Parkour originated in France in the late 20th century, with roots in earlier military obstacle-course training and natural movement systems.
One of its key influences was Georges Hébert, a French naval officer who developed the méthode naturelle in the early 1900s. His approach emphasized natural movement, agility, strength, and practical physical capability, helping lay the groundwork for ideas that would later shape Parkour.
The Yamakasi, a group of young athletes training in the suburbs of Paris during the 1980s and 1990s, played a central role in transforming earlier movement and obstacle-training ideas into a distinct modern discipline.
Influenced in part by David Belle, his father Raymond Belle’s military and firefighting background, and the broader tradition of méthode naturelle, the group trained through urban environments using running, jumping, climbing, vaulting, and other forms of efficient movement.
Their shared practice emphasized discipline, adaptability, physical capability, and overcoming obstacles, helping shape the foundations of what would later become known internationally as Parkour and Art du Déplacement.
Parkour gained international recognition in the early 2000s as videos, documentaries, films, and television introduced the discipline to audiences around the world. Its combination of dynamic movement with a philosophy centered on self-improvement, adaptability, creativity, and overcoming physical and mental challenges helped Parkour grow far beyond its origins in France.
As the international community expanded, Parkour continued to evolve. Different athletes and communities developed their own styles, specialties, and approaches to training, broadening the discipline while maintaining its foundation of learning to move through and adapt to the environment.
Today, Parkour is practiced by millions of people around the world, supported by communities and organizations that share its techniques, culture, and values through local and international jams, athlete-led workshops, competitions, and showcase events.
EVERY STYLE TELLS A STORY
Parkour is a discipline of spectacular physical movement built on subtle forms of control. It develops fine reactive movement, psychological self-assessment, and heightened awareness of the environment.
Training constantly shifts between power and precision. An athlete might perform a maximum-distance running jump, redirect their momentum on landing, then immediately transition into precise foot or hand placement on a rail, bar, or branch. That rapid adjustment is a glimpse into the complexity of Parkour training.
Repeatedly moving between explosive effort and precise control develops the nervous system’s ability to coordinate movement, react to changing conditions, and make increasingly fine physical adjustments under pressure.
Our bodies are the tools we use to move through the world; Parkour is the practice of learning how to use them well.
At the foundation of Parkour is a strong psychology of self. It is an intrinsically self-guided discipline, asking athletes to assess obstacles relative to their own ability, experience, and confidence. Whether novice or expert, the process is the same: understand the challenge, understand yourself, and make an informed choice about how to engage with it.
As a broad movement discipline, Parkour introduces practitioners to a wide range of physical possibilities. Over time, athletes naturally gravitate toward the movements they find most compelling, refining them through repetition and increasingly complex environments.
Parkour becomes an evolving relationship between body, mind, and environment—a practice built on choice, awareness, and an ever-expanding understanding of self.
That relationship creates a unique kind of freedom: the ability to explore and interact with the world in ways that may once have felt inaccessible, whether moving through an urban landscape, a natural environment, or anything in between.
Despite being a discipline centered on the individual, Parkour is practiced by a worldwide community connected by a shared love of movement. At the same time, Parkour culture varies widely across regions, with different communities developing their own styles, aesthetics, training methods, and ways of thinking.
Some regions become known for particular movement qualities, whether high-level acrobatics and reactivity, large-scale fundamental techniques, or exceptionally fluid movement connections. These tendencies are never absolute, but they reflect the way local culture can shape how Parkour is practiced and expressed.
That diversity is one of the discipline’s greatest strengths. Each community develops its own variations, specialties, and innovations, helping Parkour continually evolve as athletes explore new possibilities for human movement.
Parkour is the soul of ROAM.
ROAM’s founders began training nearly two decades ago, when Parkour was still in its early stages of growth in the United States. Alongside a small group of other early East Coast practitioners, they helped shape the developing Parkour communities of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York.
Through community events, informal training gatherings, and some of the region’s earliest structured programs, those early efforts helped establish the foundation for what Parkour has become locally today.
Having trained through that formative period, ROAM’s founders still carry many of the discipline’s original philosophies into their own practice and into the way Parkour is taught at ROAM: self-awareness, adaptability, personal responsibility, creativity, and continual growth.
Parkour, however, is not a discipline of static beliefs or practices. It has continued to evolve, and the culture surrounding it has evolved as well. What began as a largely non-competitive discipline now includes a wide range of competitive formats, leagues, and rule structures, while its visual appeal has carried Parkour into film, television, videogames, and other media.
As the discipline continues to change, ROAM’s founders work to incorporate new ideas, techniques, and competitive influences without losing sight of Parkour’s original values. The result is an approach that blends contemporary culture with traditional philosophy, allowing ROAM’s training to evolve while remaining connected to its roots.
ROAM was built as a home and waypoint for movement-minded adventure seekers who value active, capable lives. Parkour is the discipline that guides us along that path.
We believe movement is one of the most fundamental ways we interact with the world. Learning how to move well—to understand and use your body more fully—changes your relationship with your environment, shifting you from simply observing the world to actively engaging with it.
ROAM’s founders and team train, and therefore teach, through a philosophy of controlled, deliberate progression rooted in Parkour. We meet athletes at their individual ability level and guide their development with sustainability, longevity, and continual growth at the center of our approach.
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