I’d like to dedicate this book to a few people... A bunch of French kids, for creating something that has changed thousands of lives. My mom and dad, for taking me to my first jam and supporting such a ridiculous lifestyle choice. My sister, for telling me Parkour was just another stupid teenage phase and getting me to stick with training out of spite. My best friend Calvin, for showing me my first video and helping me figure it all out. And lastly, the New York Parkour community, for being my home away from home. Thank you guys, this wouldn’t have been possible without you. In loving memory of Basilio “Quiet” Montilla. Train hard, stay humble. Acknowledgements This book would not have been possible without the help and sponsorship of Know Obstacles, Carla Kropp’s amazing cover design, and the support of those who pre- ordered The Parkour Road Map Aaron Read Ben Franke Mandy Lam Benjamin Priyadamkol Toby Segar Cyrus Khan William Schlageter Brad Moss Rami Mackay Nash Wheeler Bart van der Linden Sevinç Gürmen Sha Mualimm-Ak Willis Chinn John Cognetti Sparsha Pun Rob Kirkland Corey Block Brad Short Ernest Lubonja Matthew Poprocki Christie Thomas Casey Boatwright Payton Hanna Jesse Harrison Matthew Wachtman Jacob Cormier Mathieu Larose-Sabourin David Mendelovits Joe Cannato Alex Steklyannikov Brandi Roberts Seth Rujiraviriyapinyo Melissa Rivera Samantha Morassutti Robbie Corbett Zakaria Janzi Hannah Beets Maggie Spaloss Joshua Rosas Shae Perkins Jesse Danger Melanie Hunt Jackson Chia Chad Zwadlo Martin Gessinger Jereme Sanders Tyler Stone Cutler Steidel Koh Chen Pin Sepp Den Hollander Florian Hatwagner Omid Kahnamouei Tavon Mcvey Roland Hannigan Natasha Bannan Lorena Abreu James Lende Julian Vasquez James Monteiro Cordelia Storm Zahava Alston Matthew Ellerbe Otieno Frederick Emily Fleet Salman Tarin Micah Marino Valentin Dubois Andre Niederkofler Ryan Bester Alan Tran Brian Liu Scott Elliott Matthew Downey Thomas Dolan Damien Puddle Tiffany Pang Amos Rendao Kyle Gervis Alyk Fuller Shyam Deolalikar Caleb Demmons Samet Caliskan Jody Ortiz Gregory Milano Conner Irvin Colin MacDonald Andrew Sorenson Richard Winer Nikolay Timofeev Colten Sweeney Joonas Purastie Aaron Martin Zach Bible Craig Constantine Angie Sherman Marco Jaimes Shayan Mahmood Tim Bergling Mariannette Crespo Dylan Johanson Frank Mejia Joshua Gonzalez Freya Moore Niki Whalen Kody Cheung Eric Wolff Tanner Jewett Justin D’Avila Andrew Ahne Yaron Erkin Mick Pengilly Joseph Gilberg Frédéric Paradis Marcus Lincoln Dylan Polin Andrew Juntunen Nancy Lorentz Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1: A Brief History of Parkour ……………………………………………………..6 I. Before Parkour II. The Founding Fathers III. British Invasion IV. The Rise of Freerunning V. Where We Are Now Chapter 2: Getting Started ………………………………………………………………....18 I. The Basics II. Getting in Shape III. Equipment and Gear IV. Training Grounds V. Athlete Reference Table Chapter 3: The Next Level ………………………………………………………………….51 I. Alternative Training Methods II. Basic Programming III. Safety IV. Jam Etiquette V. Travel Chapter 4: Mind of a Traceur ...…………………………………………………………....77 I. The Philosophy of Parkour II. Parkour and Public Space III. Parkour v. Freerunning v. Art Du Déplacement IV. Parkour and Competition V. Required Reading Chapter 5: The Advanced Athlete ………………………………………………………...94 I. Tips and Techniques II. The Mind Game III. Advanced Strength Training IV. Recovery Chapter 6: The Future of Parkour ……………………………………………………….154 I. Learning Parkour II. Parkour Gyms III. Coaching Parkour IV. The Parkour Industry V. Competition VI. Keeping the Spirit Introduction “Parkour can’t be taught.” I remember reading that on an old forum years and years ago. I didn’t really understand what the author meant then (hadn’t they seen all the tutorials and how-to posts??) but now I think I get it. Parkour - real Parkour - can’t be taught...it can only be discovered. If there’s one thing I’ve learned after almost ten years of training, it’s that Parkour is a personal journey. This is as true today as it was twenty years ago, when the founders of the discipline split to pursue their own training under the names Parkour, freerunning, and Art Du Déplacement. To practice Parkour, you sacrifice time, sweat, and blood. It takes effort and a heavy dose of willpower. Parkour training is an investment in yourself, and you are rewarded with new levels of self-confidence and self-knowledge. This type of training requires the student or practitioner to explore themselves, and can be guided but never taught. That’s not to say that the techniques of Parkour can’t be taught, or that the only way to train Parkour is to isolate yourself and train in the woods for ten years. If that were true, I’d be out of a