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The World is Your Playground: An Introduction to Parkour.

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The age old question : What is parkour ?

Ben Sutton founder of Freerun Essentials and senior coach at Aspire parkour academy:

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For me parkour is a balance of physical strength and mental resilience. Its the ability to become completely free in ones movement by trusting the Proprioceptive Strength I alone process and putting that into practice either through "path building" or "breaking jumps".

Image by Alireza Irajinia

Did you know 

Être et Durer (To Be and To Last) and Être Fort pour être Utile (To Be Strong to be Useful) are some of the oldest and most prominent philosophies of parkour. 

Être et Durer (To Be and To Last):

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Focus on longevity. Many people think parkour is "extreme" and dangerous. Explain that true parkour is about training so that your body is still strong and capable when you are 70.Key  "Train for the 10,000th jump, not just the first one."

Être Fort pour être Utile (To Be Strong to be Useful):

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This is the foundational motto of parkour, inherited from Georges Hébert and championed by Raymond Belle. It means training the body and mind to be capable of helping oneself and others in any situation, particularly in emergencies. It emphasizes function over form, where strength is developed to be practical rather than aesthetic.

The Mental side of things 

Brain Scans

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Achieving the "Flow State"

Parkour requires total concentration. When you are balancing on a thin rail or prepping for a precision jump, there is no room in your brain for "to-do" lists, work stress, or social anxiety.

  • The Benefit: This creates a state of Flow—a mental space where you are fully immersed in the present moment.

  • Why it stays with you: This acts as a powerful "reset button" for the nervous system, providing a natural break from the constant noise of modern life.

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Calculated Bravery (Fear Management)

Parkour isn't about being "fearless"—it’s about learning how to negotiate with fear.

  • The Benefit: Every time you stand in front of an obstacle that scares you, analyze it, and then successfully overcome it, you are rewriting your brain's relationship with fear.

  • The "Real World" Translation: This builds self-efficacy. When you realize you can handle the physical "scary" stuff, you start feeling more capable of handling "scary" things in life, like public speaking, job interviews, or difficult conversations.

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The "Parkour Eye" (Cognitive Reframing)

One of the most unique benefits is how parkour changes your perspective on the world. In psychology, this is called "cognitive reframing."

  • The Benefit: Most people see a wall as a dead end or a barrier. A traceur sees that same wall as a way to get higher or a challenge to be solved.

  • The Mental Shift: This trains your brain to automatically look for solutions instead of obstacles. You stop saying "I can't go that way" and start asking "How can I make this work?" This mindset shift is a massive defense against feelings of helplessness or being "stuck" in life.

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