PARKOUR
ARTHUR’S NAME
UNIVERSITY AFFILIATION
Anyone who aspires to remain among the living during the zombie apocalypse had better learn the sport, parkour. Parkour is the practice of moving through the environment by jumping from rooftop to rooftop, running, vaulting over barriers, climbing walls, plyometrics, swimming, and rolling. Practitioners of this sport are called traceuers, and their primary aim is to maneuver across destinations efficiently and in the fastest way possible. Parkour is often carried out in urban spaces and can be done in a group or solo. For those who are intrigued by video games, particularly Assassins Creed or Mirror’s edge, have played this sport, well, at least virtually.
Parkour does not require any equipment as the activities only involve physical movements. Fundamental skills that are essential in undertaking this sport include balancing as one will be jumping on to wall edges, speed, precision jumping, and climbing. For traceuers, stairs are for the amateurs as they have devised climbing techniques to get to higher grounds. An essential personal quality for this sport is persistence. Parkour can be draining both physically and mentally. Therefore, one needs to be consistent in training to gain strength and stunt coordination.
Just like every other sport, Parkour has health benefits. It is a full-body exercise that incorporates numerous physical acts, and hence body awareness, fitness, coordination, and bone strength are enhanced. Parkour practitioners are always active, and as a result, the body’s oxygen supply increases, and cardiovascular endurance is heightened.
I have not tried Parkour before, of course, except virtually, but I would like to try it out as it seems intriguing. What I would enjoy most in this sport is the raised creativity that comes with it. I would be able to come up with new moves to navigate the surrounding. Pedestrian bridge? I’ll jump over the gap and swing under the rail. This creativity can be applied in other life situations as well. However, the most significant downside of trying this sport is the number of times I will have to fail in a stunt or hurt myself while attempting one. Quite devastating even to contemplate, but the silver lining that follows after great mastery of the sport will be overwhelming.