job! But this book is called The Parkour Road Map for a reason. Without a bit of wandering, without having to search and roam for information, Parkour loses some of its luster...it loses that vital sense of personal investment. I have done my best to create a guide that introduces you to the world of Parkour without stealing your ability to explore. The concepts in this book are outlined, but I’ve left you room to fill in the gaps. To aid in your journey, I’ve provided you with links to hundreds of sources at relevant points in the text. These sources - YouTube videos, documentaries, interviews, blog posts, archived forums, news articles, podcasts, and books - are drawn from my own journey. Many of these invaluable resources would be impossible to find for practitioners starting today, and I hope their inclusion and content inspires you in the same way they inspired me. I would encourage you to delve into these links as deeply as you dare...while you can use a map to get straight to your destination, its true value lies in its ability to take you safely off the beaten path. If you’re holding a copy of the hardcover, you have two choices. The first is to consult the References section in the back of the book each time you come across a link, type the link address into your web browser (ugh...effort) and check it out. Although I’ve tried to make it easier on you with TinyURLs, it’s still less than ideal! Your other option, and the one I’d recommend, is to keep a copy of the eBook open on your phone while you read through the hardcover. Any time you want to check out a source, the hyperlink in the eBook will take you there straight away. It may seem like a bit of a pain, but trust me, it’s worth it. Reading through this book without investigating the source material is like leaving half a meal on your plate! So please, get lost. Ramble. Roam. Explore. Parkour can’t be taught, but it can be discovered. Chapter 1: A Brief History of Parkour The history of Parkour, freerunning, and Art Du Déplacement is an interesting thing. It is a history of people and their motivations...and like any such history requires significantly more attention to tell properly than what it is given here. In this chapter, I have followed the development of the training methodology and philosophy that we now associate with the word “Parkour.” This word is deeply tied to David Belle and his father Raymond, but the evolution of the movements and spirit were a cumulative effort of the original Yamakasi group. Their story is told in great detail by Julie Angel in her book Breaking The Jump[337], an essential read for anyone interested in a thorough and accurate history of Parkour’s early days. Likewise, while the story of Parkour post-Jump London has been well-documented, it has never been compiled in this way until now. It’s a story of the growth of a global movement, and in the interest of brevity I have had to narrow my focus to certain key individuals. There are many others who played important roles and are not included in this chapter...maybe I will have the chance to tell their stories in more detail another day. As always, I encourage you to ramble around in the references to get a fuller picture of how Parkour has evolved. Enjoy this brief history of Parkour and remember, it’s only scratching the surface! I. Before Parkour While it's true that Parkour's basic movements have been around since the Stone Age, its mindset and methods can be traced back to the early 20th century. The first link in this chain leading up to modern-day Parkour was a man named Georges Hébert[1]. Working as a French naval officer, Hébert traveled the world and became fascinated with the athletic abilities of its indigenous peoples, particularly those in Africa. In many ways they were a match for Europe's best athletes, yet they had no formal training whatsoever! Hébert had begun to formulate a training regimen based on his observations when disaster struck. In 1902 Mount Pelée erupted, killing nearly 30,000 residents of Saint-Pierre, Martinique in minutes. Hébert was stationed near Saint-Pierre during the eruption, and was responsible for evacuating 700 people from the volcano's path. During the rescue effort, Hébert was impressed by the natural aptitude of the Caribbean island's native population. They were able to run, climb, jump, and swim to safety with relative ease. On the other hand, many of Martinique's French citizens seemed incapable of even these basic movements. Hébert realized something he'd previously overlooked - if training fundamental, natural movements could vastly improve one's athletic capabilities, ignoring the same movements could likewise sap them dry. Hébert returned to France and resumed work on his training method.