THE APEX L1 PARKOUR COACHING CERTIFICATION

BECOME A HIGHLY SKILLED AND SUCCESSFUL PARKOUR COACH

Principles and systems for better parkour coaching

We take a different approach to traditional parkour coach education. The Apex parkour coaching certification is a comprehensive program designed to elevate your training and coaching career.

This mentorship starts with defining your own success, setting thoughtful goals, and establishing intention and direction in the wildly open-ended world of parkour. In addition to sharpening your coaching skills, our curriculum provides principles and systems for better parkour coaching. We help you build the skills you need to lead your students and build an impactful and long-lasting parkour program or gym.

Just like our coaching philosophy, this certification equips you with repeatable and proven systems, simplifying program design for parkour skills, as well as strength & conditioning. Our certification process is not just about coaching, it’s about building a sustainable career and delivering consistent results to your clients. Join us and become part of our parkour coaching community dedicated to authenticity, longevity, and excellence.

"I liked how everything taught is based on science and not just personal experience. The pace was perfect. Alternating between lecture and moving was a great way to pack in a lot of content. I also liked the diversity in the group with regard to skill levels, experience, backgrounds, ages, etc. I strongly appreciate the supportive environment, even though my rookie level shined through, I felt encouraged and supported by everyone rather than embarrassed. You are doing a great thing, stay humble and keep going!"

"The dedicated focus that Apex has put into their certification gives the participant in-depth knowledge of parkour starting from the history and going into the physics of movements. I felt like I was back in college and enjoyed the detailed information."

"It was a great insight to see how Apex runs their lessons. There were a lot of notable pointers and takeaways that I can bring back to Singapore. I like the hands-on approach where the coaches can feel the actual difficulty of teaching beginners the various movements of parkour."

"The way Apex presented parkour was pretty amazing. I was interested in parkour but after the course, I felt more in love with it. That change occurred in my head because watching them perform it was inspiring. The progressions you showed us made me feel like parkour isn't so far out of reach."

"Apex is very much open to other opinions and discussions. I could see that they valued new information and wanted to keep growing as a program. I love how the seminar carefully incorporated the best parts of the new and old parkour culture. Keeping the 'parkour spirit' alive but still logical and scientific. COME TO JAPAN! Love you guys!"

"Apex did a wonderful job with the course. It was entertaining, informative, and they did a great job keeping the class moving along. The teaching experience was valuable as well and Apex was a perfect atmosphere."

Learn safe, sustainable training methods while upgrading your coaching & communication skills

Throughout the Apex coaching certification, you’ll experience the basic techniques of parkour in lab and lecture environments. Through hands-on participation, you’ll learn to refine your own technique and how to improve other people’s. During lectures, you’ll learn the science behind movement and how to run a successful parkour gym or program. With drills, mock classes, and practical applications, you’ll learn to coach the skill of moving the human body.

In our certification, we’ll constantly challenge the status quo of health, fitness, and parkour in order to better understand natural laws that govern the ways in which we move. Our certification was designed to provide parkour coaches with the necessary wisdom and experience needed to maintain the spirit of parkour while teaching beginners safely and effectively. Only those who pass the written and practical tests at the end will earn the title of “Apex L1 Certified Parkour Coach.”

Get personalized coaching + mentorship directly from Ryan and our team of Apex athletes, coaches, & gym owners

Our commitment to you goes beyond parkour coaching. We prioritize a steady stream of individualized guidance, providing insights not only into refining your coaching style but also sharpening your own parkour skillset. Through our online study materials, as well as hands-on training and coaching assignments, you’ll constantly be challenged to improve your skills.

The Apex parkour coaching certification ensures a unique focus on you, fostering a learning environment that nurtures both your coaching expertise and personal mastery of parkour. By practicing our unique methods to parkour training and coaching, you’ll gradually become a well-rounded and impactful coach.

Accredited by the United States Parkour Association, the national governing body for parkour in the USA:

HOW WILL THIS PROGRAM MAKE ME A BETTER COACH?

