Parkour Summer Camp at BAM Academy
We call my son Spider Man because the kid will climb anything, to the point of giving me a mild heart attack. My daughter likes being athletic but gets intimidated sometimes. There are lots of sports that kids can do: soccer, baseball, football, dance. My kids didn’t really like any of them. Know what they do like? Parkour.
Parkour is from the French word passement, which is overcoming an obstacle in the most efficient way using the smallest effort possible. So while most people think scaling a wall requires a pull up to standing on the wall and then jumping down, a parkour move would be to put one hand on the wall and slide the legs over the side.
Parkour is everything that fitness naturalists love: it requires no weight lifting, focuses on the natural movements of your body, and is playful and fun, which is why I was happy to sign my kids up for Introduction Parkour at BAM Academy in Austin.
The instructors teach the kids how to traverse walls, pipes and wooden boxes in a safe and efficient manner. The more you practice, the less scared you become of falling, “messing up” or hurting yourself during the runs. They train on softer obstacles first before moving to the harder wood structures which simulate movement out in the real world.
It’s been so much fun watching my daughter go from being scared to jump in a foam pit to being able to do a flip into one and for my son to find a place where he can climb to his heart’s content. Here’s a video showing some of the things they do:
About one practice into it I realized that this sport was far too much fun to just be for kids. So I signed up for a few private lessons while my kids were in the group class. OMG, it’s so much fun! Let me tell you, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and, like my daughter, I’m really scared to run full speed towards a six foot wall or jump from one plank to another, but it’s been helping me get more balance and confidence in what my body is capable of.
Now that the holiday rush is over it’s fun getting back into the swing of things. They offer student and adult parkour classes, parents fitness classes using bodyweight and kettlebells (so moms and dads train while the kids do parkour), ballistic movements (kettlebell and high intensity interval training), aerial silks, as well as private training in parkour, kettlebell, acro yoga, and more.
On top of all that, they offer Star Wars Light Saber training. I’m totally serious. This is another blog post entirely, it’s that cool.
If you’re tired of traditional team sports or want to prepare your kids for a mud run or obstacle course race, BAM Academy is the way to go. They are currently offering spring break and summer camps with a 10% discount through Sunday the 14th! There are two locations to chose from: Austin and South Austin. Here is a link to their website: www.BAMAcademy.com
Sign up for Summer Camps at www.bamacademy.com/bamcamp
Hope to see you there!
Lisa 😉
Lisa Traugott is a Mom’s Choice Award winning writer, fitness blogger, wife and mom of two. This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
ShesLosingIt.com (c) 2012-2016 Lisa Traugott. All rights reserved. No portion of this blog, including any text, photographs, video, and artwork, may be reproduced or copied without written permission.