Parkour or the art of jumping: what it is and what benefits it has

parkour is art to move from one point to another with maximum fluidity using the skills of the body and is practiced overcoming the obstacles of a routesuch as fences, walls, walls, trees, rocks or rivers.

The origin of parkour

Many mornings, on my way to the Faculty of Medicine, I pass by a park where some young people are exercising to perform jumps and falls, and it is a joy to watch them train. They also remind me that Those movements started from a discipline proposed by Georges Hébert.

Hébert had traveled a lot and admired the physical capacity and bearing of indigenous peoples. The fact that they did not practice gymnastics led him to oppose Swedish gymnastics, already in fashion at the time, and to call their system “natural method” or Hebertism.

in 1902 the city of Saint Pierre, in Martinique, was devastated by a tremendous volcanic eruptionand Hébert heroically coordinated the evacuation and rescue of the few survivors.

This experience had a profound effect on him and reinforced his belief that athletic ability must be combined with courage and altruism.

Benefits of parkour or freerunning: endurance, courage and cooperation

The “natural method” promotes muscular endurance and speed. It also improves willpower, courage, cold blood and firmness.

These qualities are acquired performing certain difficult or dangerous exercises. If it is to control the fear of falling, jumping, climbing, submerging or walking on an unstable surface, training and correct execution of these actions they stop being dangerous and become something simple and natural.

It is a philosophy of self-improvement, to walk different paths from the rest of the people, with conduct mottos such as “be strong to be useful” and inspired by the principle of being and lasting.

It is about improving yourself every day without putting yourself in danger, without competing or trying to surpass others, but trusting yourself and taking care of yourself. The objective is to practice free and fluid movement and to show others the technique to learn and help each other.

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Recommendations to start practicing parkour

A training session of these disciplines can last from 20 to 60 minutes. and consists of practicing exercises in the open air along a path of greater or lesser distance, during which you walk, run, jump, move on all fours, climb and climb, walk through places improving your balance, stones, sticks or objects are thrown to sharpen the aim, wrestling is practiced and swimming if there is a river, pool or sea.

Exercises can be done naturally or spontaneously, that is, in the field by an unspecified route, or in a space designed for it.

The somersaults that are practiced may seem difficult, but I advise everyone to start by walking and little by little I recover in their life exercises as natural as jumping, falling or climbing.

look for inspiration

Some of those who practice parkour and freerunning share on the Internet the videos of his best achievements.

Review the images of the circuits of the Italian team Team Jestion or the world famous Catalan trail runner Kilian Jornet, who has made spectacular routes on imposing peaks such as Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro or Everest, can remind us of the power that our bodies can aspire to through a natural and free training.

Why lose the fear of jumping

There is natural movementshow to jump that we do not associate with everyday life.

One thinks of the high or long jump in athletics, or the jump to head the soccer player, but in everyday life you also skip: to pluck the fruit from the tree that we did not reach, to reach the object on the last shelf, when crossing a stream, when stumbling over a fence, to overcome obstaclesto go down the last steps faster…

we jump of joy, when we dance, when we run slowly Or we just bounce off the ground.

The child is told to jump; the grandfather, to take care with jumping, while the mature man is warned that jumping is not serious. He even refers very pejoratively to breaking the rules, although it would not be bad to break them, especially the unfair and harmful ones.

That’s why, past adolescence, few people jump, apart from some dance professionals. AND very few people would be able of jumping a barrier, a stream or a fault, or jumping from the top of a wall. Not even to save his life.

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The jump is a good resourcenot only because of its usefulness in body dynamics, but also because helps to recover strength, joy, muscular and vital tone. It brings out the strength that is carried within and prints vigor, balance and beauty of movement to the posture.

All the muscles are toned before taking the leap, and stretches and flexes when dropped to cushion the landing.

I would recommend the jump to everyone, from the athlete to the cripple, for their recovery. To each other according to their possibilities and training.

Some people think that the impacts of jumping are harmful to the joints of feet, legs, hip and vertebral discs, but if they train little by little, they actually improve and strengthen joints and discs.

The physical tone is recovered and with it the security in daily life. And thus, the fear of jumping before the difficulties of life disappears, the fear of falling ill physically and psychologically.

Physical and mental security are enhanced. Obstacles seem smaller to us, easier to overcome from our own capabilities.

Recommendations to start practicing jumps

The easiest way to start jumping is running or walking on the floor of the house. It’s better if it’s with rhythmic music.

Also you can buy some strings to jump or a mini trampolinebut the simplest thing is to jump and bounce on the flat ground, at the beginning little height and little timeso that the foot, leg and hip joints are strengthened.

you can train barefoot or with slippers that have padding and help absorb impact.

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when jumping is important keep upright posture and shoulders horizontal. Hands and arms help with balance and in the fall

A good training is to combine the jump with breaks in which extensive mobilizations of the joint are made. The great muscular tone of the jump is interspersed with the relaxation of the stretches.

Four jumps to gain power and improve balance

These four basic jumps are an ideal way to gain ease, gain power and improve balance before tackling the most dangerous exercises in parkour:

side jump. Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, jump to the left and land on your left foot. Hold your balance for a few moments. He then jumps to the right and lands on his right foot. Continue jumping from left to right, holding the stance for a moment between the jumps. As you improve the technique you can increase the speed and height of the jumps. This exercise is very suitable for people who play tennis or other sports that require lateral movements.hop on one leg. He jumps forward and lands on his left foot. Maintain your balance without locking your knee. Continue jumping forward, this time onto your right foot. Repeat alternating feet. As you progress, jump higher or further.ladder jump. Facing several ascending steps and with your feet together, push yourself up, with equal power in both legs, to jump to the next step. Land on the knees without blocking them. Jump back up and forward.jump back and forth. Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, jump forward and land on both feet. Avoid being on a soft surface if you have weak ankles. Keep your balance for a few seconds with your knees loose. Then jump back. To increase the stimulus you can also jump from or over soft support. This exercise improves dynamic balance and power.