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SPORTS

2026 February 23

Level: Low

Parkour: The Art of Moving Anywhere

by Simon Stopps

This sport challenges you to go over, under and through obstacles using only your body

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Most people find crawling up walls and leaping from rooftops to be out of the ordinary. But for people who practice parkour, it’s all in a day’s work.

  Parkour is often called the art of movement. People who do it — known as traceurs — train to move from one place to another as quickly and smoothly as possible. They jump, climb and roll past obstacles instead of going around them.

  To do this, traceurs use different techniques. One is the cat balance, moving along narrow ledges on all fours. They also use the Tic Tac, where they kick off or run up walls.

  Sometimes called an extreme sport, parkour has no strict rules. It’s based on natural movements and needs no special equipment.

  Parkour’s roots go back to early 20th-century France, where an officer in the navy promoted fitness through running, jumping and climbing. Modern parkour, developed by French teens called the Yamakasi, has appeared on TV and in movies and ads.

  You don’t have to leap between rooftops to try it. Build your skills, and make the world your playground.