It began in the French military as an exercise in efficiency to get agents from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible regardless of any terrain or obstacles in the way of infiltration or escape. Since its inception, parkour, the art of traversing the (typically) urban landscape via hurdles, sprints and jumps, has left the battlefield and entered the world of sport, dancing around the mainstream with appearances in film, such as the heart-pounding opening chase in Casino Royale, and television, with shows like Ninja Warrior and its American spin-off. Now, with the opening of the Sarasota Parkour Facility, it looks like Sarasota is getting into the game. Josh Hill, the man behind the Sarasota Parkour Facility, first became involved with the sport two years ago, although he had been training in a similar fashion for about a year prior in preparation to compete on American Ninja Warrior, a show pitting contestants against the clock and each other on a grueling obstacle course designed to test speed, agility, stamina and strength. Hill made it to the Winner’s Circle before being defeated by the course, although he earned the fastest non-completion time.

PHOTO BY EVAN SIGMUND.

Fellow contestants were impressed by his speed and power, but thought he could benefit from honing his technique and fluidity. They suggested parkour. “When I started training parkour, it engulfed my life,” says Hill, a young man with long hair and the build of a lifelong athlete, the result of years of board-sports, including a period as a professional skimboarder. “I just wanted to get better. It’s such a mesmerizing sport.”Using a backyard course he constructed for Warrior, Hill embarked on his parkour journey with, ironically enough, some odd stops along the way. Practicing parkour in his time and teaching gymnastics at the YMCA (Hill had no gymnastics training, but impressed watching YMCA instructors with his parkour and quick study. They called him.), it wasn’t long before parents began asking him to teach their kids.

“Five kids turned into a lot of kids,” Hill says chuckling, and soon he felt he could justify leaving the YMCA and making his own space in Sarasota. Hill and the Sarasota Parkour Facility settled on an unassuming outlet off Porter Lake Drive, with a couple offices, a front hall and an expansive high-ceilinged back room that Hill stocked with ramps, ledges, bars for swinging (called Lache bars) and a foam pit for practicing riskier flips and tumbles. To Hill, parkour is the ultimate workout, testing not only the body’s limits in terms of strength and endurance but also the mind, building confidence, perseverance and fortitude. It forces one to constantly test the limits of one’s courage and ability, and rewards the faithful.

“It’s not just your body getting stronger; it’s your mind,” says Hill. “You go through mental barriers. Something that seemed scary two months ago, you may go back to it and think ‘Why was I ever afraid of this?’ It’s really neat to feel yourself change, and that was addictive for me.”

Now Hill teaches a variety of classes at Sarasota Parkour Facility, some divided by age and others by technique. The youth class currently has around 15 kids and 6-7 regulars attend the teen classes. The adult class is more nebulous, with professionals fitting instruction around busy schedules. Specialty classes include an ‘Intro to Movement’class for those unsure of their skill (“We treat you as if you sat on a couch your whole life.”) and an Ukemi class, which teaches attendees how to fall properly, using techniques borrowed from Judo and Aikido.

Knowing parkour’s reputation for high-risk maneuvers (garnered from countless YouTube videos of practitioners leaping from building to building with varied success) and the inherent risk involved in the sport, safety is “our biggest concern” says Hill, who begins each class with a series of exercises focusing on the fundamentals of safe parkour, which can range from the proper way to grip the bars to the “bounceback,” a technique designed to realign the body and land feet-first if a jump lands short. Only after covering the fundamentals will Hill allow the class to progress to parkour proper, swinging and vaulting around the back room. At the end, students are given time to roam free and practice whatever they feel they need to practice. In the end, for Hill, it’s all about moving forward and having a good time while doing it.

“It’s you versus yourself,” says Hill, an admittedly competitive soul, thriving on the challenge. “You don’t have to be better than anyone except better than you were yesterday.”Newly opened, Hill still has plans to renovate the space and improve his course. A new set of Lache bars is on the menu as well as a bevy of new obstacles and swapping the concrete floor out for a rubberized surface. On the aesthetic side, Hill hopes to transform the stark interior into a mock urban setting, complete with brick walls and other city accouterments, as a callback to the traditional parkour setting. Hill knows people are going to be curious and he cultivates a friendly and communal atmosphere in his classes, with no room for negativity and disparagement. All are welcome. “There’s no better way to see what’s going on then to come in and actually do it.”