Parkour is a movement discipline focused on getting from one point to another as safely and efficiently as possible – regardless of the environment or obstacles in your path. Practitioners, called traceurs, train their bodies to run, jump, climb, vault, crawl, and slide through any terrain.
But parkour is more than physical movement. It combines athletic training with a philosophy of self-improvement, resilience, and creative problem-solving. The obstacles you learn to overcome aren’t just physical – they’re mental too.
The Origins of Parkour
Parkour was developed in the 1980s by a group of nine young men in the suburbs of Paris, France. The most recognised figures from this group are David Belle, widely credited as the founder of parkour, and Sebastien Foucan, who later developed freerunning as a more expressive offshoot.
The original group became known as the Yamakasi – a word from Lingala meaning “strong spirit, strong body, strong person.” Their training drew from military obstacle course methods developed by David Belle’s father, Raymond Belle, and French naval officer Georges Hébert’s “méthode naturelle” (natural method) of physical education.
What started as training sessions in the parks and rooftops of Lisses and Évry spread worldwide through viral videos in the 2000s, turning parkour into a global movement.
What Does Parkour Training Involve?
Parkour training builds functional strength, agility, and spatial awareness through movements like:
- Vaults – techniques for passing over obstacles (safety vault, speed vault, kong vault, etc.)
- Precision jumps – landing accurately on small surfaces
- Climbing and wall runs – scaling vertical surfaces efficiently
- Rolling and landing – absorbing impact safely
- Swinging and bar work – using rails and bars for traversal
- Balance training – moving confidently on narrow surfaces
Training typically happens outdoors in urban environments – parks, railings, walls, stairs, and architectural features become the training ground. This is why parkour is sometimes called “the art of displacement” or “urban movement.”
Parkour vs Freerunning – What’s the Difference?
While often used interchangeably, parkour and freerunning have different emphases:
Parkour prioritises efficiency – finding the most direct, practical path through an environment. Movements serve function.
Freerunning incorporates flips, spins, and acrobatic elements for creative expression. Style and aesthetics matter alongside movement.
In practice, most practitioners blend both approaches. At Parkour Circle, we embrace this integration – combining parkour’s practicality with creative expression from dance, theatre, and martial arts.
Why Learn Parkour?
People come to parkour for different reasons:
- Physical fitness – full-body conditioning that builds real-world strength and mobility
- Mental resilience – learning to assess risk, manage fear, and push through challenges
- Creative expression – finding your own way to move through environments
- Practical skills – confidence in navigating any terrain
- Community – training with others who share your passion for movement
Parkour scales to any fitness level. Beginners start with conditioning, safe landing techniques, and basic vaults before progressing to more challenging movements.
Is Parkour Dangerous?
Parkour taught properly emphasises safety and progression. Despite what viral videos might suggest, good parkour training means:
- Mastering movements at ground level before adding height
- Drilling techniques hundreds of times until they’re automatic
- Learning to assess environments for hazards
- Understanding your current limits and training within them
- Building the conditioning to support advanced movements
The discipline actually teaches better risk assessment – traceurs learn to evaluate challenges rather than blindly attempting them.
Parkour as Sport, Discipline, and Art
Is parkour a sport? A discipline? An art form? It’s all three – and how you approach it depends on your goals.
Some train parkour competitively. Others treat it as a personal discipline for self-improvement. Many see it as creative expression – a way to interact with architecture and environment through movement.
Parkour continues to evolve, drawing influences from gymnastics, dance, martial arts, and other movement practices. As long as humans move, parkour will keep developing.
Learn Parkour in Chennai
Parkour Circle has been teaching parkour in Chennai since 2015. We offer:
- Free community training sessions on weekends
- Structured classes for serious practitioners
- School and institutional programmes
- Special needs movement education
- The Philosophy of Parkour
Whether you’re curious about trying parkour or ready to train seriously, we can help you start your journey.
Additional Resources
Looking to learn more about parkour? Check out our parkour training resources for articles, videos, and further reading.
As we like to say – Parkour for life.