Le parkour

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Posted by: stak
Tags: pk
Posted on: 2009-01-04 15:32:38

So as some of you are aware, I've been practicing parkour for a while now (about 16 months, actually).

I started doing it mostly because it looked neat and I was in need of physical activity that involved more than just typing on a keyboard. Parkour is great for staying in shape because a large part of it is physical conditioning to strengthen the body. We tend to use a lot of muscles that don't normally get used and so parkour workouts are a lot more comprehensive than for most other sports. The biggest benefit, though, is that it's a more socially-oriented workout than just going to the gym. This makes it a lot more fun and keeps you motivated to keep going.

The other neat thing about parkour for me personally, is just the sense of freedom I get when I do it. Parkour as a technical discipline is about efficiency of movement, and that's definitely a big part of it. But really, everybody has their own reasons for practicing parkour. For me, it's the sense of physical freedom I get, because the only thing that can hold me back is myself.

That's the other big thing about parkour - a lot of it is mental rather than physical. It's relatively easy to train your body and get stronger, but convincing yourself that you can jump across a 10-foot gap with a big drop is a whole another story. Even if you can do the same distance on level ground, there are huge mental blocks that you have to get past in order to pull it off. Facing (and overcoming) those mental challenges is a pretty exhilarating experience.

And no, I have not played Mirror's Edge.

Posted by varun at 2009-01-04 22:16:42

Hah. I was going to tell you about Mirror's Edge. :)

I think you'd enjoy it, if you get a chance.

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Posted by GregT at 2009-01-05 18:57:22

I meant to ask you about parkour during our luncheon :(

Questions that you may or may not answer:

1) Whom do you practice with?
2) How did you find people to parkour with?
3) How "underground" is it?
4) What's the most interesting UW-related parkouring you've done?

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Posted by stak at 2009-01-05 20:13:47

1) The UW Parkour club and uh.. affiliated persons
2) I don't remember specifically. I think I googled for parkour and came across the pkto website
3) Not very. The UW club is an official UW campus rec club. We were also featured in the K-W Record not too long ago (link)
4) Depends on how your definition of interesting :)

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