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How Old do I need to be to Start Training? PDF Print E-mail
Sunday, 06 January 2008
 

Its not age so much as attitude. When I was 14 I was very independent, but also very immature. I would have probably killed myself if I had either gotten the motorcycle I wanted so badly or if I had seen some of the Parkour videos out there!

What's most important is your patience, and willingness to train correctly and safely. There is NO need to ever go on a roof, and nothing about being on a roof that makes you any better at Parkour or Freerunning. What makes people good is practice, consistent, safe practice. Going big leads to injuries which leads to less consistent practice. Going too far outside your comfort zone leads to hesitation, leads to injuries, leads to less practice. Parkour and Freerunning are not about balls or guts, they are about honing your abilities so that more things are within your realm of safe possibilities. Even then there is a risk of danger, "even monkeys fall from trees".

So, I can't tell anyone a specific age is right or wrong, but here's a guideline: if you are disciplined (yes, Parkour is a discipline, funny how bad words and good words are the same words Smiley ) enough to train for three hours a week by setting up a goal or plan and sticking to it without jumping off anything over your own chest height for a month straight, then you are suited for Parkour and Freerunning safely and will probably get good at it. On he other hand, if you go out to train precisions, and ten minutes later you're jumping off 6' walls and rolling before you know how and doing running jumps, then Parkour and Freerunning are not for you, you will only end up hurt.

Don't go out training alone, and if you're less than 18 don't go meet "people from the internet" without at least a few friends or even a parent. There are a lot of other pieces of advice about starting to train that aren't included in this article but exist in others, like whether to start in a gymnastics gym with padding, training alone or with friends, etc. Please see other FAQ articles for advice on starting to train. Discuss in this thread. 

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Display 18 of 18 comments

1. 01-19-2008 09:37

This helped, I'm 13 and me and 3 of my other friends have been practicing Parkour, for about 3 months now, we all love it and have been training in our town and in our neighborhoods, we have been going to a gymnastics room just to practice jumps from high up with rolls and more. :grin
Parkour4Life

2. 01-22-2008 04:57

do gymnastics places usually let people come in and try out stuff there? 
ThorLJ

3. 01-29-2008 16:17

im twelve and i am about to take gymanstics and ive been jumping off of gaps and school roofs and i cant find any clubs or anything to help me

4. 03-18-2008 11:37

im 13 and i bearly started so i hope im doing the right things

5. 04-10-2008 13:49

im 12 and about to be 13 ijust started but i dont got any one else to teach me

6. 04-10-2008 13:58

im 12 and can't find gyms too go to or any thing like that

7. 04-27-2008 15:47

just look on the internet for different gyms in your general area and most gyms will let u practice in them at drop-in times if theres any. its good to get involved in gymnastics to , so that u gain proper form and so u dont hurt yourself when u do less refined moves. im also 12 and thats helped me out a lot.

8. 05-11-2008 10:39

interesting... im 16, and im just starting. i dont have any gymnastics training, but i took karate from age 6.

9. 06-05-2008 07:06

awesome! I just started recently also but i have been training by building up stamina and endurance first. thats a big key in Free Running/Parkour in my opinion

10. 07-11-2008 11:06

I'm seeing a lot of 12 and 13 yr. old ppl. i'm 14 and my parents think i'm too young and its not safe at all and i keep on explaining that i know how to do all the rolls and vaults safely. I never would do something stupid or something that would put me at risk got any answers for that???? :? :upset

11. 07-15-2008 15:34

thanks for the ideas about the gyms n' such im 15 and just started with my buddy last weekend and we r already obsessed i just needed a place to practice my vaults n' such

12. 07-18-2008 04:47

Im 14 at the moment and ive been practicing pk for about 4 monthes. Its good to have finally found people my age on this site!! :). I cant find any clubs and im like an hour away from the nearest gym. This is what really annoys me, Wanting to have a good place to parctise but i suppose i just have to stick with what i have. :roll :roll

13. 07-19-2008 17:16

im 13 and i cant find anywhere to practice!!! no where not anywhere whatsoever! and i cant get a roll right without my shoulders getting hit hard and my back hurting really bad, any advice??

14. 07-21-2008 16:27

11 For Me! My parents don't care. Heh...

15. 07-31-2008 20:14

Im 14 and ive been freerunning for about one year. I think that you dont need to find a spot to practice, (even though if you have one that is very good) you should be able to freerun anywhere and that if you feel you are ready to start, that when you should start.

16. 09-04-2008 08:49

I'm 14, and I live in the middle of nowhere. But thanks to this site and article, this hs really helped! Thanks!

17. 09-13-2008 17:06

ill be 14 in a moth, and i ve been practicing for about a year and i have foud that it really helps to practise vaults over pic-nic tables, but thats all i have to use, and i wish i could find somewhere in Georgia where i could hang out with others

18. 09-26-2008 19:15

I'm Em and I'm thirteen. (Other Thirteen-Year-Olds: Hello, Em.) 
I'm going to make sure I don't fall off any cliffs whendoing parkour, I assure you. It's the first sports-like activity I've really gotten excited about.

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