Facebook Mail RSS Twitter
  • Featured Business
    • Around the House
    • Health Care
    • Retail Stores
    • Services
  • Everyday
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Rec League
  • Food
    • Restaurants
  • Art
  • History
  • LocalTalk
  • Activities
    • Adult
    • Family
    • Indoor
    • Outdoor
    • Kids
    • Kids
  • Calendar
    • Calendar
    • Add An Event
    • Event Articles
  • Travel
    • Day Trips
    • Overnight Trips
Search
Saturday, June 14, 2025
  • About
    • Team
      • Media Partner
    • Company News
    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
  • Advertise
    • Advertising
Facebook Mail RSS Twitter
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
SouthSoundTalk
  • Featured Business
    • AllAround the HouseHealth CareRetail StoresServices
      Boggs Inspection Services

      Boggs Inspection Services Treats Every Month Like National Electrical Safety Month

      skincare school

      Continuing Education Opportunities Through Miss Priss Lash and Brow Bolster a…

      Beyond ThunderDome Tacoma

      Find Nostalgia, Creativity and Everything in Between at Beyond ThunderDome Café…

      Comcast

      Unlock Unbeatable Internet Value in Pierce County With Comcast’s New Five-Year…

  • Everyday
    • Instagram spots Tacoma

      Experience Insta-Gold With Tacoma’s Most Instagrammable Hotspots for Photo Ops

      Saint Martin's University

      Saint Martin’s Astrophysics Professor Andrea Kunder Shoots for the Stars With…

      Evergreen State College

      The Evergreen State College Students Lead Largest Solar Expansion on Olympia…

      Harbor Heights 55+ Apartments

      At Harbor Heights 55+ Apartments in Olympia, a Bustling Downtown Lifestyle…

      Tacoma marinas

      Set Sail for Nautical Adventures at Tacoma’s Many Maritime Marinas

  • Sports
    • AllHigh SchoolRec League
      athletics at Saint Martin’s University

      Leading With Purpose: New Director of Athletics Theresa Hanson on Her…

      FIFA World Cup Soccer

      While Visiting Olympia to Watch FIFA World Cup Soccer, Head to…

      Saint Martin’s University Basketball Program Sends Talented Local Student Athletes to…

      Tacoma Sports Museum

      30 Years of Local Sports History: Celebrating the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports…

  • Food
    • AllRestaurants
      Beyond ThunderDome Tacoma

      Find Nostalgia, Creativity and Everything in Between at Beyond ThunderDome Café…

      Tacoma Hob Nob Restaurant

      An Authentic Slice of Tacoma: Hob Nob Restaurant Expands Hours and…

      International Cuisine Tacoma

      Travel the World With Your Taste Buds in Tacoma at Local…

      Tacoma Mary Haines cooking school

      Let’s Cook! Tacoma’s Mary Haines Cooking School in 1913

  • Art
    • What Is That Tacoma?

      Take A Walk On The Weird Side With “What Is That…

      Tacoma Carolyn Osborne Sacred Embers

      Tacoma’s Carolyn Osborne’s Creative Forces Drive Her Vision of Sacred Embers

      Alan Harvey Tacoma Poet

      Sharing Tacoma’s Untold Stories With Poet Alan Harvey

      Anthony Schmidt

      Young Pacific Northwest Photographer Seeks to Shift Perspectives With Car Images

      Evergreen State College

      The Evergreen State College Longhouse Celebrates its 25+1 Anniversary of Supporting…

  • History
    • Polio Tacoma

      Tacoma’s Story in the Fight Against Polio

      Bill Herdman Tacoma

      Flower Power: Bill Herdman, Stadium High School’s English Gardener

      Germans in Tacoma

      The Impact of World War I on German Residents of Tacoma

      Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

      Flippers, Feathers and Furry Friends: The Storied Tale of Point Defiance…

      Jimmy Carter Tacoma

      President Jimmy Carter’s 1980 Visit to Tacoma

  • LocalTalk
    • Tacoma housing

      Local Leaders Break Ground on New Affordable Housing in South Tacoma

      Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound

      Tacoma Teen Earns Youth of the Year Title for South Puget…

      TOGETHER!

