1. 5 Steps to Get Started with Parkour
I'm glad you've found your way to this guide! Parkour is a fantastic discipline that
has the potential to positively affect your fitness, strength, confidence, athletic ability
and many other aspects of your life. It can be difficult when starting out, to find the
right information and get started on the right foot, (no pun intended) so let me help
you get going!
Who am I?
My name is Ben Krueger and I started Training For Parkour and created this guide to
help spread the discipline to people that are interested in parkour. I have been
training for over four years now, am an A.D.A.P.T. Level 1 Certified parkour coach
and have taught parkour for over two years. To learn more about
me, check out the website at TrainingForParkour.org
This Guide will cover:
Table of Contents
Step 1: How to Find Other Practitioners in Your Area ...................................................... 2
Step 2: Finding A Location ............................................................................................... 3
Step 3: Get the Right Gear ................................................................................................ 5
Parkour Shoes ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Parkour Clothing .......................................................................................................................................6
Parkour Pack ............................................................................................................................................ 8
Step 4: Planning Your First Parkour Session .................................................................. 10
Step 5: Time to Try It Out!....... ........................................................................................ 11
TrainingForParkour.org

2. Step 1: How to Find Other Practitioners in Your Area
When starting out with parkour, there is undoubtedly no substitute for seeking out experienced traceurs (parkour
practitioners) that can teach you in person. Knowing this, the first step is to figure out whether there are people already
training in your area, and if so, whether they are 'qualified' to teach you. I use the term 'qualified' in quotes because it
seems that every person out there that has been practicing parkour for two weeks is already trying to teach someone else
the art without much experience themselves.
Because of this, I'll advise this; if you meet up with someone to have them teach
you, and they don't seem to have a good grasp on basic parkour skillsets to begin
with, you might not want to learn from them.
To find out whether there are people training in your area, here are some resources
to check.
United States:
www.americanparkour.com/directory
- You will have to create an account to post here
- Scroll down to the "Local Connections" section and select your region.
- Within your state's thread, write a post introducing yourself and ask if there is a
group that trains in your area. You might be surprised to find that traceurs are
everywhere these days.
Rest of the World:
www.urbanfreeflow.com/directory
- Unfortunately, this resource isn't very detailed, but check to see if there are
groups in your country, and then contact them directly.
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3. Can't Find A Group?
So what do you do if you can't find someone locally to teach you? Training For Parkour is specifically designed with the
absolute beginner in mind. Go to TrainingForParkour.org to get started with lessons, tutorials and more. The site also
has a growing community where you can interact with other beginners and help each other learn and improve!
Step 2: Finding A Location
Now, we have to find a spot to have your first
parkour training session. There is something
to be said for practicing in any environment,
however, it can drastically help you get
started if you have a good location. An area
with any of these things can make a good
parkour spot:
! Walls
! Ledges
! Park Benches
! Railings
! Stairways
! Handicap Ramps
! Boulders
! Trees
! Any abnormal terrain
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4. Places that are generally good for parkour and contain the things above
can usually be found in or near any of these places:
! Parks
! Playgrounds
! University Campuses
! Schools
! Down Town
! Woods
Many people will notice good parkour spots when they are out walking around, and
forget where they were. I do this all the time. Here is my suggestion, if you have a
smart phone or a map of your area, walk around any areas of interest (especially the
ones listed just above) and mark these spots on your map. This way you will have a
map with multiple spots to come back to and you can have a variety of training spots
for future use.
*Quick Tip: When walking around, take back alleys and side roads to
find hidden gems. These places are often great because there isn't
much pedestrian traffic.
Now I have to say this, public areas are generally okay but anything that is private or government owned is off limits
unless you have explicit permission from that person, business or entity. Use your best judgment and if you are asked to
leave from any area, kindly apologize for disturbing them and leave. If we are respectful, we can avoid the 'skater punk'
image, and eventually be allowed to train in more places rather than being chased off and thought of as hooligans.
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5. Step 3: Get the Right Gear
Just to be clear, this section is largely opinion based, however the basic characteristics of good parkour gear shown below
will get you started. One of the great things about parkour is that you really don't need much, as far as gear goes, to start
practicing. There are many parkour specific clothing lines, shoes etc, but you really don’t need any of that to get started. I
will mention them, but know that they aren't necessary in any way.
Parkour Shoes
The first thing you'll need is a good pair of shoes. There are
some differences in opinion here among the community,
but it really comes down to personal preference and what
works for you. Generally though, a good parkour shoe is:
! Light weight
! Grippy rubber sole
! Durable
! Flexible
In this light, a cheap pair of running shoes will often do the
trick. Especially to get you started. Down the road, you can
do some more research and find a pair you really like, but
for now you just need to get moving! Here are general
some things to avoid:
! Plastic soles under your arches
! Open toed shoes
! Anything with "springs" in them
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6. Now that you know what will work, here are a few recommended parkour specific shoes and other shoe
models that are especially good for parkour. Click on the images to check them out and learn more on
Amazon.com.
