How to Practice Parkour at Home

Parkour is "the art of efficiently moving through space," according to the sport's co-founder in David Belle, and the activity -- also known as "freerunning" -- can be practiced anywhere, including outdoors, in gyms or at home. Belle and childhood friend Sebastian Foucan developed parkour (roughly translated as "obstacle course" in French) during the mid-1990s in and around Belle's family home in a Parisian suburb. Involving many of the skills essential to gymnastics, parkour can be practiced at home using furniture, stairs and other obstacles.

Things You'll Need

  • Furniture
  • A Room
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Instructions

    • 1

      Clear a large area, making it free of breakables and unneeded furniture. Arrange obstacles such as chairs and benches in a logical manner. Remember the essence of parkour involves selecting the most efficient path through, over and under obstacles when traveling from point A to point B.

    • 2

      Practice basic movements at ground level, such as landing after short jumps (Atterrissage), balance work (Équilibre) and vaults (Passement).

    • 3

      Chain moves together to increase the complexity of your practice. For example, turn vault over a banister, then "cat balance" along a bench before finishing with a roll onto a mattress.

    • 4
      Basic skills such as vaults and rolls are essential when moving outdoors.

      Transition your practice outdoors when basic moves become second nature. Remember that freerunning outdoors (with pavement and other hard surfaces) is likely less forgiving than your indoor home practice area.