What is the most important Parkour element? It's not a vault, and not the Wall Run. It's the Parkour Roll! If you are new to the sport, don't worry, because in this lesson seasoned Parkour vet Alexandr Zhurko goes over the roll from the very beginning. Start with basic exercises in order to understand fundamentals of the roll, including posture and body position, and then proceed to more complicated things such as a diving roll and roll from landings.
Assignment:
Maintaining momentum is a cornerstone of both Parkour and Freerunning, and one essential move that can help you keep your speed is the Speed Vault! This move works great as a transition, and is key to getting over anything in your way without changing direction. Learn this move from the beginning, including fundamental techniques and exercises, and by the end of this lesson you will feel confident properly executing the Speed Vault!
Assignment:
The Monkey Vault is a basic Parkour move that is the basis of several more advanced movements such as the Monkey Gainer and Monkey Precision. But before getting to these slick moves you need to start with the fundamentals! First, get an overview of the move. Then, review two important exercises for training your skills. Finally, learn to complete the move from a running start!
Assignment:
Get inspired by the greatest great ape of all time with a new Parkour move: the King Kong! In this basic Parkour element, first get comfortable with the monkey, and then you can move along to a slightly upgraded version of that movement. Review the necessary exercises needed to polish your king kong technique, including the run up and dive. Get tips on how to start the movement simply, and review some ideas for adding complexity once you get the hang of it.
Assignment:
Can you reach the top of a wall with a good run, strong jump, and a bit of upper body strength? If this sounds like a feat fit for a superhero, check out this Parkour lesson and learn to scale a wall yourself! This move—called the Wall Run—works on both high and low walls using the same basic techniques. Review the approach, the initial jump, and get tips on how to get to the top quickly by maintaining momentum as you go.
Assignment:
The Parkour Turn Vault looks super cool for photos and videos, but also serves as an effective transition between moves while maintaining speed. This basic element allows you to get over obstacles, and can be used along with the Cat Leap position. Learn about hand position, the initial run to an obstacle, and even review a couple variations that add a unique twist to this basic movement!
Assignment:
What is the simplest way to get over an obstacle in Parkour? The Lazy Vault! The name alone tells the story! Yet, this move still requires a bit of practice to gain comfort with the speed, timing, and takeoff. Learn how to approach an obstacle, which leg to use, and when hand placement comes into play. Play around with this simple move and try out variations to experiment for yourself!
Assignment:
Speed is an essential component of Parkour and Freerunning, yet, some movements require more speed than others. In this Parkour lesson, discover the essential elements of the speedy Dash Vault, in which you bound over an obstacle feet first! Learn about the correct run up, initial form, and the final approach to take when launching yourself into the air!
Assignment:
In this lesson on a fundamental Parkour element—the Cat Leap—review important environmental considerations, as well as the basics of hand and foot placement. When approaching a wall from a leap, where should you place your hands? How about your feet? Learn here! Discover why it matters if a wall has a good "grip", how a rail on top can make the move easier, and why angles are key in leg movement. Cover the standing and running variations, too!
Assignment:
Somewhere between gymnastics and martial arts is Parkour, a challenging, physical discipline requiring speed, body control, and flexibility. In this essential lesson for Parkour and freerunning novices, review two essential skills: warm ups and landings. If you want to start practicing Parkour and freerunning safely as a beginner, this lesson is a great place to start.
Assignment:
Ever wanted to do backflips of joy but not known how? Let parkour and freerunning teacher Nick Provost teach you how to execute this gymnastics move. You’ll learn the proper body angles and form for executing this acrobatic move while also getting advice on safe practice spaces. The backflip is an advanced and impressive flip you’ll be able to perform with practice.
Assignment:
Step your parkour or freerunning game up a notch by learning and practicing a few hurdling tricks: the lazy vault, the kong vault and the double kong vault. As your parkour and freerunning coach Nick Provost instructs and demonstrates, you’ll find that each vault pretty much looks how it sounds; the lazy vault a sideways leap across a surface, the kong vault a gorilla-esque dash across an obstacle, and the double kong a longer move for those vital getaways.
Assignment:
One fundamental movement of both Parkour and Freerunning is the Vault. The Vault is a basic maneuver that you can use to safely hurdle over obstacles, including low walls, railings and fences. If you are looking for a movement that will allow you to navigate the landscape while maintaining your forward momentum, this is it! In this fun and quick lesson, you learn how to do the Speed, Reverse and Monkey Vaults.
Assignment:
Want to level up your parkour and free running moves? In this lesson, teacher Christopher Tung shows you how to add a twist to your butterfly kick! You'll see how to jump and rotate, and get tips on exact positions for your legs and arms in order to complete the twist. After watching, you'll have another cool move in your acrobatics arsenal!
Assignment:
Ready to learn how to do a side flip? In this lesson, teacher Christopher Tung uses stop-action footage to show you exactly how to take off and jump higher. You'll see how to position your arms to generate torque when spinning, control your tuck, and spot the ground for a smooth landing. With some practice, you'll be able to add this trick to your free running and parkour moves!
Assignment:
Once you’ve learned how to do a simple cartwheel and a one-handed cartwheel, you’re ready to take the next step in acrobatic flips: the aerial. This impressive gymnastics move is sometimes called a side somersault or hands-free cartwheel. In this lesson, Christopher Tung will break down the move step-by-step to give you the tools you need for a flawless execution. But before you gymnasts, tumblers, and free running pros get to flipping, remember to warm-up properly with several stretches.
Assignment:
Parkour is the art of overcoming obstacles with your body. Excelling in this discipline requires flexibility, strength, and body control. So, before you go leaping off of buildings or backflipping from the jungle gym, you need to master the fundamentals. In this lesson, learn the basic motions, balance, and body position behind the back spin. Once you are comfortable doing it from sitting position, kick it up a notch and back spin on the bar.
Assignment:
This parkour and freerunning lesson from Nick Provost demonstrates how to do a dash vault and a kash vault - both great moves for getaways on foot. The dash vault looks how it sounds: a quick dash that vaults you over an obstacle. Learn how to maintain your momentum to continue running after the move. Then, once you know how to do a dash vault and a kong vault (another move that hurdles you over an obstacle), learn the hybrid kash vault.
Assignment:
If you’ve already mastered back fulls, it’s time to move onto the easy standing gainer, then the trickier (but more fun) full gainer. In this parkour lesson, Nick Provost shows you how to prepare your body and mind to execute a standing gainer, which is basically a backflip with forward momentum. Then, add a spicy twist to try out the full gainer. Start off flipping onto a soft surface, for safety’s sake, and eventually you’ll be able to incorporate gainers into complex and challenging courses.
Assignment: