Parkour

Parkour is the art of moving from one place to another as smoothly and efficiently as possible, using only your body. People who practise it run, jump, vault, climb, balance and roll over whatever is in their way, from walls and rails to boxes and bars. It began in France, and its name comes from the French word parcours, meaning a route or course.

Freerunning is its close cousin. It uses the same skills but adds flips, spins and tricks for style, so it's as much about expression as getting from one spot to the next.

A vault is a way of getting over an obstacle using your hands. The step vault, lazy vault and speed vault are usually the first to learn. The kong vault, where you dive forward and push off with both hands, comes later.

A precision jump means jumping from one spot and landing exactly on another, often a narrow edge or rail, with soft knees and balanced feet.

A cat leap, also called an arm jump, is when you jump to a wall and catch the top edge with your hands, with your feet against the wall to soak up the impact.

A wall run uses a quick step up a wall to reach the top, and a tic-tac means kicking off one surface to change direction or gain height.

The parkour roll carries you diagonally across your back, from one shoulder to the opposite hip, so the force of a landing is spread out and you can keep moving.

Sessions begin with a warm-up to get joints and muscles ready, followed by the most important skill of all: landing safely. Your Activity Leader shows you how to land on the balls of your feet with bent knees, and how to roll out of a jump. Then you'll try simple vaults and small precision jumps on low obstacles, and link them into short runs. Each move is broken into small steps, and you only go bigger when you feel ready. Many sessions finish with a mini course or a chase game to put it all together.

Yes. Children are natural climbers and jumpers, and parkour gives all that energy a safe, structured place to go. It builds balance, coordination and body awareness, and there's a real sense of achievement in clearing an obstacle that looked impossible at the start. There's no single right way through a course either, so creative thinkers get to find their own route. It's lovely to watch, and you may well find yourself wanting a go too.

Choose clothes you can move freely in, such as leggings, joggers or sports shorts. Trainers with a flexible, grippy sole are best. Take off watches and jewellery, empty your pockets and tie back long hair. A water bottle is handy too, as it's thirsty work.

You might also like Trampolining, Climbing Wall and Slackline.

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