Basic Parkour Movements - Drew Taylor 07/10/09First off, it’s important to remember that Parkour doesn’t have a list of defined moves to perform. Practitioners face dealing with every challenge and obstacle in a unique way, as all challenges are unique. The skill of adapting to each challenge in a way that is effective and efficient is what practitioners look to develop through parkour. A lot of techniques require fast great focus, power and control in order to be efficient; the absorption of large forces is also important when landing.
There are some common movements that can apply to many challenges, these are important to grasp when starting training. In my opinion the most important techniques are good jumping and landing techniques, emphasising the importance of the landing roll.
Roll – A forward roll over the shoulder. Feet, arms and diagonal of the back contact the ground, often used to transfer energy from jumps in order to minimize impact.
Precision Jump – Jump from moving or standing, landing on a precise position. Legs bend to absorb impact; the balls of feet make contact with the object.
Arm Jump – Jump from moving or standing, landing on the face of an object. Hands grip the top edge, feet support body in crouching position.
Pass – Movement over an object. Hands make contact and usually push to make the movement easier.
Lache – Using momentum from swinging to move to another object. Hands hang onto the bar/branch and legs move to create momentum for swinging.
Climb Up – Moving from hanging to a position where you can stand up on the object. Hands grip the top edge, arms pull up so your upper body is above the obstacle supported by the arms, legs flick up onto the obstacle. Often used after an arm jump or lache.
