Does anyone know where to study parkour in the Bay Area?

November 17, 2008 9:37 AM

Does anyone know where to study parkour in the Bay Area?

I'm looking for a place to study parkour (also known as free running) in the Bay Area (specifically the peninsula). I'm not even sure it's formally taught, so it might instead rely on a more personal mentor-student type of arrangement.

If anyone knows anything about this subject at all, your knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

(Please note - I am aware of SFParkour.com, but that's a bit too casual for me... I'm looking for formal instruction either one-on-one or in a class setting.)

posted by ebness86 to sports, hobbies, & recreation (5 comments total)

This might be useful: baparkour
posted by tyrantkitty at 10:36 AM on November 17, 2008

I don't know anything other than this New Yorker article. You might like it.

But I've seen people on the street doing it, and teaching it, and it seems extremely informal. A bunch of guys doing something and then someone telling them to do something else.
posted by sully75 at 10:53 AM on November 17, 2008

Sorry if this isn't the exact on topic answer you're looking for: but if I were you, I'd cut down to the quick and just take some gymnastics/capoeira lessons instead. Find something that teaches you how to fall eg: aikido, and start casually. The impression parkour continually leaves with me (I will stress this: via acquaintances only at the moment) is that these are the basics, and the rest comes through conditioning and repetition and having intimate knowledge of your environment. Group safety and being outside of a classroom is optimal for this activity surely?
posted by saturnine at 5:20 PM on November 17, 2008

For all those looking: AcroSports offers adult parkour classes in the Bay Area. Thanks to all who answered.
posted by ebness86 at 1:59 PM on November 18, 2008

Oh, and the URL is http://acrosports.countmein.com/.
posted by ebness86 at 1:59 PM on November 18, 2008