Introduction
Much like how dance encompasses ballet, hip hop, zumba, and more, parkour styles also range and this blog post summarizes ten unique types of parkour from Jason Paul, each with its own philosophy, techniques, and goals. Whether you’re an aspiring parkour athlete or a seasoned practitioner, understanding these styles can enhance your training and appreciation for this dynamic sport.
1. Original Traceur
The foundation of all parkour styles, Original Traceurs focus on mastering fundamental moves. It’s about precision, consistency, and mental strength, emphasizing usefulness in emergency situations and embodying the original philosophy of becoming strong and capable.
2. Ascent/Descent
This style focuses on vertical movement, taking inspiration from rock climbing. It’s mentally challenging, requiring problem-solving to navigate up or down structures. While rare and physically demanding, it significantly impacts parkour by introducing unique moves.
3. Street Acro
Street Acro emphasizes performing the hardest tricks in urban settings. Unlike other styles, it starts with the trick and then finds the perfect setup. Practitioners often use gyms to refine their moves before taking them outdoors.
4. Hybrid
Combining elements of Original Traceurs and Street Acro, the Hybrid style, often referred to as freerunning, incorporates acrobatics into traditional parkour movements, creating unique and large-scale tricks.
5. Gizmo
Named for its focus on adapting to unique architectural features, Gizmo style involves creating movements tailored to specific structures, making it highly creative and diverse. Practitioners need a vast vocabulary of moves to effectively adapt their skills to any environment.
6. Art of Motion
Inspired by freestyle competitions like Red Bull’s Art of Motion, this style is characterized by densely packed tricks performed in quick succession, often in simple, low-resolution environments. It emphasizes high difficulty and aesthetic appeal.
7. Challenge
The Challenge style involves highly precise and difficult tasks, often focusing on awkward landings and narrow ledges. It’s less about looking impressive and more about the fun and creativity of overcoming tough challenges. This parkour style is highlighted by the SKILL competition format or the Parkour Takeover format.
8. Obstacle Dance
This style turns parkour into a form of dance, focusing on creating choreography with fluid and creative movements. It’s more about exploring new ways to move within a single environment rather than traveling from point A to B.
9. Fitness Parkour
Fitness Parkour uses parkour movements to build physical and mental strength. It’s accessible to all fitness levels and emphasizes the health benefits of parkour, such as improved coordination and confidence. We introduce these elements in our Swift Fit classes. Learn more
10. Off-Axis
Off-Axis explores unconventional flips and rotations inspired by skiing, snowboarding, and dance. This style focuses on surprise and delight, often making it seem like the athlete has lost control before seamlessly landing.
11+ Others
Conclusion
These ten styles showcase the versatility and creativity within the parkour community. Each style offers a unique approach to movement, allowing practitioners to find their own path and enjoy the art of motion in diverse ways. Whether you’re interested in mastering fundamentals or exploring creative choreography, there’s a style of parkour for everyone.
Source
- Jason Paul is a professional parkour athlete from Germany sponsored by Red Bull and GoPro
- 10 Types of Parkour Credit: https://youtu.be/QeW8SLhi3AA?si=5hw5DlMPBTCuWx50
Interested in learning parkour?
- Go outside and earn on your own on Youtube
- Visit a parkour gym like Swift Movement Studio to learn from expert instructors
