# Is Parkour actually pragmatic or just a cool activity **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 1, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899 "2015-03-01T00:59:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/1 "2015-03-01T00:59:29Z")
Is Parkour actually pragmatic or just a cool activity? Yes, maybe you get there 3 seconds or a minute or two earlier, but, how often is that ever actually necessary? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/2 "2015-03-01T01:09:30Z")
[Have you ever tried to chase a traceur](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3VZhPEQb8c)? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/3 "2015-03-01T01:37:12Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Have you ever tried to chase a traceur](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3VZhPEQb8c)? :dubious: wish i had time to edit i meant is it useful in everyday life ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/4 "2015-03-01T02:11:48Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > wish i had time to edit > i meant is it useful in everyday life hmmm. Well, it’s no _less_ useful than bowling, tennis, or the pole vault. Parkour is arguably _more_ useful than any of those sports for everyday life. Dude, it’s as useful as you want it to be. Gymnastic skills aren’t that useful in everyday life, unless you cartwheel instead of walk, then I’d imagine that skill is really useful. If you want to use your parkour skills to get from place to place, then I’d imagine you’d find them very useful. If you aren’t inclined to climbing walls and jumping around instead of just walking up the stairs, then I’d imagine you’d find parkour less of a practical thing. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/5 "2015-03-01T03:32:27Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > hmmm. Well, it’s no _less_ useful than bowling, tennis, or the pole vault. Parkour is arguably _more_ useful than any of those sports for everyday life. > > Dude, it’s as useful as you want it to be. Gymnastic skills aren’t that useful in everyday life, unless you cartwheel instead of walk, then I’d imagine that skill is really useful. If you want to use your parkour skills to get from place to place, then I’d imagine you’d find them very useful. If you aren’t inclined to climbing walls and jumping around instead of just walking up the stairs, then I’d imagine you’d find parkour less of a practical thing. thanks so, my next question, do you think the “philosophy” of Parkour can be applied ot life in non-physical ways? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/6 "2015-03-01T03:54:21Z")
What is the “philosophy” of Parkour? ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/7 "2015-03-01T04:20:06Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > What is the “philosophy” of Parkour? I don’t know, I’m interested in it, I get the idea they are about freedom of expression, self reliance, being “radical” and what not ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/8 "2015-03-01T04:26:41Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > I don’t know, I’m interested in it, I get the idea they are about freedom of expression, self reliance, being “radical” and what not Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there that’s just the way it’s used in marketing. Parkour is a fun and challenging physical activity but it isn’t a “way of life”. There isn’t a stereotypical traceur or anything, unless you count “really active and physically fit”. There are no Holy Grails in parkour like in mountaineering or surfing or skiing or rock climbing. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/9 "2015-03-01T04:36:15Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there that’s just the way it’s used in marketing. Parkour is a fun and challenging physical activity but it isn’t a “way of life”. There isn’t a stereotypical traceur or anything, unless you count “really active and physically fit”. There are no Holy Grails in parkour like in mountaineering or surfing or skiing or rock climbing. well thanks for the help, so the tightly knit free spirited sub-culture image/stereotype is bit of an exaggeration then? ---
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/10 "2015-03-02T22:52:29Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > What is the “philosophy” of Parkour? As far as I know, the “philosophy” of parcour has to do with self realisation, individual development, both physical and mental, and free expression through interaction with urban environments. I also once heard by a practitioner that his way of viewing it was as simple as to spontaneously find the shortest, most efficient way of movement in all directions at any time, so I guess anyone can look at it however they like. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2015, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/11 "2015-03-03T23:55:44Z")
Neither. Parkour is like the theater kid version of running. You just are screaming “look at me! I’m cool!” ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/12 "2015-03-04T08:48:37Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > What is the “philosophy” of Parkour? “The shortest route between two points is always a straight line”. That’s about it. All the rest of it is bullshit and/or woo individuals have tacked on. Which is why traceurs come up with all sorts of ways to ignore obstacles in the way or go through them without slowing down (or in some cases even accelerate thanks to obstacles). To get back to the OP I’d say the discipline could be actively useful in getting away from people, or getting some place you _need_ to be fast. But unless you’re a petty drug dealer or a catburglar by trade - both fine, upstanding lines of work with long established traditions - that’s not exactly a daily occurrence. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/13 "2015-03-04T10:54:47Z")
Unless the practitioners are wildly different from regular humans, parkour requires planning and practice. A route has to be planned that is genuinely possible and then practiced to reduce times. In the mundane world of regular sports, runners and jumpers practice intently on getting their steps and rhythms right. Parkour is as practical, or not, as track and field running and jumping. It is much more flamboyant, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/14 "2015-03-04T14:02:40Z")
Depends on how much you’re willing to risk broken bones or stitches in order to get to the other side of the block faster than you can just run around it. If you’re late so frequently that it’s worth the risk, leave home sooner. ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/15 "2015-03-07T03:28:18Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Have you ever tried to chase a traceur](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3VZhPEQb8c)? :dubious: I always wanted to be able to jump over staircase railings like he does in this video. If I could, I’d do it every time. I think I would break an ankle though. ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/16 "2015-03-07T05:46:03Z")
The real problem with parkour is it’s probably a lot more dangerous than comparable sports. Mountain climbers usually use safety lines - parkour stunt performers usually don’t. Skydivers are inherently jumping in a place far away from physical obstacles - they usually survive except when the chutes aren’t packed right. Even motorcyclists are on smooth roadways, albeit ones populated by deadly moving obstacles. With parkour, though, you’re just one rusty railing failing from serious injury or death. A lot of the parkour videos are done in urban environments where any slips or falls will end up in you splatting onto pavement. And the whole point of the “sport” is you are in as big of a hurry as possible, taking the least time to properly make the maneuvers. I think it’s a cool thing to spectate, but there’s a reason it isn’t centuries old like mountain climbing, tree climbing, etc. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/17 "2015-03-18T22:04:46Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Have you ever tried to chase a traceur](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3VZhPEQb8c)? :dubious: [It’s not you can Parkour enough to escape James Bond!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZxNbAwY_rk) ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2015, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-parkour-actually-pragmatic-or-just-a-cool-activity/713899/18 "2015-03-22T05:33:32Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > The real problem with parkour is it’s probably a lot more dangerous than comparable sports. Mountain climbers usually use safety lines - parkour stunt performers usually don’t. Skydivers are inherently jumping in a place far away from physical obstacles - they usually survive except when the chutes aren’t packed right. Even motorcyclists are on smooth roadways, albeit ones populated by deadly moving obstacles. > > With parkour, though, you’re just one rusty railing failing from serious injury or death. A lot of the parkour videos are done in urban environments where any slips or falls will end up in you splatting onto pavement. And the whole point of the “sport” is you are in as big of a hurry as possible, taking the least time to properly make the maneuvers. > > I think it’s a cool thing to spectate, but there’s a reason it isn’t centuries old like mountain climbing, tree climbing, etc. You’re talking about freerunning.