Photo Credit - Johann Vigroux

Naomi Honey is widely regarded as one of the strongest females within Parkour.  Through her energy and commitment, she has been a major force in promoting Parkour to the masses, and increasing the practicing female community.  Her work with Parkour Generation, teaches the discipline of parkour, the art of movement to anyone with the desire to learn.  We were lucky enough to catch up with Naomi and pick her brains about Parkour.

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What is Parkour and how did you discover it?

Parkour is a training discipline based on moving over terrain with just your body. It involves running, jumping and climbing. The aim is generally to get from one point to another safely, efficiently and gracefully.

I discovered it about 4 years ago.  I was aware of parkour – at least of people jumping around outside with this amazing ease – in the media, and thought it looked amazing so looked it up and found that there were classes running in London.

What made you want to continue learning the discipline?

I love it.  I love the challenge, both physical and mental, and the focus it takes to overcome at each step.  I love that I can see my development, see how I’m progressing.  It’s a total body discipline, you have to train every muscle, in every way.  You need power, and flexibility, and balance, and precision.  I also love that it’s a totally individual sport – there’s no competition, except with myself.

What difficulties did you face when you started in the sport? How did you over come them?

Strength is probably the main one.  When I started I couldn’t do a pull-up.  That’s changed…  Everything though, really.  I remember in one of my first classes having to balance along a round rail, and being simply unable to stay on it, and utterly bemused about how anyone else could!  Also I had a few ankle sprains early on, which I didn’t look after properly.  Now I know better…

How often do you practice Parkour?

I generally practice around 4 times a week for a couple of hours each time.  I need to ramp that up, but I’m struggling to juggle it with the rest of my life!

What advice do you have for girls who want to give it a go?

Go for it!  It’s awesome fun.  Parkour’s not for everyone at all, but if you look at it and think you’d like to do it, then definitely give it a try!  I’d suggest coming along to a class as it’s quite easy for beginners to hurt themselves otherwise, but there are classes all over the country now.  In London, Parkour Generations runs over 10 classes a week, including Beginner Indoor and Outdoor and Women’s Beginner classes.

Is there a big female Parkour scene?

It’s growing.  Out of the 500 or so students which come to Parkour Generations’ classes every week, about 100 of them are women, going to both the mixed and the Women’s Beginner classes,  and of course there are many more girls training around the country and the world.  In September I was invited to the Uppsala Parkour Girls Gathering in Sweden, which is probably the biggest event of its kind so far, with 42 ladies out training.

Parkour is different for girls than for boys – what our bodies are capable of and how we develop is very different, so it’s great to have other girls around as training buddies.  In my experience, parkour practitioners are really friendly as well, and because the girls are massively outnumbered on the whole they’re really supportive of one another.

Are there any events, camps or courses girls can attend to learn the discipline?

In London, Parkour Generations runs over 10 classes a week, including mixed Indoor and Outdoor and Women’s Beginner classes. This is on top of the classes we run every week for schools, councils, universities and social inclusion programmes.  In addition, we have affiliated coaches running classes in Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and Leicester, plus free women’s jams once a month, which are open training sessions, and a one-week parkour camp in France in the summer.

Is there any specialist equipment needed?

You don’t need any specialist equipment, only a pair of trainers and some clothes you can move freely in.  This is part of what makes parkour so accessible!  Pick some trainers with good grip and a bit of flexibility in the sole.

Photo Credit - Yao Gogoly

Can you do Parkour anywhere?

Parkour is about movement, so you can do it anywhere, but there are some places which are more interesting to train and practice in, with walls and railings and different obstacles to move around.  That said, although it’s mostly seen in inner cities, it can also be practiced in more natural environments.  It’s about the movement, not the situation.

What reaction do you get from people on the street when you are practicing Parkour?

On the whole, reactions are pretty positive.  Usually, people are just curious and quite often will stop and ask what you’re doing.  Some people are less friendly, assuming that if you’re doing something out of the norm that it’s therefore bad, which seems a terrible view of the world!
What do you consider the positives in taking part in Parkour?

Fitness, fun, challenge, developing yourself…  It’s a great sport, great for your body, great for your soul.  Mentally, it can be really liberating – you start seeing obstacles in a different way, as a challenge to focus on and work at until you succeed.  They become stepping stones to get you where you want to go.

What do you hope to achieve with your Parkour?

I just want to keep training, to improve myself and what I can reach.  I’m working on fear at the moment too – having come back from injury, I’m scared of hurting myself again.  That’s fine when it’s rational, but fear isn’t always rational, and sometimes I’m scared for no reason.  Beyond that, I want to help other people discover the sport.  I love it so much and have got so much from it, that it’s great to see other people get that too!

For more information see www.parkourgenerations.com

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