Survival skills: Parkour

I believe one of the most important survival skills to have is the ability to quickly and efficiently get from point A to B, and you may not always have your car... In a basic scenario, things like navigation, foraging, making fire, etc are all important attributes to have - but if survival becomes a way of life, and you are potentially under constant threat from others - on a base level the most important thing you have is yourself and your own abilities. You may have to leave materials and equipment behind, and make a quick escape.

This is why i believe parkour, or the art of movement over or around obstacles with speed and efficiency is paramount. Materials and tools can be lost, you can have all the knowledge you want, but if you cant get around easily then you may not 'survive'. Parkour is more than just climbing over things and running around trying to look cool while you're doing it. Parkour employs some of the most fundamental elements of anatomy and human movement that it's amazing. Everything from learning to roll properly after a jump or fall so you don't take the full brunt on your ankles or knees, judging depth perception and distances properly, always looking ahead and planning for your next potential challenge, learning your strength and agility limits, and more.

Both urban and woodland parkour would be important depending on what survival scenario you found yourself in. Getting through the woods or a city setting quickly and safely could save your life in so many ways. Anything from the mundane to the extreme, quickly getting away from a local disaster (natural or otherwise), escaping an enemy or predator, catching up to a convoy, tracking. Even if youre not running the whole time it would at least teach you efficient and safe navigation.

On top of all of this, the proper skill and art of parkour necessitates physical fitness, exercising, stretching, and being in shape. A strong, healthy body...the most important piece of survival of all.

Also youd be prepared for the inevitable 'zombie apocalypse'!

I pulled a something in my groin last time I attempted a cartwheel!
At 37 attempting parkour I'd break my neck..

reply to post by Ajax


I remember doin parkour in my high school years . Probably the most fun you can have while staying in shape. It can be extremely dangerous though, so take care.

You can't hop around and outrun a virus.

Still it would be fun to watch.

No question! being in "that kind of shape"("acrobatic": like I was at age 21) would be an incredible asset. Just not happening today.
Justify it any way you need to.
It still burns calories and increases the need for water through perspiration/respiration( bad thing)creates cooling through evaporation...

"cold weather rule of thumb:
" you sweat; you die".

Paris island rule of thumb:
"The more you sweat ( in peace time) the less you bleed"...

Thought added: Carelessly Break an ankle in a "no medical care" situation and you become a burden to yourself and others.

and movement makes you easier to see (and creates noise)

How not to be seen:

reply to post by Ajax


i agree w u ajax. i think ur gearing this for more of revolutionary/military state survival. being in shape is a great idea anyway, but when tshtf it will be key. especially if the military or lawmen are involved because u know most of those people are in shape. well at least the ones hunting people down will be. and even if the situation is as peaceful as can be, say a massive virus and people are cooperating w one another to rebuild, you may find yourself having to hike great distance w gear on your back- not an easy task. s+f

reply to post by Suspiria


Yup - as a green going to gray frog I find I cannot hop like I used to.

It kind of reminds me of watching Bear G run literally everywhere, and take so many risks on his show. Much of the time I think to myself, "I and 99% of the people I know would be dead if we tried what he does."

As Dirty Harry said, "A man's gotta know his limitations".

reply to post by Ajax


ridiculous, playing jungle gym in the woods and urban in a SHTF scenario? whoops, scratch and infection = death. whoops broken bone = definitly death, whoops couldnt flip over that bullet = death.



parkour, hahaha

The less extreme is probably the best. Parkour can be rather extreme. What happens and you fall, breaking a leg? That could be a death sentence if SHTF. Who's going to help you then? Hospitals probably will be packed to the brim or abandoned. Besides, who will drive you if the roads are even passable?

I'd only consider doing parkour if the circumstances were already life threatening.

reply to post by Ajax


If you learn how to hide effectively then there's reason to be running anywhere or navigating obstacles.

Just saying..

I think it's really important to know. Honestly, how long can some of us even run though? Some of us, like myself, should start getting in a lot better shape all together. Though Parkour is something I dabbled in a few years ago. It's something I'd like to relearn.

Ultimately, if you can't run for a few minutes straight, it doesn't matter how much you can hoot and hop around unless you can get out of reach before you run out of breath :p

Which is entirely possible too.

I guess if you're going to try to get into shape, persuing this is definately a great idea. Just be careful

Originally posted by WickettheRabbit
You can't hop around and outrun a virus.

