What role should a national governing body play in shaping the growth and development of Parkour?

Collaboration among diverse voices is shaping the future of Parkour through the USPK.

This episode explores the US Parkour Association’s (USPK) efforts to address competition, coaching certifications, and international pressures. The association adopts a neutral stance on competition, aiming to serve as a platform for diverse practices while prioritizing safety and sustainability. It acknowledges the varied opinions within the Parkour community and strives to ensure competitions reflect the values of the discipline.

Coaching certifications are another key topic, with USPK focusing on establishing standards rather than creating its own certifications. This approach aims to ensure that certifications emphasize safety, best practices, and legitimacy. Additionally, the conversation highlights the challenges of globalization and external organizations attempting to influence Parkour, stressing the importance of maintaining the sport’s cultural roots through active community involvement.

Takeaways

Neutral stance on competition — USPK refrains from dictating competition formats, instead prioritizing safety and inclusivity across the community.

Role in coaching certifications — The organization seeks to set standards for safety and best practices rather than creating a proprietary certification system.

Diverse representation — The transition board brings together varied perspectives to reflect the community’s diversity and facilitate inclusive decision-making.

External pressures on Parkour — Parkour faces challenges from entities outside the community aiming to capitalize on its growth, necessitating vigilance and advocacy.

Importance of research and dialogue — Informed conversations based on facts are emphasized as vital for addressing controversies and progressing the community.

Building a unified voice — The USPK aims to identify areas of consensus within the community while respecting and preserving differing opinions.

Advocacy for engagement — Active participation in USPK by community members is encouraged to shape the organization’s direction and protect Parkour’s values.

Growth through collaboration — The potential for the Parkour community to advance lies in harnessing the collective expertise of diverse stakeholders.

Resources

USPK Official Website — Provides information about the United States Parkour Association and membership opportunities.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

---

— Hello👋 I’m Craig Constantine.

In the Movers Mindset podcast, I talk with movement enthusiasts to learn who they are, what they do, and why they do it. I’m interested in the nature and philosophy of movement and in exploring themes like independence, self-direction, and human excellence. My interests color each conversation and provide some structure to Movers Mindset. But since I like to take the scenic route, every conversation ends up going somewhere unique.

The purpose of Movers Mindset is to create and share great conversations with movement enthusiasts. Each conversation feeds my insatiable curiosity, but I share them to turn on a light for someone else, to inspire them, or to give them their next question.

I appreciate your time and attention, and I don’t take it for granted.

— Thank you!

My personal mission is creating better conversations to spread understanding and compassion. And Movers Mindset is one of the things I do in service of my mission. Drop by https://craigconstantine.com/ for my weekly email, my other podcasts, writing and more.

The Movers Mindset project grew from conversations I started having as part of my personal journey rediscovering movement. The project started late in 2015, and it was initially simply a web site that shared others’ writing. The project grew, and in 2017 I started the podcast. I’ve worked extremely hard, but none of this would have been possible without so much help from so many people.

Thanks for listening!

ɕ