2020 was a year like no other. The economies of all countries on this planet were affected by the imposed restrictions during the global pandemic. At the same time, restrictions forced many people to start working from home, while online classes have become the new normal.
As people were forced to spend more time inside, they had more time to think about their life, habits, and behaviors. And when restriction measures eased at the beginning of the summer, parkour is one of the sports that surged in popularity.
Learning parkour is something many children decided to do, but how did this exactly happen?
Lack of Sports
The surging popularity of parkour is a consequence of the fact that people spent more time inside. As the pandemic began spreading through the world, many countries imposed lockdown measures. Parents and children spent more time inside and their physical activity was limited to the house perimeter.
Not going to school, meeting with colleagues, and doing sports can be detrimental to children’s development. Their bodies and minds are growing continuously, so they need both physical and mental exercise.
Parkour is one of those sports that are non-competitive and also allow children and adults who practice it to develop their muscle and bone strength. Parkour may indeed lead to serious injuries, but as you exercise more, you perfect your skill more. It is that challenging sport many children were looking forward to.
Not a Team Sport
But the global pandemic made people more conscious of their habits. To not catch the virus, you need to protect yourself and limit your contact with other people. And parents are more concerned nowadays about the safety and health of their children. As more and more countries do not allow team sports to take place inside, more and more parents are looking for alternatives.
Parkour proved itself to be one of the best. Why? Because it can be practiced independently. And even in parkour classes, there are small groups of children, with a maximum of 6 and 3 coaches. Children practice parkour without having contact with too many people. Which is great both for their safety and the peace of their parents.
It Can Be Practiced During Any Season
Parkour is a sport that needs no special conditions to take place. There are some parkour parks specially designed for training, but not all cities have these. So, the ones who practice it need to adapt. More important is the fact that you do not need a training room, sports hall, or gym to practice parkour. Everything happens outside, which makes it a great choice for children during these uncertain times.
Moreover, parkour can be practiced during any season. Of course, this highly depends on the local weather conditions and the training’s place. For example, during winter it is more challenging to do parkour, as everything is slippery and icy and accidents can happen. If the setting is a safe one and the weather allows for it, parkour can be practiced during the winter season.
Spring is the best one for parkour, as the sun is shining and lightly warming everything. And the outside temperature is just right for sports.
It Is Not Competitive
Or not as competitive as other sports. Those who want to compete will find competition in everything. Parkour is not a competitive sport, but more like a challenging one. Parkour can help you constantly go out of your comfort zone and start improving your skill set.
As lockdown forced many people to look more inward, they might have found out new things about themselves. Competition is something that not all people, and especially children like. Many do not see the point of competition or simply do not like being involved in one. And most schools have mostly promoted team sports and competitive culture.
Children who do not find pleasure in practicing team sports or simply want to do something differently, chose parkour this year. It has surged in popularity because it is a sport that usually attracts more introverted people. Of course, this does not mean that those who practice it are all introverted. But parkour is a special place where they can express themselves.
Improving Physical Condition
One of the benefits parkour comes with is an improvement in physical condition. Even though at the beginning learning the basics might be challenging, as time passes, you will gain more and more experience. And complex movements such as alternating jumping with running and climbing might become your second nature.
Parkour is a physical activity that improves the fitness and health of children considerably. This is especially important during these years that have been marked by the rapid development of technology. More and more children began being more sedentary, as playing video games is one of their main activities. And now that they spent more time inside, their fitness and health surely were affected.
Parkour is a sport for any age because it helps improve your cardiorespiratory fitness. At the same time, your muscles and bones gain more strength and you will become able to perform a wide variety of challenging movements.
Conclusion
Parkour has gained more popularity during this year, but why was it like this? The global pandemic has indirectly affected the perspective people have on practicing sports. And as it forced children to spend more time inside, the lack of physical activity began to be of interest both for children and their parents.
Parkour is a non-competitive sport and those who practice it are mostly children who do not love team sports or competition. It can be practiced during any season, depending on the weather conditions. But more important is the fact that you cannot practice it in a gym or sports hall, where the spread of the virus might be more facile.
Parkour is a sport that is practiced outside and this characteristic might make parents more at peace, as their children are safer.
Not least, parkour improves the fitness and health of children and helps their bodies gain more strength.
Author’s bio: Tiffany Harper is a freelance writer who helps an assignment writing service and thesis writing service with their blogs and social media content, which is a highly appreciated US writing service. She likes writing and providing custom consulting services. During her free time, she is doing fitness and jogging.