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Getting Started
Step 1: Choose a playground, wooded area, or urban space with obstacles in which to train Find a place you feel comfortable training, and also a space where you can reasonably train without disturbing others or being disrespectful. This varies from place to place, be mindful and respectful of the fact that parkour training can attract attention from law enforcement and other officials who may not understand what you are doing. The only rule in this situation is: Be respectful.
Step 2: Warm up Before starting any physical activity, warm up the body completely. Here is a recommended warm-up sequence. Adapt it as necessary according to your fitness level: Light jogging until the heart rate is slightly elevated, 15-25 squats with good form, 10-15 pushups with good form, 10-15 pullups, and up to a minute of varied quadrupedal movement
Step 3: Practice Rolls and Landings Rolls and landings are the foundation of parkour training. You can never practice them too much. The Roll | The Landing Please note that it is strongly recommended you practice rolls from quadrupedal movement on a soft surface such as grass, and landings from no more than 1 foot height, at first. Rolls should be smooth and straight, with no pain in the back. Landings should be quiet and controlled.
Step 4: Play Spend some time simply interacting with your training environment. Challenge yourself to a game of "hot lava," or try to navigate your way through a series of obstacles in a certain pattern. Reawaken your inner child. If you are training with a friend, play a game of tag. Don't worry about doing any parkour "moves" here. Just get used to moving through obstacles in a new way. Do this for as long as you feel like it. The goal is to have fun. Try to keep moving!
Step 5: Reflect on your strengths & weaknesses to determine your goals Think about which exercises and movements were easy for you, and which ones were difficult. The difficult ones will point the way towards your training goals. Whatever your fitness level, if you are committed to practice and improvement, you are doing parkour. So don't worry if your goals seem "simple" or "basic."A great resource for establishing training goals and developing a training program around them can be found here.
A final note: train with a group and attend jams! Madparkour has semi-regular training sessions that are announced on our calendar and also on our forum. Our training sessions are open to anyone, and we'd love to meet you!
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