It’s the stuff of superheroes: running on top of walls, balancing on precarious ledges, dive rolls, bodies in motion. It’s also the stuff of kids’ play at the Parkour Visions gym in Seattle, which offers classes for children and adults.
You may not have heard of parkour, but you’ve likely seen it in action flicks and TV ads. In the big stunts, the professionals hurtle themselves through windows, scale walls and jump from rooftop to rooftop in intricate chase scenes. The Parkour Visions classes don’t involve broken plate glass or dangerous roof jumps, but children do get to attempt their own physical feats, in the safety of a padded gym. Think of it as the coolest obstacle course ever.
While not yet mainstream, Seattle has a sizeable parkour scene, and local youth are playing their part in its growth. The Parkour Visions gym, which opened in the Fremont neighborhood in 2009, is one of the only of its kind in the nation. Enrollment in their kids’ classes is growing.
They learn the basics – how to roll properly out of landings, jump with correct form and other fundamentals – from trained “traceurs” (those who practice parkour). Kids also work on strength and balance. They are given tips on how to train respectfully and carefully, which is important if they plan to take their newly learned skills outdoors.
At its root, parkour training is about running, jumping and climbing – quintessential activities for energetic kids.
“We allow kids to move the way they want to move; that’s why they love it,” said Tyson Cecka, Parkour Visions’ executive director. “Kids want to play and climb and experiment with their environment, but are often told not to. With parkour, it is acceptable and encouraged.”
My 6-year-old son participated in a “Young Kids Basics” class at Parkour Visions for 5- to 8-year-olds. He was more intimidated than usual by the new activity, but parkour is different than anything either of us has seen before. After some hesitation, he joined in and was so happy he did.
At first, the class broke into small groups to work on specific tricks. Some ducked underneath a bar straight into a parkour roll – the one traceurs use to absorb the impact of a fall. Others hopped between slanted wooden boxes to hang on to a metal bar. They also worked on vaulting over a tall A-frame plank, which the instructors affectionately call the “beast.”
At the end of class, the whole shebang is put together in one awesome obstacle course. My son could barely wait for his turns. He is one of those wild, tree-climbing types and soared through; others were less sure. But the timid children seemed particularly ecstatic after accomplishing their tasks.
“The greatest benefit for kids is the growth in their physical capacity,” said Cecka. “Parkour is unique in that it is challenging, but fun, while building courage and self-confidence. It’s just a rewarding thing to do.”
Just ask Laura Silverstein, whose two sons take classes at Parkour Visions. “Parkour has profoundly impacted how the boys move through space,” she said. “As naturally cautious kids, they have gained confidence to let go and be more free. They are much stronger, and take pride in what they are achieving physically.”
She also appreciates that parkour is noncompetitive, which gives kids of different physical abilities a low-pressure opportunity to learn and grow. “What has been really amazing is watching my younger son come up to a jump, or a balancing drill that is scary for him. I watch him face his fear and, eventually, overcome it. Now he easily does things that he would have been too frightened to try a year ago.”
A kid doesn’t have to be a natural athlete to get something good out of Parkour. Cecka has worked with children who haven’t done a lot of physical activity; parkour, he said, may be hard for them at first, but he has seen their abilities – and confidence – grow.
There’s something amazing about skilled traceurs, Cecka said. “It’s like they never stopped playing since they were kids, it’s so natural to them. If the kids in our program keep with this and make it a lifelong discipline, imagine what they will be like as adults.”
