asa had a really good post in the pics and vids section in the topic "recognize".


um, let's see, if they ask about risk or dangers, tell them safety is stressed, and so long as you move within your own limits, there is very little risk. it is only as dangerous as you make it. i think you pretty much nailed it m2.

"parkour is about moving through your environment with speed and grace"

*cuts to action sequence with techno-esque music for a few seconds*

"the number one thing is safety. you should never do anything that you are not comfortable with. we try to maintain a friendly and safe atmosphere"

*another scene with music*

"it's not about doing tricks or jumping across roofs like you see on tv, it's mostly ground level"

*you know the routine*

"it completely changes the way you look at your environment. it gives you a much greater appretiation for the urban landscape"

*music/scene*

"we've got people from around 12 up to over 30 doing it. i've been training for (insert your training time here) and i love it."




some questions that they may ask:

Q: what exactly is parkour
A: Parkour is an art to help you pass any obstacle with just your body. (taken from pawa.fr and slightly modified)

Q: has anyone been hurt?
A: no one has been seriously injured do to parkour

Q: are flips a big part of it?
A: no. it is a common misconception that parkour is about flips and tricks. i can't think of any situation where a flip would be useful. parkour uses only movements (try to avoid saying "moves" as that word is linked to "tricks") that would be helpful in an emergancy situation

Q: are there any competitions
A: no. parkour is not about going against each other, it is about working with each other. the only competitions are ones to see who can help the most people






can't think of any more questions right now. anyone else?

That's a great one, it's one that I use all the time, almost word for word! I think it's very important.


As for the definition, I don't think if I told my mom it's used to "smoothly pass any obstacle" she'd get me some ex-lax. Remember, many (most) people have NO idea what were' talking about here, and as someone being interviewed you don't get to insert scenes with techno

So back to my intention for this thread, whats the best way in VERY PLAIN words that the majority of people can understand?

How about a "Tag" analogy ... if we were playing tag, and you were it and I was running, and I came up to a railing or small wall, I would find the quickest possible way over or around the obstacle to try to get away from you .... that is the spirit of Parkour, we then practice that "quickest way" over and over to become better at it.

<<< That's one example, but the more people contribute to this thread the better of an overall thing we'll come up with!

as for the injuries part, i usually tell the media something like

"parkour is no different than any other high impact sport such as basketball and football. minor cuts and bruises are common but every once in a while, a more serious injury such as a sprained ankle is inevitable. although we push ourselves to always improve, we never do anything we arent completely confident in trying.""

                                                                          :)Yes that was a joke

Not bad.

It usually takes me all day to get it through to them, but I do.

Perhaps something like-

"In parkour, you see the world as your obstacle course.  You adapt to your environment to overcome anything you meet with speed and fluidity.  You strive to be able to move through your own path without being hindered by obstacles, man-made or natural."

Also when people ask about safety, I like saying that with everything we do we start small and practice slowly and carefully to work up to more difficult/risky movemements.