      Thurston Expanding Your Horizons STEAM Conference Open for Registration

      The Evergreen State College Tacoma Hosts Founder’s Day Celebration on March…

      Rebuilding Hope Sexual Assault Center

      Rebuilding Hope Opens Doors in Hilltop With Expanded Services

  • Activities
    • AllAdultFamilyIndoorOutdoorKids
      Flaming Geyser State Park in Auburn

      The Unusual World Of Flaming Geyser State Park in Auburn

      man in a blue sit-in kayak on the Black River. A bridge over the river can be seen in the distance

      Kayaking, Stand Up Paddleboarding and Canoeing Near Olympia: Black River Gate…

      view of the mima mounds and a paved walkway from an observation deck with a metal mesh railing

      Walking Trails Near Olympia on a Natural Area Preserve

      Kayaking near Olympia

      Challenging Kayaking in Olympia With Rewarding Scenery? Check Out This Day…

    • Kids
  • Calendar
    • Calendar
    • Add An Event
    • Event Articles
  • Travel
    • Day Trips
    • Overnight Trips
Home Activities Parkour Plants Itself as a Popular Sport in the South Sound

Parkour Plants Itself as a Popular Sport in the South Sound

By
Mariah Beckman
-
FacebookTweet

 

By Mariah Beckman

oly ortho“What we’re going to be working on next is traveling,” Chris Pascual says. Clad in black and with his hair tied back, he glances at Brandon Grant and Alex Guthrie to ensure that they are watching. Then, with what seems like no momentum, he springs up on his feet and aligns himself effortlessly on a suspended bar above him. He rocks forward and then back, again with what seems like no exertion and lands squarely on the narrow top of a ramp. “Ready?” he asks as he makes his descent as graceful as his ascension.

One after another, parkour students Brandon and Alex mimic his movements. Their motions are less fluid and seem to require a little more concentration than their instructor’s, but their limbs have been warmed up from a series of rolling and balancing exercises.

In this intimate session and in ones like it every Saturday, these young athletes are learning the finer points of free-running. By building on the exercises that they practice both on the mats and in their own surroundings, these two will one day be able to move freely from obstacle to obstacle as easily as if they were monkeying around on the playground. That’s what parkour is all about: freedom of movement.

Par-what?

Alex Guthrie works on his wall tacks during a Saturday class at Tacoma Strength. Photo credit: Mariah Beckman.
Alex Guthrie works on his wall tacks during a Saturday class at Tacoma Strength. Photo credit: Mariah Beckman.

Whether you call it parkour or free-running, this energetic sport was developed in France by a 15-year-old David Belle around 1988. The sport is described by local traceur (or parkour practitioner) and Morgan Family YMCA parkour instructor Alex Sanchez as “a non-combat form of martial arts as a discipline and not a sport.”

Adapted from the French word “parcours,” which means “the way through,” the sport consists of running blended with a fluid interaction with the elements. This art form cultivates skills that were originally taught as part of an elite training program for the French Special Forces known as “Parcours du Combattant” or “The Path of the Warrior.” It was Belle, son of a Parcours Warrior phenom, who changed the spelling to include a “k” and is often credited for popularizing the sport.

Belle and his band of limber, agile friends — who dubbed themselves the Yamakazi — instigated the now-worldwide movement that is known today as parkour.

The draw.

On the cool, smooth floor of Tacoma Strength’s studio, in between drills Alex Guthrie explains what drew him to parkour: it looked cool. Guthrie’s partner for this session, Brandon Grant, had similar reasons for trying his hand at this fluid form of transportation. “I heard about Tacoma Strengths’ parkour class and I had seen free-running on the internet, YouTube and stuff. I saw that they offered a first class for free and thought it sounded really interesting. And here I am, almost a year later. I love it,” Grant adds before jogging back to the pull-up bars to try his hand again at a wall tack.

At a parkour demonstration at the Tacoma Dome, instructors from the Morgan Family YMCA show off their moves during Let's Play Tacoma. Photo credit: Jared Johnson.
At a parkour demonstration at the Tacoma Dome, instructors from the Morgan Family YMCA show off their moves during Let’s Play Tacoma. Photo credit: Jared Johnson.

I could never do that.

To watch these lean young men and their instructor use the gym’s Crossfit equipment as a literal jungle gym, it’s easy to imagine that this is not a sport for just anyone. Alex Sanchez disagrees, however. “Parkour attracts people of all ages and all body types. Anyone can practice parkour at their own skill level with adequate training and progression,” says Sanchez. Parkour Vision instructor Chris Pascual agrees, adding that the sort of people he sees most often attracted to the sport are independent types who are interested in exploring creative athleticism and utilitarian skills.

What’s in it for me? 

For some, the appeal of parkour is not immediately apparent. Just as skateboarders grind on rails and use curved surfaces as halfpipes, traceurs love to use their environment like a veritable obstacle course. For the less mobile among us, all this running and jumping and tucking and rolling can look a lot like a mess of shenanigans. For others, there is a certain amount of intrigue, but also a certain amount of trepidation. After all, where on earth can a person really use any of this?

