There are no uniforms or equipment. There is no competition. There are no set rules or boundaries. In fact it is still so new, there is still a debate as to how to categorize it. But for now it is called “Parkour"

Otherwise known as "l'art du deplacement" or the art of movement, the end goal of this French-based activity is to move from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible. Those who practice this endeavor, traceurs (males) and traceuses (females) can be found practicing in urban areas such as gym, parks, playgrounds and/or abandoned structures.

I had seen some Parkour performed before, but after seeing the new Bond movie my interest was sparked again. The antagonist moved so effortlessly and flawlessly, I knew that I just had to try it for myself. So after a little bit of research, I found a local group that practiced called "Bay Area parkour" (BApk). With more than 600 members, they meet most weekends to practice. Once a month on Sunday, there is a beginner's Women's Jam, which was perfect for my inexperienced level. When I arrived in San Francisco, there were about 10 girls, all of whom were welcoming. It did not matter that I did not know very much about the sport because many of them had also recently joined the group. Our instructor, Jodie, started us off by jogging and stretching, and then some push-ups and sit-ups. After we warmed up, we were ready to begin. We started off doing cat balances and cat jumps (aka kongs) and learning the proper hand positions and approaches. Next we continued on to do precision jumps and performing rolls on the ground. We practiced in a few spots ranging from a parking lot to an abandoned bunker. Soon, before I knew it, two hours had past us by and it was time to go. Although I was a little nervous at first, what I liked most was that unlike many organized sport groups or teams, BApk is more about learning the technique and just having fun. No one is ever pushed to do things they are unsure of.

So the next time you do a leapfrog jump over a fire hydrant, consider turning that into a Kong or a Lazy. But I would not recommend attempting this until having proper Parkour instruction. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you should definitely come to and check out a BApk jam. New members are always welcome. Check out www.BAparkour.com for more information.

-Ashley Ceaser