Adult Man Falls Down: A Beginner's Approach to Parkour

Instead of personally selecting an activity for self-improvement, I decided to allow my students to select one for me. This may have been a poor choice. After a close vote involving make-up tutorials, beard art, and demon summoning, my students decided I should learn how to do Parkour. For the record, this is a subject I know very little about other than what I've gleaned from Jason Bourne and James Bond. These fictional characters and their stunt men have set a high bar.

While reading Jason Jones' Parkour: the Complete Guide to Parkour and Freerunning for Beginners, I was surprised to learn that Parkour dates back to 1950s French military training (Jones 15). This was surprising because I previously believed Parkour was invented by bored teenagers. Jones spends the early parts of the book detailing safety tips and the best Parkour attire. Jones recommends loose fitting clothing and keeping safety as the top priority. Keeping in mind Jones' safety warning of, "Always start off at ground level and work your way up" (Jones 15), I decided to scan ahead to fitness techniques that aid Parkour. Thirty push-ups a day are recommended to keep a traceur, a practitioner of Parkour in peak physical condition. I did two. It was a long day and I've given myself plenty of room for improvement.

Jones focuses heavily on Parkour helping mental clarity, how do you think Parkour could mentally stimulate a participant?


Jones, Jason. Parkour: the Complete Guide to Parkour and Freerunning for Beginners. United States, CreateSpace, 2015.