FAQ

How Do Y’all Meet?

We generally arrange meet-ups in person or through the DC Metro Parkour Hotline Discord server. Start times are always a bit flexible. People will often arrive  a bit later than earlier.

What Should I Wear?

Dress for the weather. Easily removable or addable layers can help make sure you’ve always got what you need. Preferably wear durable clothes that allow a full range of movement and little risk of getting snagged on things. Long sleeves/pants can help avoid the common scrapes and cuts. 

Most running/tennis shoes are perfect for parkour as long as they do not have hard plastic on the bottoms, nubs in the tread that can get caught on things, or shoes that don’t flex very well. Many practitioners prefer to train in shoes with flat rubber soles that allow ample ankle mobility. Play smart, and get moving! 

What Should I Bring?

Staying hydrated and maintaining one's energy levels are a must, so definitely bring some water and a few snacks. It’s wise to also bring some alcohol wipes/ sanitiser and a hand towel. While training sessions or jams might start in one spot, it’s not uncommon to move frequently (movement is the name of the game, after all), so make sure you pack light enough so that you can get up and go!

Isn’t Parkour Dangerous?

Parkour, like any activity, comes with risks and dangers. It’s unfortunate that social media algorithms tend to favor promoting the most extreme examples of parkour, but parkour injury statistics tend to report it as being no more dangerous than other sports like soccer or rock-climbing. In fact, because parkour is all about navigating the environment with your body, learning to manage and mitigate risk is a big aspect of the training! Additionally, apart from the risks inherent to the playing field, there are fewer complicating variables outside of one’s control, like potentially faulty equipment or opposing players.

How Do I Get Started?

Parkour is all about your movement through the environment, so as long as you make sure to check your environment for safety/sturdiness, and approach training with humility, you can move and train however you want. If you are on your own, check out the r/Parkour subreddit for their wiki and Guide To Session One.

If you are with a group of friends or at a meet-up posted in the DCMP server and want to train collaboratively, there are all sorts of group games and conditioning exercises y’all can play together. All it takes is the courage to ask others to join you!

May I Take Photographs/ Video?

You are welcome to record yourself or ask someone to record you—we’ll be happy to assist! That said, please let people know you are recording so they can avoid ruining your shot, and please PLEASE if you are taking video that other people will be in, let them know and ask for consent! The same goes for content you have recorded and wish to post online.

What If I Break Something in the Environment?

It can be embarrassing, but please let the others know. One of the discipline’s tenets is être et durer (to be and to last); if you damage the environment or social relationships, that can make it more difficult for anyone to train parkour! So when something does get broken, it is important to let others know so that we can make sure the hazard is clearly identified and report it to the appropriate authority for repair. If you are by yourself, it’s up to you to take care of it!

What If I Break Myself?

Please tell someone! Visit an urgent care facility or schedule an appointment with your PCP. DCMP is a regional network of parkour practitioners, it is not a formal organization with dues, services, or liability insurance. There is no guarantee that anyone present will be qualified to administer first aid or give medical advice. This means that you are responsible for your own safety! That said, if you are training with others and you or someone you see gets hurt, please let others know so that the group can work together to help get you the qualified medical attention you need.

Wow. You Parkour People Are So Cool/ Hot. Can I Come Flirt With You?

Please first calm down and try to not proposition people who are just trying to hang out and train. Training parkour already puts people in a vulnerable position, especially when it’s outdoors in view of the public, so we often already have a heightened sense of being observed. It takes a lot to deal with that without also having to worry about people trying to talk to/train with us for ulterior motives. People come to parkour jams to train parkour, not to be propositioned.

Is My Information Being Tracked?

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is not collected, stored, or distributed by DCMP. Completely anonymous information in the form of a headcount could be gathered with consent and published back to the membership body on the Events page.