Still it would be fun to watch.

I agree with this entirely. Though, if im gonna die to a virus im gonna hop all over the place till my final day - in which ill just roll around all over the place.

Survival means playing safe, which in turn means taking the least amount of risk per movement.

Being in shape is critical for survival, but a level of fitness required for free running is actually above what is attainable for most people in a survival situation. Either before or after.

The risks of moving in such a way while they may look cool are not practical in a survival situation. Potential injury coupled with limited medical care will only prove to be more of a hindrance than anything.

In a survival situation, moving slow and methodically is the answer. Thinking strategically, planning carefully and acting decisively are what makes the survivalist thrive in a complicated environment.

Carrying and wearing gear while performing quick movements not only increases risk of serious injury, but also increases the chances of losing important items in the process which, if you are trying to evade someone can be traceable to your location

Keeping low profile while moving in urban and wooded environments is what allows the survivalist to maintain covertness. Quick movements attract unwanted attention from both men and animals alike.

Ya parkour is pretty cool way of getting around easily if you are in shape, flexible, strong, and quick to think. But as a survival skill, hmmmm NO. You will not be able to out manuever a bullet, Virus, Bomb, in coming space rocks, ballistic missles, dirty bombs, and on and on, the best way to survive, is to be prepared, including a bunker, food, water, gas masks, making your own energy via solar or wind, or whatever it may be. Sorry buddy but i wouldnt want to be bouncing around off buildings when that occurred.

parkour all you want. if you come up against some one who knows how to shoot,
and has a shotgun or automatic weapon and knows how to lead a target. they'll
bust your a@@ in mid leap.

if parkour was a effect way to avoid capture and avoidance, it would be taught by the military,
and other survival experts, and not just done by dumb a@@ extreme punks who think its cool
to risk life and limb to get a rush.

Hey all, thank you for the amazingly awesome feedback so far. I have to say i agree with most everything posted, but want to clarify slightly as well. I also have to say its great to be able to come online to discuss a topic like this. I'd never get this discuss in my 'normal' circles, what an awesome community here! Ok so down to business.

First, yes i was thinking more along the lines of a military event or coup, police/authoritarian involvement, or even invasion of some sort. It would even apply if a fire, earthquake, or other local natural disaster was occurring. Parkour if not trained properly can be dangerous yes, so i am not advocating to just go out and immediately attempt dangerous moves.

On a basic level, understanding parkour - and subsequently human movement, limitations, anatomy, and navigation is not a bad thing, even if youre not physically doing it. Parkour, again even if not running, can teach you how to avoid injury during a fall and while traversing different terrain.

I think some people are mistaking what parkour actually is, its not just kids doing backflips off walls. On a fundamental level it is how to most efficiently and effectively negotiate obstacles, in light of your own body, physical limitations, and what's ahead. Most nowadays incoporate flips and dangerous building jumping into routines to be cool and get on TV or youtube. But it really doesnt have to be that, its actually about how to traverse point A to B easily and quickly.

I do understand the sentiment of 'well yeah its great...if i were younger'. However, youre never to old to understand how to scale a wall, to quickly negotiate the wilderness (even if not running), map out your future route, and know your limitations.

While I've given these concessions, I still stand by my belief that at the bare basics, all you have is your body, tools and materials can be lost. In some scenarios if you cant always hide, and if everyone needs to get away who are the first ones who are dead? You cant hide from an earthquake bringing down buildings. Why not beat out the mob (if physically able) by having a great skillset such as this? In terms of burning calories, sweating, and expending energy, yes these are a consequence. But these things canmbe taken care of if you need to run to survive. And finally in terms of injury, a properly trained parkour runner is no more likely to hurt him/herself than anyone else, because a properly trained parkour runner doesnt jump from buildings or do backflips off of walls.

If you are getting chased down on foot and need Parkour skills to escape/evade your pursuers, then you are doing it (survival) wrong.

That being said, if faced with a life threatening situation by other people, the physical injury risks associated with Parkour techniques are worth attempting since the potential benefit out weighs the risks.

In other words, it's worth risking a sprained ankle if the move saves your life from attackers bent on killing you.

Like I said though, this assumes you have done everything possible to avoid the situation in the first place.

reply to post by Ajax

I agree - learning how to scale a wall, especially quickly, is a great advantage in many situations. But keep in mind, that most serious Parkour tricks require tremendous amounts of energy and can only safely be performed in a controlled environment.