Elevate your coaching expertise
Acquire skills and wisdom to coach parkour with confidence and precision, transforming your passion into expertise and setting you apart as a top-tier coach. You’ll be challenged to define your coaching goals, determine your vision of success, and map out your trajectory in the parkour industry.

Comprehensive mastery of basics
Gain proficiency in teaching fundamental parkour skills, concepts, mindsets, and principles. Arm yourself with the ability to impart a strong foundation, setting your students up for success from the start.

Optimize your coaching impact
Learn techniques to teach more effectively, reducing the risk of injuries and fostering a positive learning environment. As a result, retain more students who progress confidently, cultivating a thriving community around your coaching.

Streamline your coaching preparation
Receive our entire beginner curriculum, saving you hundreds of hours of planning and development. Focus on what you do best—coaching—without the stress of creating materials from scratch.

HOW YOU'LL LEARN

Lab & lecture

Through lectures and hands-on participation, you’ll learn how to refine your own skills, as well as how to fuel a safe, steady progression in your students.

We’ve created valuable presentations, simulations, and challenges to keep you engaged from start to finish.

Comprehensive curriculum

Gain lifetime access to both of our most important digital resources for the fundamentals of parkour training: 1) Parkour 100 Series and 2) Parkour Strength Online

Work through these self-paced, online resources from the perspective of a student and coach. Sharpen your parkour and coaching skills through “proof-of-work” video assignments and asynchronous feedback from our team.

Live discussion & feedback

Whether you’re working through the in-person or online version of our coaching certification, you’ll have lots of access to our team for any unique questions or concerns that come up in your parkour training/coaching journey.

WHAT'S COVERED IN THE APEX CERTIFICATION?

Throughout our coaching certification, you’ll explore and apply a variety of subjects, exercises, and assignments such as:

An 8-week training program w/ coach feedback
Training & coaching video assignments
Parkour philosophy & history
Safe & sustainable training methods
Principles of coaching & communication
Movement science
Parkour skills & progressions
Running a successful parkour program

Got questions? Send us an email: apexmovement@gmail.com

Why we developed our own coaching certification

Since 2004, we’ve traveled the world, studying parkour with some of the oldest, youngest, best, and worst parkour communities. It’s our goal to not only improve our own skills but also find the best training and teaching methods for a diverse set of populations.

To further our understanding of human movement, we’ve worked with leading researchers in fields like biomechanics, physical therapy, chiropractic, martial arts, and fitness. Along this journey, we’ve learned that while parkour consists of skills that are fundamental to human movement, the safe and effective practice of parkour as a serious training methodology is understood, practiced, and coached by few.

Our coaching certification was born in 2014 in order to empower the international parkour community by bringing awareness to sustainable parkour training methods, developing the highest quality of coaching, and promoting safe educational programs and facilities. We also strive to innovate and apply movement science, parkour-specific skills, key mindsets, and wide-ranging progressions.

With our coaches continually at the forefront of developing accessible and innovative parkour training methods, it’s not surprising that a long list of high performers have come out of Apex. We’ve trained elite athletes and artists who have featured in TV/film, live performance, and won international parkour & World Chase Tag competitions.

Some of the top Apex athletes and coaches since 2005 include Taylor Carpenter, Rob Schihl, Dylan Baker, Brandon Douglass, Renae Dambly, Michael Sliger, Kristine Dietrich, Paul Kasemir, Jason Bergeron, Erica Madrid, Seth Wang, Amos Rendao, Justin Clark, Jesse Clark, Olof Wood, Brian Arnold, Megan McQueen, Santos Terrones, Devin Strehle, Kasia Kilijanek, Mason Fleet, Mel McQueen, Alan Connealy, and Dante Grazioli.

Why choose Apex?

Industry recognition: Our certification is widely acknowledged in the international parkour community and beyond. Enhance your credibility and open doors to exciting new coaching opportunities.

Flexible learning: Balance your passion for parkour with your busy schedule. Our online platform allows you to learn at your own pace, ensuring you can achieve certification without disrupting your life.

