Parkour Generations Opens New Facility in London
June 18, 2021
Parkour Generations, the largest teaching body for the dynamic art of movement that is parkour (or Freerunning) in the world, recently opened its second facility in the UK. The new London Parkour School provides a dedicated space for young people to grow, practice and develop the art, while also teaching valuable life skills.
It has run youth classes and programmes throughout London for over 15 years. Recognising the increasing difficulty of kids to access spaces where they could truly express their physicality, the organisation decided to create a more permanent space for the children. The first Parkour School was the result.
Working closely with a number of groups in the UK and around the world, Parkour Generations delivers instruction and guidance to national sporting authorities in primary and secondary schools, and to local councils and social inclusion organisations. Believing in the power of coaching, Parkour School puts forward healthy methodologies and learning points for children. Its global network now includes the US, China, Brazil, South Korea and Taiwan.
“Kids need to move. Regular, natural movement is absolutely vital for healthy physical and mental development and should be given far more priority than it currently is within our education system," said Founder and CEO Dan Edwardes.
"We've taught parkour to tens of thousands of kids all over the world and without exception, we see an increase in confidence, coordination, strength, fitness, problem-solving skills, self-efficacy, social skills and the ability to manage risk. It's simply an extension of the natural play impulse in all children, and we should be embracing and encouraging that at every opportunity."
Parkour focuses on developing the fundamental attributes required for movement, including balance, strength, endurance, precision, spatial awareness and creative vision. On the physical side, this exercise can reveal physical and mental limits, while simultaneously offering a method to overcome them.
Instruction focusses on integrating the natural and largely untapped physical and mental potential of every person into their modern life in a holistic and functional way: to make movement and the use of the body a central part of daily life. This is done through teaching, conceptual and architectural consulting, live demonstrations, education and research, media work and artistic representations.
This second facility is purpose-built and dedicated to the physical and mental development of kids through the power of movement. For example, its Animal Paths curriculum helps kids master the body and mind through movement, encouraging them to become as strong as a bear or as agile as a cat. Each of these Paths focuses on a set of skills and techniques, and are separated in levels. The school caters to kids between 1 to 15 years old, with classes running throughout the week and on weekends.
"Everything we do, the entire reason we train people the way we do, is to develop the whole individual and not just the athlete. Being good at parkour is not our primary motive - helping people become better versions of themselves is always the goal," continued Dan.