Archive for 2014

What to wear for Parkour & Freerunning

A recurring question that pops up among Parkour and Freerunning practitioners is what to wear for Parkour training. Parkour clothes are typically defined by loose fitting sports apparel (sweat pants, sweatshirts, beanies, etc)

A good pair of shoes

Look for lightweight, sturdy, comfortable tennis or running shoes. The sole shouldn’t be too thick in the middle. Thick soles are bad. The shoe shouldn’t have too much padding in the heel or toes. Especially heels, because you’re going to be using the balls of your feet almost exclusively. It’s difficult to do that in a shoe with a high heel.

A good training session on concrete is harsh on shoes, so the cheaper they are, the better.

Arch support should be minimal unless you absolutely need it. Firstly, because too much arch support will actually make your arches weaker. Secondly, the arches of your feet act as spring, propelling you a good deal higher than if you jumped flat-footed. Good shoes should feel like an extension of your feet, not like a pair of easily-removable casts.

Long Pants

You might also notice that Traceurs and Freerunners usually wear baggy joggers in their videos. These types of pants help the air move to your lower body and accentuate the sensation of flow. They will also mask small landing mistakes or bent knees during jumps. They are a good option for the comfort they provide and range of movement they offer.

Shirt

Recommended for protection

Parkour Accessories

Parkour backpacks

There are many backpacks that now brand themselves as “Designed for Parkour”, like the FastBreak Parkour pack. But you can find a great one near you, if you just follow these guidelines.

The ideal parkour backpack should:

be made from light materials

have a small and narrow frame

have a waist strap

Wristband

Another useful thing you should carry around is a pair of wristbands. They help keep your wrists rigid and help avoid scratches you might get on the inside of your wrists from wall-runs and climb-ups. Any type is suitable, as long as it’s not too tight so it hinders your wrist movement or stops circulation of the blood in the hands.

Snapbacks

Video Camera

This is by no means mandatory, but it helps a lot. If you’re just going to be a traceur and have no intention of learning flashy moves, you don’t need a camera. You’ll be able to feel if a move is done right. But for tricking and freerunning, it’s highly recommended. I can’t count the number of times I’ve done a seemingly perfect move that looked like crap on camera. If you want your moves to look better, use a camera to record all of your training sessions and use rest days to analyze your form.

Sources :
http://www.flipyeahparkour.com/2011/09/parkour-gear
http://www.parkourtrain.net/857/what-to-wear-for-parkour.html