Parkour is all about movement, creativity, and pushing your limits—but what does it take to become the best parkour athlete? 

Parkour is more than just impressive jumps and flips; it is a sport that focuses on creativity, adaptability to new environments, and pushing personal limits. To truly understand what makes a good parkour athlete, we spoke with Davide Rizzi. He is a professional parkour athlete from the parkour team KRAP, and today, he shared his insights on what defines a good beginner, how more advanced athletes can progress in their training, and what it takes to reach the highest level in parkour. 

What Makes a Good Beginner? 

For newcomers, parkour can be very physically demanding and overwhelming. At this stage, experts recommend becoming an all-around athlete and, for now, forgetting the idea of specializing in a specific type of parkour. 

According to Davide, many beginners notice they are good at one single skill and focus on improving there. Unfortunately, this leads to keeping the rest of their skills intact and limiting overall growth. “Adapt the Pokémon game strategy,” he said. “Beginners need to develop their fundamental skills evenly—just like in the Pokémon game.” 

“At the start, it’s about being an all-around athlete. You will naturally find certain exercises easier, but rather than focusing only on those, you should aim to improve in all areas at a steady pace,” Davide explains. 

Adaptability also plays a big role in parkour. Unlike other similar sports, such as gymnastics, where tricks are performed in very well-controlled environments, parkour is all about adapting your movements to unpredictable settings. Of course, training in controlled environments with a Bagjump is essential to move to that second step, but it is still important to always keep the adaptability in mind. 

“Parkour is about the spot. If you only train flips in a single location, you might have a big difficulty transitioning to other spots. But true parkour athletes must be able to perform anywhere, adjusting their skills to the setting,” Davide says. 

Beginners should start training in comfortable locations and safer environments but gradually challenge themselves with different places and obstacles. 

What Helps a Parkour Athlete Become Better? 

As athletes progress in the sport, their approach should focus more on perfecting their already existing skills. One of the most important mental skills required in parkour is self-awareness. It’s important to know when and how to push the limits. 

“This is where a Bagjump comes into play,” said Davide. “Bagjump is perfect when you’re first approaching something with a big margin of error. It’s the best tool to start a new skill. A Bagjump airbag allows you to send yourself into the unknown without major risks.” 

He also mentioned the importance of knowing your body well enough to understand when it is time to transition from a Bagjump to harder surfaces. “Once you gain familiarity with a skill, you need to move beyond Bagjump and start practicing in real environments. The key is knowing when it’s time to take that step,” he suggested. 

What Makes a Good Parkour Athlete Become the Best? 

At the highest level, parkour becomes more about specialization and less about keeping all skills at the same level. That doesn’t mean that the athlete will leave fundamental skills aside, but rather that they will focus on becoming the best in one specific area of parkour. 

“Athletes aren’t remembered for being good at everything. They stand out because they are spectacular at one thing,” Davide points out. 

He also mentioned how some professional athletes find their path unexpectedly. “Sometimes, it’s not about doing the skill you are most comfortable with, but rather going for the one where you see your personal strength and taking it to perfection.” He mentioned the example of how Dom Tomato became world-famous for specific moves—in his case, his expertise in technical front flips. 

“When you watch professional athletes, ask yourself: why do you recognize them? What makes them unique? This kind of analysis can help you discover your own path,” Davide suggests. 

He also pointed out something very particular about high-level parkour: as an athlete advances, trying to improve at everything simultaneously can actually slow down progress. Instead, high-level parkour athletes should focus on fine-tuning their signature skills while maintaining a strong overall foundation. 

Parkour, just like any other sport, is a constant journey of preparation and self-discovery. If you want to become a great parkour athlete, beginners should focus on building well-rounded skills, more advanced athletes must learn how to take risks, and top athletes need to specialize in what sets them apart from the rest. 

By training smart, tools like Bagjump airbags in the early stages of jumping into the sport are essential to giving athletes the comfort and support they need to become the best.