Can Parkour Teach Older People to ‘Fall Better’?

Can Parkour(pärˈko͝or) Teach Older People to ‘Fall Better’?

The sport isn’t just about extreme(ikˈstrēm) jumping. It also focuses on balance and agility(əˈjilədē), which are important for avoiding injury(ˈinjərē) as people age.

By Linda Poon(po͞on)

In a 10,000-square(skwe(ə)r)-foot facility(fəˈsilədē) full of crisscrossing(ˈkriskrôs) metal(ˈmedl) pipes(pīp) in Alexandria(ˌaləɡˈzandrēə), Virginia(vərˈjinyə), kids swing(swiNG) from one bar to the next. They bounce(bouns) off walls and somersault(ˈsəmərˌsôlt) into a foam(fōm) pit(pit) in the back. Near the front, a guy in his 20s leaps(lēp) across the room from one vaulting(ˈvôltiNG) box to another. At one point, he does a backflip(ˈbakˌflip).

Among the crowd(kroud) at the Urban(ˈərbən) Evolution(ˌevəˈlo͞oSHən) parkour gym(jim) is 51-year-old Dan Scheeler(ē). The only thing that makes him stand out among the younger crowd is his full, greying(ɡrā) beard(bi(ə)rd). Scheeler easily scales(skāl) an eight-foot wall before “circling(ˈsərkəl) over” the ledge(lej) and landing lightly back on the ground. That’s one of his favorite moves, he says. It could come in handy(ˈhandē) if he ever finds himself stuck on the roof, an onlooker(ˈänˌlo͝okər,ˈôn-) jokes with him.

Parkour—a free-running, acrobatic(ˌakrəˈbatik) sport that uses the built environment as an obstacle(ˈäbstəkəl) course—is a physically demanding (and sometimes downright dangerous) practice(ˈpraktəs). That’s just one reason why most of its practitioners(prakˈtiSHənər), or traceurs(träˈsər,ˈtrāsər), tend to be young. Resilience(riˈzilyəns) and flexibility tend to decline(diˈklīn) with age; leaping(lēp) off concrete(ˈkänˌkrēt, ˌkänˈkrēt) obstacles can be unkind to older joints(joint). So it’s unusual to see someone Scheeler’s age doing a discipline(ˈdisəplin) known for daredevil(ˈde(ə)rˌdevəl) moves like jumping off buildings and backflipping off walls.

Parkour isn’t just about jumping, though. It’s also about knowing how to land—or, said another way, knowing how to fall. And as more of America’s 76 million Baby Boomers hit retirement(riˈtīrmənt) age—with 10,000 turning 65 every day—some parkour groups are introducing a modified(ˈmädəˌfī) version of this trendy(ˈtrendē) urban movement practice to keep older adults active, and to teach them instincts(ˈinstiNG(k)t) that could save them from death or serious injury during a fall.

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https://www.citylab.com/life/2018/12/parkour-class-50-plus-aging-fall-prevention-exercise/577900/