Recommended Parkour Shoes
These two types of shoe are regular running shoes that work very well for parkour. They are light, flexible,
with a good sole and they get the job done.
Click on the image to learn more on Amazon.com
Nike Darts 9 Nike Free Runs
These are the shoes that I personally use. These are Nike Nike Free Runs are also great shoes with fantastic grip for
Dart 9s but I have been using all the Dart series since I rail work, wall runs and other climbing. There are
first started with Dart 6s. They are pretty much a normal multiple different thicknesses and flexibility levels for
running shoe. Relatively light weight, comfortable, and these shoes as well. These shoes are setup on a scale of 1-
provide enough cushion without being over supportive. 10 with 10 being most like a normal running shoe and 1
being very similar to running bare foot. I would
recommend starting in the middle somewhere with +5 or
+3.
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7. These two types of parkour shoe are more minimalist and provide less cushion. That being said, they allow
you to really feel the ground and obstacles beneath your feet. They also promote quality, controlled
movements because a big jump with a poor landing will hurt with these shoes on.
Click on the image to learn more on Amazon.com
Vibrams Feiyue
This shoe is a popular choice among the naturalists and
those that like to train in the woods, rocks, trees, etc. Feiyues are actually a martial arts shoe but are once again
They are also great for concrete but they promote a more a favorite among accomplished traceurs because of their
barefoot feel so be sure to work your way into these good grip, flexibility, and 'barefoot' feel. They are
shoes. basically slippers but work great for parkour.
When it comes down to it, the shoes you pick for parkour are personal preference. If you try a pair and
don't like them, that's okay, you can always change down the road.
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8. Parkour Clothing
I'll first say that any workout clothes that you own (or get at the thrift store) will do just fine. There are, once
again, a few parkour specific clothing brands out there that add some style. They all have tee shirts, sweat
pants, hoodies and other parkour types of clothing and gear. Here are some of the most prominent. Click on
the image to check out their store!
Take Flight Parkour Generations American Parkour
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9. Parkour Pack
While this isn't a necessity in any way, I've found that using a small, light-weight back pack is very helpful.
You can carry extra clothes, water bottle, keys, phone, wallet and the essentials without having everything
bouncing around in your pockets. Small, lightweight packs with a chest strap are what I've found to work
best. Click on each option below to learn more about the bag on Amazon.com:
Click on the image to learn more on Amazon.com
CamelBak Eddie Bauer Bag
The 50-70 liter Camelbak bags are fantastic for parkour. This Eddie Bauer backpack is what I personally use
They have the built in liquid bladder for holding your because it has a little bit more space to hold an extra
water and small pockets for all your other essentials. It's sweatshirt, your sandwich, or whatever you want to take
also small and compact to the body so it doesn't flop with you. It can also strap tight so it doesn't flop around
around when you run. much.
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10. Step 4: Planning Your First Parkour Session
So you've found the parkour spot, you've got the
necessary gear, and you're ready to go. Now comes the
fun part! Let's get out there and start moving! If you
were able to find a group of people that train locally,
contact them directly and ask if you can come out with
them. Almost all groups that I've trained with are more
than happy to teach newcomers and usually enjoy it
quite a bit.
If you were unable to find a local group to train with,
then head over to Trainingforparkour.org and click on
the lessons tab. You will notice there are five free
lessons to get you going on the right path. Go through
the lesson one material, then follow the instructions and
lesson plan to begin learning the basics. There is also a
Community page where other beginners like yourself
can share videos, stories and generally have other
people to talk about parkour with. What fun is doing it
all by yourself? If you have any questions, you can
always ask other beginners on the Community page or
ask me directly at ben@trainingforparkour.org.
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11. Step 5: Time to Try It Out!
If you devote some time and energy you will see fast
Free Parkour Lesson
If you don't have any desire to improve and only practice
once every third week, you won't ever be able to perform
the impressive movements that attracted you to parkour
in the first place. If you choose to train parkour as a
social event or something that you can use to show off,
then you are certainly welcome to do that.
At Training For Parkour, I promote parkour as a long-
term, holistic discipline and something to practiced for
years to come. Obviously, you are just starting your
journey, but I've personally experienced the incredible
transformations that parkour can have on your body,
mind and confidence, and I seek to spread that to as
many people as I can.
Those are the five steps to get started with parkour! Be safe and have some fun! If you
found this guide helpful, share it with someone that is interested in parkour!
Get A Free Parkour Lesson
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