Parkour Isn’t About Being Brave
When most people hear the word parkour, they think of bravery. They picture kids leaping off walls, vaulting over rails, or making jumps that look a little scary…And from the outside, it does look brave.
here’s the truth:
parkour isn’t really about being brave.
It’s about knowing Yourself.
A Little Boy Named William…
I’m going to tell you a story about a little boy named William. He was cautious by nature, but had been becoming more brave in his first month of classes. His mom was so excited as she was complimenting our coaches on teaching William how to be brave — but to be honest, we are just facilitators. I explained our role was to encourage him, show him how to fall safely, and break big challenges into small, doable steps. It was William who was doing the hard work and the learning.
As William learned how to “bail” (fall safely) and test his limits, he started trying things that once felt impossible. One of our coaches, Lexi, gave William a few smaller progressions before asking him to make a jump he was nervous about. She didn’t baby him. She didn’t push him too hard either. She just gave him the tools, then waited until he felt ready. When he finally made that jump, the look on his face — and his mom’s — said it all.To his mom, that looked like bravery. But there is way more to it. As William was getting to know himself, his confidence grew. He was discovering what he was capable of, and learning to trust that he could handle more than he thought.
That’s the sweet spot of coaching: meeting kids where they’re at, giving them challenges they can handle, and helping them step just a little outside their comfort zones.
My Own Daughter’s Journey
I’ve seen this in my own family too.
When my daughter was little, she was extremely cautious. We’d go out on the rocks by the ocean, and while her brothers leapt from rock to rock like mountain goats, she would cling to my hand, terrified of slipping on the wet rocks or falling through the small crevices of the jetty.
After a year of parkour, everything changed.
The next time we went out to those rocks, she jumped across with confidence. She wasn’t reckless. She just knew herself better. She trusted her body. She understood her limits. And she knew that even if she slipped, she’d be okay.
That shift didn’t just make her stronger physically — it changed her mentally and socially too. Her friends now call her “brave,” but I know it isn’t about bravery. It’s about the confidence she gained from truly knowing herself and her body.
Why This Matters for Every Child
So often today, kids don’t get the chance to test their limits in a safe, supportive way. They don’t get to experience failing, trying again, and realizing that failure isn’t the end — it’s just part of the process.
Parkour gives them that opportunity.
Through play, they learn:
How to fall and get back up.
How to listen to their own bodies.
How to trust themselves.
How to push past fear one small step at a time.
And the best part? They don’t even realize they’re learning these things. They’re just running, climbing, swinging, and laughing. But underneath all the fun, something powerful is happening: they’re growing into confident, capable kids.
The Gift of Parkour
Parents often tell me how amazed they are by the changes they see in their kids — how much “braver” they’ve become. But the truth is, it’s not about bravery at all.
It’s about self-discovery.
It’s about giving kids a safe space to test their limits, to fail, to try again, and to finally realize, “I can do this.”
That moment — when a child lights up after accomplishing something they once thought was impossible — is the most rewarding part of what we do as coaches.
Because in that moment, it’s not about us. It’s not about the parents. It’s about the child discovering the strength, resilience, and joy that was inside them all along.
So the next time you see your child take on a challenge, recognize that its not just about being “brave.” instead, recognize how much they are learning about who they are, and how much they’re capable of.
-Jessica Funke Ho
Owner/Founder of Urban Youth Park
