Freerunning, Parkour will unleash your inner ninja

HAWTHORNE, Calif. (KABC) -- What started as a form of military training in France has now become a fitness phenomenon. It's known as "Parkour" or freerunning. The idea is to become better at climbing, jumping, running and balancing - only using your body.[br /][br /]"It's more fun than they're probably ever going to have in anything else they're ever going to do in their life," said Cesar Salais of Van Nuys.[br /][br /]Salais loves jumping off high things. There's no problem with that at [url HREF="http://tempestacademy.com/[br /]" TARGET="_blank" REL="nofollow"]Tempest Freerunning Academy [/url]in Hawthorne, a gym created for Parkour or freerunning, which Salais defines as, "a system of movements to travel through obstacles efficiently and creatively."[br /][br /]Although there is a difference between the two. Parkour is getting to point A to point B as quickly as possible in your environment.[br /][Ads /][br /]"Freerunning is getting from A to B with as much style and flair as possible," said TJ Stuart of Orange.[br /][br /]With both, there are lots of flips and flash. It's no surprise that proper training is a must.[br /][br /]Strength, core work, flexibility - repeat, repeat, repeat to avoid getting injured.[br /][br /]"The most common injuries are joint injuries, a lot of ankles, knees shoulders," said Stuart.[br /][br /]Because that is where impact is when landing.[br /][br /]"I started on a log outside my house just jumping on to it a thousand times," said Redondo Beach resident Julien Williams, who has been practicing the sport for six years. He wants to teach, compete and maybe do a bit of stunt work - a natural segue.[br /][br /]Tempest Freerunning Academy manager Michael Conley says people who come to his facility are looking for a different kind of workout and want to learn how to move in creative ways. He emphasized that there is a lot of training involved.[br /][br /]"We have a band-level system here. You start at the beginner's level and you can work your way up through the bands at your own pace," Conley said.[br /][br /]To learn more, you can visit [url HREF="http://tempestacademy.com/" TARGET="new" REL="nofollow"]TempestAcademy.com[/url].