31st December 2014 - Out with the old...

First of all, I'd like to thank all of the support so far and throughout the end of 2014. It's always inspiring to see younger, older, new and experienced practitioners involved with our classes and services. As much as we've only been officially trading since October, we've been involved in Parkour in one entity or another for well over a decade, having had the opportunity to travel and coach all across the UK and abroad. 

Following the announcements below it will become increasingly important to keep connected with news as an when it comes. Our facebook account will detail last minute spaces for classes to please ensure you are connected with us for important recent changes. Other unique content is and will be also added regularly via our twitter, instagram, and youtube so please ensure you follow!


Moving forward into 2015, we are please to announce a few new developments:


Firstly: Cheaper Outdoor Classes! 

Our weekly adult outdoor class, which explores Parkour in the real work is now open for anyone 16+ (With parental consent) and now reduced to £8 for 2 hours of outdoor, Parkour coaching. These classes put Parkour training where it belongs, out in the open, rain or shine, utilising spaces in Southend to learn, strengthen, challenge, adapt and overcome! 

Find out about these on our website www.southendparkour.com/classes


Secondly: We will be adding two new Southend classes from the 16th January 2015!

The first will be a "Junior class" for young people ages 8 to 15 years of age, taking place at an indoor training space in Southend for 1 hour & 10 minutes of Parkour movement development and functional fitness under our expert guidance. 6:00pm til 7:10pm

The second class will follow immediately after for a 16+ (Senior Class) 1 Hour & 10 Minute class, challenging attendees to adapt and overcome through Parkour skill development and functional fitness. 7:20pm til 8:30pm.

Wall frames, ropes, vaults and matting will help support your effective learning. As much as indoor training can't entirely substitute outdoor training, it can provide a great introduction to the practice and you'll still be challenged through fun and engaging guided practice; improving fitness and physical ability with our training.


Finally: We're going digital! You can now sign up and pay online to all of our classes via our new online booking system, booking up to a month in advance!

You can book via our website at www.southendparkour.com/classes, then click the "Book online" button. 

Using this ensures we can have spaces filled while not oversubscribing which may make a wasted journey for some. If you have any questions or issues, contact us through the email address listed on the system or contact us through our website, www.southendparkour.com/contact

Please read the information carefully before booking, to ensure correct dates/classes.

We look forward to moving with you this year! Thanks for joining us!

13th Dec: Frequently Asked Questions 1.

Parkour has only been in the public eye for the past 10-12 years, having been created and developed within the past two decades. As a new practice there is often misunderstanding as to what Parkour is and what it's about, here's the first post for Frequently asked questions:

What is Parkour?
Parkour is a physical practice which develops functional movement ability. Parkour's practice improves muscular strength, coordination, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness and your ability to move safely and effectively. To us, Parkour embodies so many qualities: Strength, flexibility, fun, balance, exploration, coordination, respect, self-knowledge, community, persistence, discipline, longevity, powerful, endurance, challenge, adaption, function, creativity, inclusivity, progression, hard-work, self-confidence and self-knowledge. As a lifelong practice, Parkour will continue to grow and evolve through our own experiences and ongoing learning, sharing with others and journeying together. From it's roots Parkour aims to create a strong body, strong spirit and a strong person through training.


Is Parkour for me?
Parkour is a training practice which develops functional and effective movement skills and techniques, enabling you to adapt and overcome obstacles faced. Parkour avoids the aesthetic and focuses on function. As such, Parkour is open to all, it does requires work and training to progress and a change in thoughts and approaches to continue to learn and develop within it's practice.

As much as everyone can begin the practice of Parkour through learning movements to better movement capabilities, Parkour is and should be hard, but rewarding work. "Être fort pour etre utile"- "Being strong to be useful". No competition, no pressure, just your personal goals and working to adapt and overcome, becoming a more capable individual through practice.

Is Parkour just about jumping off of things and climbing to high places?
No. Unfortunately, a lot of media focuses on height and stunts, because it is more appealing to the general public. More often than not, climbing at height or taking large drop impacts are very unnecessary and more effective training can be done firmly at ground level to gain the same results.

If the aim is to move and keep moving, taking unnecessary risks, increases the likelihood of injury and therefore the inability to move effectively. In short, taking large impacts and spending more time at height, greatly increases the chance of a greater injury. Parkour is a very introspective practice, practitioners learn about their their capabilities and limitations through training and with time develop the confidence and integrity to effectively assess risk and make an informed and effective choice. To try something, or to walk away, train hard and try again when ready.

This is why, injury rates in true practitioners are often very low, there is no pressure, just you and your choices.

There may be situations where an individual may require a jump at height or taking a drop (such as in a real-life emergency), but if there is a safer and more effective means to get from "A to B", we should choose that option as being more effective and safe. We like to use the word effective to explain Parkour's practice. The fastest way down from a high space is to drop or jump down. This might be okay from 3 metres, but from 20 metres.... this will most likely result in injury; so it may not be the most effective choice of movements.

Our coaching sessions keep students firmly in the remits of their abilities and in a safe but challenging environment, as guided by our training and coaching experience, certification training and within National Governing Body guidance and recommendations.
Is Parkour just for guys?Parkour is for any gender. Parkour does tend to be dominated by younger males, however, Parkour is practiced by both men and women of any age, across the world. Both genders, from experience, bring their own approaches and mentalities to the practice, teaching each other how to move more effectively through the sharing of different approaches to training and movement.

What kind of clothing should I wear?
We recommend loose fitting clothing which is comfortable to move in. Clothing can and may get stained, marked or ripped during practice so don't wear your favorite clothes! As for shoes; a simple, low profile trainer, preferably with a solid/complete sole (no plastic sections at the arch). We'd also recommend a small backpack that you are comfortable wearing while running to keep your smaller personal items safe.

More questions to follow. Have a question? Contact us here.