What is parkour?
Parkour, above all, is an art of movement, a highly physical training discipline involving running, jumping, climbing, balancing, dropping and mastering one’s own movements. The word parkour is a French term that derives from the word for a course, or a route. Practitioners are called traceurs, and their aim is to move without restriction over any terrain – overcoming the obstacles in their path – moving from point A to point B in a fast, fluid and efficient way.
Innovative, explosive, graceful and dynamic, parkour is by it’s very nature a spectacular phenomenon. But its more than just a form of physical expression. The central concept of finding a path through any terrain, using only your body, mirrors a deeper concept of navigating any and all obstacles in life with a positive attitude and a profound self discipline. The parkour action we see today in films or on TV commercials, documentaries and performances, is there due to a particular way of training that was created in France by the pioneers of the sport.
Who is Parkour Horizons?
- Parkour Horizons (PKHZ) is comprised of a group of individuals located in Columbus, Ohio. The members of Parkour Horizons seek to spread and institutionalize parkour through collaboration and engagement with interested communities, organizations, and individuals.
How do I start training parkour?
- If you are in the central Ohio area we recommend attending one of our training sessions. However, if you are not able to make it to a Parkour Horizons training session we suggest using the Parkour Generations website to attain more information about the discipline before you begin training. (Parkour Generations is made up of many of the founders and principle developers of the discipline.)
Who can attend PKHZ training sessions, and how much does training cost?
- Training sessions are free to attend. We encourage anyone who is interested in training parkour to attend our regularly scheduled training sessions and we are able to work with any fitness and experience level. Since parkour is non-competitive by nature and therefore can be practiced by anyone, we simply ask that you maintain a positive attitude and a desire to work hard!
Is parkour dangerous?
- Any sport or discipline of dynamic movement has inherent risks. Parkour, when trained responsibly, is no more dangerous than other sports.
What should I expect from Parkour Horizons training sessions?
- As an official affiliate of Parkour Generations, we model our training after that of the founders and principle developers of the discipline. Most of our training works toward conditioning the body to safely practice parkour. Training sessions typically consist of a strenuous half hour warm-up, followed by movement technique drills and movement based conditioning. We end each session with cool down exercises and a thorough stretch. For a more detailed explanation of our training sessions and meeting times, check out the Training Sessions page.
