This new parkour arena in Bandra offers training under professional guidance

If yoursquove ever clung onto a speeding BEST bus nonchalantly leapt over a puddle on your daily rush to office or skilfully dodged a reckless biker who had the bright idea of riding on the footpath give yourself a pat on the back yoursquore ready to jump right into the parkour sessions led by physician turned parkour trainer Dr Rishi Prasad ldquoEvery child is a parkour athlete constantly finding new ways to overcome an obstacle Somewhere along the way we lose that sparkrdquo the cofounder of Mumbai Movement Academy a parkour training platform shares Prasad is ready to train a fresh batch of enthusiasts at his new training 2500 sq ft arena in Bandrarsquos Pali HillA participant balances herselfThe space a repurposed indoor football turf is retrofitted with vault boxes balance beams and parallel bars The academy trains participants in basics such as balancing vaulting and gripping He remarks ldquoHow you use these skills to perform parkour is a question of selfexpression We donrsquot tell you how to do it right simply because therersquos not really a right or wrong way to go about itrdquo Prasad who picked up the sport while studying medicine in Russia and later went on to get a Level 2 certification from the UKbased body for coach certification Art du Deplacement and Parkour Teaching ADAPT is aided by cofounders Cyrus Khan and Krishna Mehta and a team of 10 certified parkour trainers from the city with previous experience in training the Indian Army for the new ventureA child attempts a jump PicsAtul KambleOn the opening day of the new space we notice adults experimenting with the advanced equipment while kids as young as six years old learn the fundamentals from the team at the venue We learn that the level system has been created to make the experience immersive for beginners and intermediate athletes ldquoLiving in the city most of the participants who come to us have had some exposure to physical activity unknowingly Most of them are good at making giant leaps but struggle with the skill of balancing which cancels out the former We have introduced levels to gamify the experience By the end of it a participant is holistically trained in all movementsrdquo he reveals These skills help participants ace a varied set of sports ldquoA footballer focuses on training his legs a tennis player will have a strong dominant arm but parkour trains all your muscle groups Our students have picked up sports like gymnastics and track sports and performed surprisingly well right from the get gordquo he addsAs intriguing as the idea of effortlessly jumping over handrails and walls at the new space fitted with industrycertified equipment may look an observation raises a possible red flag in this writerrsquos mind mdash no safety gear or soft padding in sight Before we jump to conclusions the trainer assures us that the decision was arrived at after an extensive research ldquoThe hard surfaces at the arena familiarise the students especially the children to real life repercussions Every movement in training inculcates the value of calculating your risks Children at the academy look at a certain leap and selflimit themselves claiming lsquoMy capabilities are capped at a sixfeet jump and this one looks a few inches too widersquo When we measure the gap theyrsquore almost always rightrdquo Prasad admitsCurrently there is no national governing body overseeing parkour competitions only a handful of academies in major cities that occasionally host events he reveals The 35yearold who recently collaborated with Hrithik Roshan for an action sequence in the actorrsquos Vikram Vedha 2022 concludes ldquoParkour is gradually gaining visibility in mainstream discussions Bollywood has begun incorporating parkour scenes explicitly referencing the sport These developments instil optimism about the futurerdquoAt Mumbai Movement Academy Stellarworld School Bandra WestLog on to mumbaimovementacademy for scheduleCost Rs 3500 per month onwardsParkour checklist for beginnersDosgtgtthinspAlways start with basic movements on floor levelgtgtthinspAsk for help from experienced athletes and coaches parkour is a closeknit communitygtgtthinspProgress comes slowly and gradually Be patientgtgtthinspSpend time developing strength and attributes rather than skillsgtgtthinspIf you are training outdoors clean any footmarks before leaving the premiseDonrsquotsgtgtthinspDo not try new moves at a height yoursquore unfamiliar withgtgtthinspStrictly avoid climbing anything without first checking a route to get downgtgtthinspDonrsquot be reckless and try to imitate professional athletes on social media they are experts with years of training