Movies often show foot chase scenes for extended periods of time, like 5 minutes, while people are sprinting, jumping, climbing at full speed. This is movie magic. Even well trained professional/academic atheletes can only go "full speed" for about 1 to 2 minutes. After that, your energy reserves are depleted, concentration is diminished, and skills reduced. Jumping from building rooftop to rooftop at that point is VERY dangerous.

That's the good news, because really if you can't out run your pursuers in 30 seconds, they'll probably catch you anyways, at which point you better have a handgun ready to protect you.

I completely agree that running is not optimal, and should not be used all the time. I'm simply advocating that there definitely IS a use for it, parkour in particular, and if your life is threatened in any way that standard survival skills cannot handle, then it is THE most important skill you can ever have. Hiding is not going to save you from an earthquake. Neither is driving when the road destroyed. Neither is knowing how to make a fire or forage for food. It is a survival skill that just like knowing how to set a snare, is extremely important, and i believe the most important.

This thread just made me think of when The Office did parkour...

Originally posted by Ajax
Hey all, thank you for the amazingly awesome feedback so far. I have to say i agree with most everything posted, but want to clarify slightly as well. I also have to say its great to be able to come online to discuss a topic like this. I'd never get this discuss in my 'normal' circles, what an awesome community here! Ok so down to business.

First, yes i was thinking more along the lines of a military event or coup, police/authoritarian involvement, or even invasion of some sort. It would even apply if a fire, earthquake, or other local natural disaster was occurring. Parkour if not trained properly can be dangerous yes, so i am not advocating to just go out and immediately attempt dangerous moves.

On a basic level, understanding parkour - and subsequently human movement, limitations, anatomy, and navigation is not a bad thing, even if youre not physically doing it. Parkour, again even if not running, can teach you how to avoid injury during a fall and while traversing different terrain.

I think some people are mistaking what parkour actually is, its not just kids doing backflips off walls. On a fundamental level it is how to most efficiently and effectively negotiate obstacles, in light of your own body, physical limitations, and what's ahead. Most nowadays incoporate flips and dangerous building jumping into routines to be cool and get on TV or . But it really doesnt have to be that, its actually about how to traverse point A to B easily and quickly.

I do understand the sentiment of 'well yeah its great...if i were younger'. However, youre never to old to understand how to scale a wall, to quickly negotiate the wilderness (even if not running), map out your future route, and know your limitations.

While I've given these concessions, I still stand by my belief that at the bare basics, all you have is your body, tools and materials can be lost. In some scenarios if you cant always hide, and if everyone needs to get away who are the first ones who are dead? You cant hide from an earthquake bringing down buildings. Why not beat out the mob (if physically able) by having a great skillset such as this? In terms of burning calories, sweating, and expending energy, yes these are a consequence. But these things canmbe taken care of if you need to run to survive. And finally in terms of injury, a properly trained parkour runner is no more likely to hurt him/herself than anyone else, because a properly trained parkour runner doesnt jump from buildings or do backflips off of walls.

Hey Ajax,
I think I get the gist of what your saying.
The ability to know how to maneuver over extreme terrain is just as important as knowing how to evade capture, and maintain a low profile.
I personally don't feel that running anywhere in a survival situation is warranted because of the risks involved. But understanding extreme topographical environments and how to navigate them both safely and effectively is a precious commodity.
Doing it fast I feel is too extreme for survival situations. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to escape in a hurry and must navigate "Mirrors Edge" fashion, you probably should have not been in that situation to begin with.
Logistics and planning are the two best friends you can have when attempting to escape and evade. Lack of one or the other will result in you dancing your way through one obstacle after another.
If you have any doubts about this, imagine trying to evade helicopters at night with a strobe light on your back.
Once you are seen unless you can blend in with your surroundings you are essentially a dead stick.
S.E.R.E. training 2007...........

They have civilian style SERE courses you can take. If you feel that your style can help you in the situations you have presented you may want to try one and test the method out.
I am not saying it is worthless, don't get me wrong.. I am merely saying from the standpoint of a former soldier and someone trained in escape that such things may not help you the way you think.

I will agree and maintain that fully realizing how to navigate radical terrain in a safe and effective manner I of the utmost importance..