Parkour in Austin – There’s a Reason It’s Called Freerunning

April 11, 2012 by · 6 Comments

Darius_Highland_Javen_Highland_Eric_HighlandMy sons Darius and Javen are obsessed with freerunning, or parkour as it is known. So when they came to visit me during Spring Break, I searched on the web for parkour in Austin and ran into Matthew Lee Willis through my surfing.

More on Matthew in a second, but what is parkour? And why are my sons and so many others obsessed with this rapidly growing movement?

If you aren’t familiar, it may be tough to explain. Parkour is like gymnastics without a gym, skateboarding without a skateboard, and rock climbing without gear, all rolled into one.

Visually, it is reminiscent of those fantastical moves that Jackie Chan does in the movies – where he bounces off walls and slides standing up down a rail, only to roll into action.

Check out this short video:

 

In short, parkour is the art of expressing yourself via physical acrobatics. The only limits are the farthest reaches of your imagination and your immediate surroundings.

Texas_Parkour_Academy_Austin_Blog_Javen_HighlandIn practical terms, parkour is about taking the world around you and making it into your own private obstacle course, taming the landscape to your vision and expressing it physically through vaulting, climbing, ground rolls, running, leaping and more.

It’s also great exercise that the current generation actually enjoys. My sons both have 6-pack abs, and they are 14 and 11!

When my boys came out to Austin for Spring Break, I took them to see Matthew Lee Willis and the fine folks at Texas Parkour Academy.

Texas_Parkour_Academy_StretchingMatthew is a former gymnastics coach who has followed his own passion for parkour and has created an academy for those who want to get involved. He is Parkour Federation Certified, First Aid and CPR certified and – most importantly – truly interactive and great with his students.

The Texas Parkour Academy offers workshops, bootcamps, youth parkour and a wide assortment of parkour classes for any age group and ability level.

 

Texas_Parkour_Academy_Austin_Blog_Darius_HighlandMy boys both loved the Academy. At the end of their Spring Break, though I had taken them to Six Flags Fiesta Texas as well, they said they enjoyed the Texas Parkour Academy the most. I can’t recommend Matthew to you highly enough.

Go on and check it out. You can see all the classes offered by clicking HERE.

Austinot Eric asks:
What is your favorite way to get exercise outside of a traditional gym?

 

Filed Under: Activities, Best of the Austinot, Discoveries, Local Business · Tagged: , , ,
  • Boyblunder

    Parkour is the act of traveling from one point to another in as straight a line as possible, conserving as much momentum as possible.
    Free-Running borrows a lot from parkour but is less discipline-based. Less focus on point-a-to-point-b.

    • http://www.facebook.com/eric.highland Eric Highland

      Thanks Boyblunder good to know. I’m a noob as you can tell. I’m just fascinated by it. I’m sure my son Darius would probably have corrected me on this too had he read my post. He’s probably too busy perfecting his flag or something of that nature. Have you been doing either for very long?

  • http://www.facebook.com/salilm Salil Maniktahla

    Boyblunder, don’t want to get into an argument or a flame-war, but it’s not about traveling in a straight line. 

    Parkour is about moving well, moving efficiently, and generally moving with a purpose. I use the terms “interesting” and “elegant” to define the movement, though they’re subjective.

    Freerunning is more about acrobatics and tricking. It does go hand-in-hand with Parkour, and if you ask me, the two are different sides of the same coin.

    • http://www.facebook.com/eric.highland Eric Highland

      Thanks for your input Salil! My boys really love Parkour. I’m still learning about it, but I’m very supportive of what they are doing. They get great exercise and they enjoy it.. so what is not to love?

  • http://www.facebook.com/salilm Salil Maniktahla

    (I am the owner of Urban Evolution, two parkour / freerunning gyms just outside DC, and a parkour-practitioner of about five years).

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