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“Traceurs,” as practitioners of the Parkour movement are called, can be found almost every evening at Linden Terrace in Fort Tryon Park.
By Nancy Bruning
The next time you’re taking a stroll in Fort Tryon Park between the hours of 5 and 7 pm, make sure you visit Linden Terrace. You’ll think you’ve stumbled upon a movie shoot or a circus practice. And in a way you have. A favorite place to watch the sunset, Linden Terrace in Fort Tryon Park has also become a favorite place for Tai Chi practice, a place for the Fitness Walking Group to warm up – and a place for a group of young people to practice the daring art of parkour (PK).
Parkour is the art of moving through your environment from one point to another, using the capabilities of the human body, in the fastest and most efficient way. Practitioners of parkour, who call themselves “traceurs,” run, leap, climb or execute other gymnastics-like exercises to get from one place to another. And on Linden Terrace, not every move will be perfectly executed—but that’s the point. They are learning and practicing and growing under the watchful eye of José Jiménez, the 21-year-old parkour instructor.
I met José while walking in the park. I’d seen parkour in movies like “District B-13” and “Casino Royale,” and those of Jackie Chan and other martial artists. There are also tons of clips on YouTube, and occasionally I send my walking group a clip as a joke. “This is what next week’s workout will include,” I write.
But the underlying philosophy is no joke, and traceurs say that it influences their thought processes by enhancing self-confidence and critical-thinking skills, and that this translates into overcoming everyday physical and mental obstacles.
José describes it this way: “Parkour is training your body and mind to break the barrier of fear.”
A word of warning: Don’t try PK on your own, boys and girls! If practiced recklessly, or unknowingly, it can be dangerous. Much of parkour depends on quickly redistributing your body weight and the clever use of momentum to perform amazing maneuvers with amazing speed and agility. This doesn’t appear overnight. You need to be disciplined and organized, to train your body and mind step by step before you take the leap. As José points out, in facing a 6-foot wall or higher, whether you are climbing up or jumping down, “Fear is the biggest roadblock. But we take it a little at a time, practicing over and over again. We learn how to land, how to fall safely.”
José first saw PK in a TV commercial for Nike shoes. He tried some moves on his own, but then was directed towards a safer way to learn—NYParkour (NYPK). NYPK is a grassroots community organization founded in 2005 by a few veteran practitioners who seek to help spread the art’s true spirit and grow the community’s members.
Since then, he has advanced enough to participate in commercials, music videos, television performances, and talent shows, and to demonstrations in schools and festivals, all while teaching others.
“Parkour changed my life. I want to share the knowledge,” he says. “I was first attracted to it because it looked so cool. Then, I found out it there was more to it than ‘cool.’ It’s a challenge to the mind and body, a challenge between you and yourself. It teaches you to let go of your fear and be confident. We practice together, support each other.”
I spoke to the two young men he was working with that day. One, Johnny Guerrero, 17, started out overweight—he’s lost 40 pounds in the last 6 months. He says parkour has given him confidence to try all sorts of things, from asking a girl out to raising his hand in class. “You see a wall, you don’t give up or walk way,” he says.
Brian Collado, 16, says he’s lost 12 pounds so far and the added confidence is important to him because he “want[ed] to be prepared.”
Perhaps surprisingly, parkour originated in France, and has been the basis of military training in many countries. Some point out that this natural way of moving goes back to the Neanderthals, who had to hunt, chase game and each other, and otherwise get through a knotty natural environment. One traceur says, “It teaches us to touch the world, to interact with it.”
Another believes, “You just have to look, you just have to think.”
You can find José Jiménez in the park almost everyday of the week from 5-7 pm. To find out more about parkour, visit http://www.nyparkour.com/.
Nancy Bruning has a master’s degree in public health, is a certified personal trainer, and is the author or co-author of over 25 books on health and fitness. She also is the Chair of the Friends Committee of the Fort Tryon Part Trust and leads outdoor fitness experiences and weight loss workshops. Visit Nancy’s web site at www.NancyBruning.net or hear her at www.blogtalkradio.com/Nancercize, or email her
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