The Science of Movement: Logic As a Reflection of God, Parkour As an Act of Praise

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Photo by Rain Duran (instagram.com/raintostay)
Written by Amos Galileo Rendao
Original on November 4, 2010, Revised April 16, 2017

As parkour practitioners, we often interact with clear cut concepts and objects, like concrete walls, basic physics, trees, point A and B, but have you ever asked yourself, “Is this wall real?” “Am I actually climbing this tree in reality, or is this all a dream?” There have been times when I’ve questioned whether or not I’m awake after accomplishing a physical feat that I recently thought impossible, and rightfully so, because I have in the past awakened after such an experience.

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Biomechanics of Parkour: The Vertical Wall Run Technique

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PREFACE: In 2015, we partnered with the biomechanics lab at the University of Colorado at Boulder to deconstruct the vertical wall run technique. Wall runs by 20 parkour coaches and athletes from various APEX schools were analyzed using wall-mounted force plates and high-speed cameras set up at APEX Boulder. Special thanks to Amos Rendao, Dr. Rodger Kram, Peter Lawson, Bryant Pham, and all the APEX athletes and coaches who took part in the study. — Ryan Ford

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Soft vs. Hard Landings

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Depending on the context of a drop to bilateral landing, as well as your training goals/intentions, you may want to stay stiffer/taller when you land, in order to more quickly decelerate & change direction. This is known as a drop to hard landing (aka hard depth drop in plyometrics training). Alternatively, you may want to … Read more