Lifetime access: Once certified, enjoy continuous access to updated content and resources. Stay at the forefront of parkour coaching with ongoing support and materials.

Meet your coach

Hey, I’m Ryan. I’m a parkour coach, athlete, gym owner, author, and the founder of Apex School of Movement.

I spent most of my early years focused on soccer, football, and track & field. When I found parkour at 17 (in 2004), I taught myself using Internet videos because nobody else in Colorado trained at the time. 2 years later, I started the first parkour classes in North America, while also performing parkour worldwide for brands like ESPN, US Embassy, New Yorker, and K-Swiss.

In 2009, I founded Apex School of Movement in Denver, Colorado. In 2016, we launched our Apex online academy to accelerate parkour education around the world through: 1) implementing strong, authentic parkour culture, IRL & online 2) educating students & coaches to use safe, effective training methods.

Now I create athlete and coach education for parkour + strength & conditioning, remote coach & program for people all over the world, & work with athletes to increase performance in many sports including speed parkour, speed climbing, World Chase Tag, Ninja Warrior, CrossFit, and OCR.

Since 2004, we’ve traveled the globe, honing our skills and collaborating with experts in parkour, biomechanics, strength & conditioning, traditional sports, and more. Our coaching certification, born in 2014, aims to empower the global parkour community with sustainable training methods and the highest coaching standards.

For my first 10 years of parkour, I struggled to find teachers or mentors who could help me as a parkour athlete, coach, and gym owner. The Apex parkour coaching cert is the comprehensive coach training program and knowledge-base that I wish I had during my first decade of learning and growing into my future roles as a coach, author, and gym owner.

Join us to be part of the Apex legacy that includes elite athletes, coaches, and gym owners who excel in many different ways. Our commitment is not just to teach parkour; it’s to innovate and apply movement science, mindsets, and progressions that redefine what’s possible in parkour and life.

Let’s move!
— Ryan

Interested in attending or hosting our in-person coaching certification?

While we consistently run our coaching certification online, we also offer the option of attending a 3-day coaching certification IRL. We occasionally host these at Apex Denver in Colorado but if you have the space and interest, we can run our certification in your local gym, parks, etc. For more information on our in-person coaching certifications, fill out our application and let us know what you have in mind.

FAQ

Our most frequently asked questions & answers for the Apex L1 parkour coaching certification:

Do I have to start and finish on a specific date?

No, you can choose to enroll at any time you like, and complete the course according to whatever timeline suits you. There is no time limit for completion, and you can study at your own pace.

What are the skill requirements? what if i'm not good enough?

Don’t worry too much if you’re a beginner because the online cert is developed to help you develop the basics that you would be teaching. If you’re interested in the IRL cert, we have slightly higher physical requirements, but we have had many different skill levels, ages, disciplines and abilities come through the certification, and we have been able to get almost everyone to a good beginner coaching level that we are willing to back. If you’re still concerned about being too beginner, let us know and we send you over a few movement assignments to film and then you could submit them back for us to look at.

Is this an online/remote/digital course?

All the content is delivered online so you can study anywhere in the world. Through this format we have created a multi-faceted approach to learning which includes text, GIF, video, image, quizzes, and more.

Can I enroll in the course if I am located outside of the USA?

Yes, we welcome learners from anywhere in the world.

Will I be able to access the written material and video after completion of the course for reference sake?

Yes, there’s no time limit to your access. Once you have completed the course you will always have everything for reference and revision purposes.

Can I download the course?

We don’t currently offer specific links or ways to mass download our course content but there are plenty of clever ways for you to copy/download/save digital content for later or offline usage (e.g. screenshots, save as, etc).

HOW TO EXPENSE APEX EDUCATION

What if you could take this course for free? You might be able to! Many companies offer a learning & development budget (aka an education or training budget) that may partially or fully cover the cost of programs like the Apex L1 parkour coaching certification.

To further increase your odds of free tuition, we compiled a few simple strategies and templates to help you get your employer to invest in you.

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