Written By: Jordan Weekday

The word Parkour derives from the phrase “parcours du combatant.”  At first it was used to overcome obstacles or get from point “A” to point “B,” but after a while it became a way to express yourself, and finally evolved into something called “free-running.” The name comes from the classic obstacle-course method of military training proposed by Georges Hébert; this obstacle course was known for its intensity.
Parkour is a form of movement and training around the world. Parkour practitioners (known as traceurs) are people who believe in self-expression and bettering yourself. They live their life similarly to this quote by Bruce Lee: “There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. A man must constantly exceed his level. If you’re not better than you were the day before, then what are you doing—what’s the point?”

Parkour is a great way to get in shape. I have found that about sixty-percent of the time when I practice parkour around people, they end up getting up and start wanting to learn it with me. Parkour quickly spread from France to the rest of the world, at the end of World War I. After that people all around the world started becoming traceurs and developing their own styles and names for it. Similar to martial arts such as Kung-Fu, practitioners believe that it is in everything. Some even find it hard to just sit down because of the ideas of things to do racing in their heads. And the want to get up and jump over something is sometimes overwhelming. In conclusion, as a fellow traceur, I believe that parkour is one of the best ways to get fit and stay in shape while improving your mind and thinking speed. It also helps to express yourself which, in my mind, is one of the most important things about parkour.