Parkour: Singapore’s New Favorite Street Sport
I lost you at Parkour didn’t I? In dictionary terms, parkour is “the activity or sport of moving rapidly through an area, typically in an urban environment, negotiating obstacles by running, jumping, and climbing”. In layman’s terms, parkour is the newest, coolest way to turn your child into the next Jason Bourne! Granted all kids want to run around like maniaaaaacs but what if you could help put some sense into that madness and by “you” I mean certified practitioners of course. If so, parkour is the way to go.
Founder of parkour school A2 Movements, Tan Chi Ying, believes that this sport offers holistic training thereby rejuvenating not just the body but the mind, soul, and spirit as well. A2 Movements operates from an indoor parkour facility called Free Runner Lodge. Children and adults alike can engage in classes where they will be taught the importance of movement and the freedom to progress at their own comfort. Whether your child is too active and needs proper guidance to excel and unleash his inner Spiderman or not active enough and needs a safe yet exciting environment to wake her inner Wonder Woman, A2 Movements is the answer for both.
Can you imagine any child refusing to join something with this name? It’s like picking a fantasy from three different children and combining it to form one giant frame of fun! Superfly Monkey Dragons offers an array of classes including Parkour Conditioning: which introduces the basics and emphasises the importance of stamina, Parkour: which touches more on proper techniques, Parkour Flow: which teaches students to combine movements and manoeuvres and Parkour Family: which caters more to children and encourages utilising creativity within the environment. Beginner or advanced, indoors or outdoors, rain or shine, Superfly Monkey Dragons are always ready!
Although parkour training is a relatively new phenomenon in the world and even newer in Singapore, it has been gaining serious steam and growing ever so popular. Beginners, don’t worry. During Kids Parkour lessons, which are $45 each or 8 lessons for $295, instructors will conjure up with fun and interesting ways for students to get from Point A to Point B, all the while building up confidence and self-discipline. At GymKraft, those familiar with Parkour can also train on their own using the gym’s equipment and facilities during 2-hour open sessions for $20.
If your child idolises superheroes send them to the ADD Academy where they will get the chance to jump, slide, vault, and climb like one, all under the supervised eyes of certified parkour trainers of course. ADD Academy offers classes for all levels, teaching most of the sessions at their own facility but holding some in outdoor locations around Clarke Quay as well. Students will not only learn the basic foundations of parkour but also understand how to better interact with the urban environment. It might come in handy one day when you need to climb a wall.