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What is parkour?
Parkour is a discipline of innovative, uninterrupted and fluid movement in our everyday environment. Cities' railings and walls are not seen as restrictions but as opportunities. The training ground, or more likely the playground, is the whole city and its architecture.
How does one start doing parkour?
The easiest way to start parkour is to get in touch with more experienced practitioners, and see what the discipline is all about. You can contact traceurs near you on our forum. If you can't find any practitioners in your area, just search some videos and tutorials on the internet and go out and try it by yourself. But remember not to try anything too ambitious in the beginning. Safety first!
What is the Finnish Parkour Association? Who gets to join? How much does it cost?
Anyone can join the association. Membership is free. Intructions for joining and more info on the association can be found on the Association-segment. (coming soon)
Do you need some special equipment to do parkour?
One of the best sides to parkour is that you basically don't need any equipment at all. Good shoes are important though. There is no set dresscode, except that we don't recommend doing parkour naked. More info on clothes and shoes below.
Some protect their hands with grippy and snug gloves. Most people don't use gloves and want to harden the skin on their hands. Some also use wristbands to protect the inner wrist from bruises and scratches.
At what age can one start parkour?
Starting parkour isn't a matter of age. Anyone who can take responsibility for themselves and their doings, can do parkour within their own physical limits.
Does one have to be in good shape to start parkour?
No. Loads of people have even started doing parkour as their first sport. Your physical condition will improve while doing parkour. Nevertheless, if you're out of shape and you don't have a background in sports, learning different techniques may take a longer time.
Where did the discipline originate? Who invented it?
Parkour originated in Lisses, a suburb of Paris, France. In the late 1980s and early 90s a few youngsters took children's games of jumping and climbing to the power of two and developed a hobby for themselves which they named parkour. The most recognized of the original founders are for example David Belle and Sebastien Foucan.
How can you practice parkour? How can you develop?
Like in any discipline, you basically have to practice, practice and practice. Learning new techiques requires creativity, an ability to see the environment in a new perspective (pk-vision) and often plenty of physical exercise.
It's important to keep in mind that parkour isn't about single tricks or moves, but just as much, or more, it's about the movement in between the moves.
Where can you practice parkour?
The most common way to do parkour is to gather with local practitioners to a so called "jam". The idea of jams is to train and to have a good time.
Remember to warm up and stretch your muscles before you start training. This is very important, because most injuries could be avoided with a proper warm up. And on top of that, if your muscles are ready for the action you'll be able to do bigger and better stuff.
Is parkour legal? Can you do it anywhere?
Parkour itself sure is legal. The point of parkour is absolutely not to cause any damage or disturbance. It's recommended to use common sense while training and to check beforehand if some area is restricted. It's also important to check your obstacles to make sure they're safe and sturdy. That way you can easily avoid possible whiners and a bill for breaking public infrastructure.
A few Finnish laws that could be useful to bear in mind. (in Finnish only)
Why do some people stare if you do parkour?
Parkour is a fairly new sport in Finland and people don't know it too well. Some might be afraid that you'll hurt yourself or cause damage. Most people who stare, though, are probably admiring your wicked moves.
Can you get injured while doing parkour?
Yes. It is very important to know what you're capable of. You must know your limits and must not exceed them, unless you're more than confident that you know your can do it. A beginner, whose personal limits are yet to be found, must be very careful.
How does one's height affect one's abilities to do parkour?
Being short or tall have their own advantages. Good technical ability usually makes up for disadvantages of being short or tall.
A higher person naturally reaches higher and jumps a bit further, but a smaller person can fit trough smaller holes and openings.
How can you found your own parkour team?
Gather up a crew and come up with a name for it. We also recommend that you register your team into our association's database, so that everybody gets to know your team.
What kind of clothes and shoes you should wear for doing parkour?
There are naturally no rules for clothing, but some practical things should be taken into consideration.
The clothes should be somewhat baggy and flexible, cause wearing tight clothes might restrict your movement. You should also choose durable clothing, because they will have to endure plenty of mistreatment. Clothes can also act as some kind of paddings for example while doing the pk-roll. It's also useful to remember that while you move you'll get hot, so don't wear too many layers.
Shoes are the most important piece of equipment in parkour, though they can't make up for good technique. Everybody chooses their own shoes, and it has been proved that you can do parkour even wearing a pair of rubber boots, but there are some standards that you should look for in a shoe when it comes to parkour. Most importantly: Shock absorption, grip and durability.
- The whole sole of the shoe should have shock absorption. You're supposed to land on the balls of your feet, so it's nice to have some padding under them as well. You can also add an extra insole for extra cushioning.
- Grip is very important in jumps, wall runs and cat leaps. The softer the sole the grippier it usually is, but on the other hand it will wear out faster.
- Durability is an important quality in a shoe, because in parkour a shoe has to endure a lot more stress than in normal running. Usually a high price promises a higher level of durability, but of course there are exceptions. By time, the shoe's grip and shock absorption start to wear out, so you'll have to buy new trainers quite often if you train really hard.
Can you do parkour if it rains?
Yes, but if you're training in the rain, be extra careful because most surfaces get slippery when they get wet.
Can you do parkour during the winter?
Yes. Winter-Parkour is Finland's gift to the world, as are you. And you Canadians, Swedes and Russians: you're badass too.
Where can I find parkour videos?
Multiple internet sites, including this, offer quality viewing for anyone interested in Parkour. For example, check out www.youtube.com or www.parkour-videos.com .
How do you do a [name of technique here]?
The most important moves used in parkour can be found in the tutorials, but remember that parkour is as much about the movement between the moves, than the techniques themselves.
What is the Flow?
The Flow stands for the fluidity, rhytm and aesthetics of movement to which traceurs aim for.
Where can I find more information on parkour?
You'll get the most knowledge by just doing parkour. You can find some material in the links section.
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- suomi
