A shoe with a good flat sole and as few pieces of rubber as possible is preferable as the little rubber nubs as seen on most running shoes will tear off with ease when training. Ideally the sole of your shoe should have one to two piece of solid rubber that way it will not tear free as easily and you will get more use from your shoe. You may want good toe bumpers to cushion your cat leaps. And, of course, regardless of the shoe, if it doesn’t fit well, it won’t work. The shoes must be snug or else you are increasing your risk of injury on landings. Don’t concern yourself with brand names. If you are practicing as much as you should be, you will wear those suckers out in a few months. In addition, since you will be practicing outside, they are going to get dirty. Do not waste money on the looks of your feet.

Climbing pants, since they allow you to move freely, and are durable, fit well, and don’t get in your way. Gramicci, Prana stretch Zion pants (good), North Face, and Arborwear are recommended. Dickies are also durable and offer free-range of motion. Jeans are not recommended, as they are too stiff and do not allow enough freedom of movement. Again, if you have that favorite pair of sweats (that stays up!), go for it. Shirts do not have to be anything fancy, but it is good to have a sweat wicking type. REI and running shoe stores have these. Consider wearing long sleeves to prevent scrapes while first learning. You are going to want to stay cool, so you’ll probably want to don cotton.

Even if you wear gloves as a beginner, you may eventually decide to ditch them. For the first few weeks afterward, you may come home seeking the ice pack. Soon enough, though, your hands will get used to the work you are putting them through.

Another choice is a Parkour coach. Someone who has been in the game for a while will be an invaluable resource in shortening your learning curve – and they will help keep you from getting hurt. If your social network isn’t pulsing with the energy of a thousand traceurs, start doing some research; there are Parkour groups worldwide that are always looking for new members.

Before you go darting from parking garage to parking garage, however, try mastering your way through a park first. Grass stains are a lot easier to take care of than broken femurs. Stay off private property. The police will not look at you and go, “Sweet, man! How would you get your leaps to look like that? Can I take a look at the definition in your calf muscles?” If trouble does find you, be polite and go on your merry way. Few will understand the purpose of what you are doing, and that is fine.

Start exploring what your body is comfortable with. How high and far can you jump? How quickly can you get into a roll? You will find the techniques to start with and what techniques need more work. It will also help you gain awareness of your body and body control.

  1. When you land, your legs will be about shoulder width apart.
  2. You must land on the balls of your feet. That way your body will act like a spring and distribute the landing. If you land on your heels, your body will act like a stiff board and will injure the rest of your joints and body.
  3. You will not allow your legs to bend below 90 degrees. Bend below 90° and you put too much strain on your knee joints and you slow yourself down.
  4. When you have forward momentum, or are taking a higher drop, lean slightly forward and allow your hands to absorb some of the force. This will keep your legs from bending below 90° on the drop and enable you to continue your run. Only use this basic landing for small drops.

If you are a doing one on the right side you would bring your right arm close to your body and tuck your head and neck close to your chest. Then, roll over your right shoulder and come up onto your feet at the end. The reason you roll diagonally is to reduce the damage to your back and spine.

Find a rail. When you run up to it, place both your hands on it and propel your legs to the right. When your knees come up over the rail, move your right arm out of the way, and swing your legs over. You should then be able to land with ease and balance. If balance is an issue, finding a rail of a different height may help. Once you have mastered this, practice doing it to the left.

Find a flight of steps. Start low and work your way up. Once you have done a step 10 times, kept relaxed, and always landed on your toes, move up. Repeat until you have done that step 10 times, relaxed, and always landed on your toes. If balance is an issue, don’t move on until it’s not. [7] X Research source

Start pulling up a bit farther when you are doing your normal pull-up. Get to the point where your elbows are in line with the bar. Then, pull up farther – bringing your chest over the bar. Get to the point where you can pull up and bring your arms straight over the bar, with it resting near your pelvis. Use your legs to propel upward from a hanging position. Get your intervals down to split seconds. Once you have mastered the basics, start timing yourself on the same courses. How much time can you knock off? This is when a friend comes in handy. Pick an area and find point A and B. Then, either time each other separately or as you both make your way through the course. What is the faster one doing the slower one is missing? A split second here and a split second there can add up and put the final changes on technique.

Even activities like yoga and lacrosse (and other team sports) have their place in Parkour training. If it keeps you going for long periods, do it. Go until staying active for an hour at a time is a piece of cake.

It may seem like training as much as possible is ideal, but your body does need time to heal. Keep the muscle-building exercises to every other day (twice a day is okay if you do not work out too hard) to give your muscles time to heal themselves. They will be all the better for it in the long run.

Add extra exercises on or switch up your activity routine. Keeping your body guessing is key to developing all your different muscle groups. If you normally swim, go play rugby. Switch a day of squats and leg lifts for planks and sit-ups. Your ability to focus may heighten as well.