Martial arts and parkour instructor Chris Pascual explains that it’s not just the physical benefits of parkour that keep him footloose and fancy free. “There’s definitely a benefit with parkour of building confidence and getting over fears,” he says. “But there’s also learning to understand your limits at the same time as you push them. My favorite benefit of doing parkour is just becoming more aware of the world around you as a place that can be moved through in a variety of ways, not just constructed paths laid out by architecture or common ways of thinking. That’s part of why Parkour Visions chose the name it has. A common skill mentioned is “parkour vision,” where you can see possible lines of movement where other people might just see a barrier.”

In this rustic building inTacoma, Crossfit and Parkour Visions students explore the limits of their bodies and their minds. Photo credit: Mariah Beckman.
In this rustic building inTacoma, Crossfit and Parkour Visions students explore the limits of their bodies and their minds. Photo credit: Mariah Beckman.

Sanchez says that many people are attracted to the sense of accomplishment they gain after conquering a new challenge in their gradual, progressive training. As a parkour coordinator at the Morgan Family YMCA, Sanchez loves to help students set goals of all sizes, and then work alongside his traceurs to realize those ambitions. “I love watching students gain confidence through the skills that are being taught through our experience. Because of the new challenges that I take on through this discipline, I have gained a vast amount of confidence to take on many obstacles, whether they be mental, physical or spiritual.”

Try it for yourself.

To get started in this wild and crazy world of uninhibited self-expression, instructor Alex Sanchez says that all you really need are items that you already own. No classroom is necessarily required to take up parkour training.

For starters, he says, find a comfortable pair of running shoes and workout attire that will not restrict your movement; that will be enough to initiate your training. “Just as important as your gear is knowing your physical limitations to prevent serious injury. The greatest tip I can give to a new practitioner in parkour is to take small steps and progressions to build confidence, and not to forget: lots of repetition! Seek sources that will teach you correct technique and solid foundation, such as parkour/free-running gyms, video tutorials from pros or credible sources and trustworthy coaches.”

Work on your general fitness or tackle new obstacles with a parkour class at Tacoma Strength.
Work on your general fitness or tackle new obstacles with a parkour class at Tacoma Strength.

Both instructors say that Seattle offers a diverse and active parkour community, and that Parkour Visions is at the heart of this thriving collective. For those who are looking or something a little closer to the South Sound area, Parkour Visions offers a first class free at the Tacoma Strength studio (2354 Jefferson Ave., Tacoma; 206-923-8864). The Morgan Family YMCA (1002 S. Pearl St., Tacoma; 254-564-9622) also teaches classes for students of all ages and ability levels.

To explore parkour from the comfort of your own home, visit the links above as well as those that follow for a little more info on how you can become involved in the exciting world of free-running and parkour in the South Sound.

  • World Free-running and Parkour Federation
  • Parkour Visions (check Groupon for seasonal specials!). Free memberships may be available for active duty military as well as full-time K-12 teachers, police, and firefighters. For active little ones, Parkour Visions also hosts events like birthday parties, offers private lessons for all ages, and even extends some scholarship opportunities.
  • Washington Parkour’s Facebook

 

FacebookTweet
Previous articleAmy Reeves Manipulates Metal and Inspires Students at the Tacoma Metal Arts Center
Next articleAn Installation by Sculptor Katy Cowan Takes Shape at Kittredge Gallery
Mariah Beckman

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Flaming Geyser State Park in Auburn

The Unusual World Of Flaming Geyser State Park in Auburn

man in a blue sit-in kayak on the Black River. A bridge over the river can be seen in the distance

Kayaking, Stand Up Paddleboarding and Canoeing Near Olympia: Black River Gate Area

view of the mima mounds and a paved walkway from an observation deck with a metal mesh railing

Walking Trails Near Olympia on a Natural Area Preserve

Local Community Sponsors

STAY CONNECTED

11,784FansLike
1,252FollowersFollow
ABOUT US
SouthSoundTalk is a community social network delivering positive stories about what it’s like to live, work and play in Pierce County Washington and the surrounding area. Advertise with SouthSoundTalk. Brand your business and tell your story to your target market.
Contact us: info@southsoundtalk.com
FOLLOW US
Facebook Mail RSS Twitter
  • About
    • Team
      • Media Partner
    • Company News
    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
  • Advertise
    • Advertising
© SouthSoundTalk, Inc.