the urban landscape so as to develop both balance and strength.
Learning parkour entails the following:
Jumps
This is the most basic move in parkour. Beginners should learn how to properly jump and land. A level ground surface should be the start before progressing to surfaces that are slightly elevated.
Rolls
Beginners ought to learn to roll as it helps in learning how to fall properly and is also a technique by which cone an move from point to point.
Vaults
It is quite similar to the basic jump. It is used in overcoming obstacles but is a bit more advanced and requires the use of hands. Beginners will require a high obstacle to jump over using nothing more than just their feet. It should be done on a soft surface for safety purposes. There are gate vaults, kong vaults, lazy vaults, and frog vaults.
Freerunning Parkour Conclusion
Does parkour intrigue you? The above insightful information should give any interested individual a solid foundation that will allow them to fully explore the world of free running and parkour. You just have to make the first move.
