wellness/challenge
WATCH
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www.marieclaire.com.au
Until now, I’d been doing well. The “precision jump” was easy enough. Bouncing between steps, I tucked my legs behind me, swung my arms into the air and landed softly on my feet. But things start to deteriorate with our second move (the “roll”), where we have to crouch down, tuck our head and shoulders under, then tip all the way over – stealthily landing on our feet. Feeling like a ninja, I take it from the soft grass to the concrete to see how much I’d really nailed it. One spine scrape later, I head back to the grass.
a drape than a double agent. Never mind, I’m sure the momentum I build running towards it will help propel me up and over. But with my knee still sore from the vault and premonitions of face planting straight into the wall, I instinctively keep slowing down. By the time I jump up and hit it with my feet, I just bounce back off. But it doesn’t matter; we’ve been having so much fun that I’ve only just realised how much of a workout all this jumping, rolling and running is. And I have to admit, the danger factor is strangely appealing, too.
Any illusions I had about swinging myself over a cement barrier have been (almost literally)
shattered, as I smash my knee straight into it Next up is the “wall run” and “turn vault”, where a traceur runs up a wall, grabs onto the top ledge and effortlessly hoists their body over. We’ve broken it down into three parts and I’m struggling through step one. I can’t even lift myself halfway up the wall, so I just hang there with my feet against it, looking more like
Heading back to my car, I vault over a barricade and jump up a flight of stairs, three steps at a time. It’s only been one lesson, but I already start to see my surroundings in a new light. Find out more: To find Parkour classes in your area, visit www.parkour. asn.au.
nioclÁs porter photography
What is it? Made famous by actionmovie chase scenes, “traceurs” treat their surroundings like an urban obstacle course, running, climbing, jumping and rolling from points A to B in the fastest and most efficient way. How much? $20 for a two-hour class. The verdict? Any illusions I had about gracefully swinging myself over a cement barrier have been (almost literally) shattered, as I smash my knee straight into it. We’re learning how to “vault” over an obstacle and I’ve clearly misjudged its height – and my ability. Red-faced, I queue behind my classmates for a chance to redeem myself. Our instructor glides straight over, legs in the air, his hand barely reaching for support. He makes it look so easy. A non-competitive discipline that originated in France, Parkour changes the way you view the world, claims Richard Alley from Parkour NSW. “I no longer walk through the city and see a disabled ramp or a handrail in the same way,” he reveals. “Everything is a challenge to overcome, a way to move forward, a way to break free.”
Run, vault and roll your way to fitness – Cassie White shows us how