American Parkour Academy

Best of the best. My Son is Parkour/​Freerunning Instructor in South Florida but goes up to APK at least once a year for fellowship and training. Great group of people.

I took 2 of my kids to the parkour class at APA after a disastrous experience at another place in Virginia which was very anti-​kid (don’t touch this, don’t touch that, don’t sit there – oh, and that other place had mandatory water breaks EVERY 10 minutes).
American Parkour gave my kids an outstanding experience all the way around. The environment is laid back and the instructor was young, energetic and was careful to watch for proper form. He got my kids right into things after assessing their skill level. My kids left tired but excited to go back for more!

Great place for all skill levels! Brought my son for open gym, reasonable fee, he liked the equipment and the freedom to use whatever he wanted. He got an amazing workout! Staff were very friendly and helpful. I would have loved for him to join and get training at this gym but we are just in DC visiting. We need one in our hometown.

Awesome gym! This is by far my favorite place to workout! Friendly, helpful, and knowledgable staff. You will get in shape quick and have fun while doing it here!

Main takeaway: This is the spot to fast-​track your hidden superpowers.
I’ve been going to American Parkour Academy (APKA) for over a year and can’t say enough good things about it. For a little background, I work in an office building that has cubicles like most Washingtonians; I metro to work; and I’m not into this whole vegan/​vegetarian thing. That doesn’t exactly scream fitness, does it? In one year’s time, I’ve learned to vault, flip, roll, and land like a ninja. Speaking of ninjas: with the help of their training I made it onto American Ninja Warrior (the NBC/​G4TV show) and completed the incredibly challenging course my very first time during regional qualifiers! I waved to my mom on TV. It was awesome.
About Parkour:
So what is parkour? If you’re like me, you learned about parkour through that-​one-​scene-​in-​the-​beginning-​of-​Casino Royale and the Office parody. Then you spent countless hours watching death-​defying Youtube videos wishing you had the balls to attempt any of those stunts. Or you grew the balls, tried it, and ate shit. So you started looking for alternatives and got some crazy ideas. Then you realized that getting bitten by radioactive spiders is pointless because it reeally hurts and, shockingly, has zero health benefits.
Stop looking for radioactive spiders. Go to the Academy instead. You have powers; APKA will teach you to use them safely and efficiently. Parkour is the basic movements you used to do as a kid when climbing trees, hopping fences, and getting up on the school roof to get the kickball, except you most likely haven’t done those things in awhile. Like Robin Williams in the movie Hook, you just forgot how to fly — now you have to find your happy thoughts. Travis, Mark, and the rest of the instructors will be your Tinkerbell. (Just don’t tell them I called them that or I’ll be doing pushups all next class!)
While I could make all types of jokes about parkour being the French art of «running away», parkour is REALLY about the efficiency of movement. Obstacles? Nope, you don’t have those any more because you know how to get over a fence with minimal effort instead of taking the long way and walking around. Tripped while getting off the escalator? You automatically go into a roll and are back on your feet while random strangers clap around you as you dust yourself off like it’s NBD. I’ve done it in a suit without so much as popping a button, so no excuses.
Parkour is about training your mind and body to adapt and overcome any pitfalls that life can throw at you. Age and occupation are not even factors. I’ve watched kids as young as five pull off a perfect front tuck, and I’ve seen a guy in his 60’s who moves more fluidly over walls than most twenty-​somethings. At APKA you’ll train with federal agents, photographers, political pundits, IT techs, fashionistas, and Subway sandwich artists. Whether you’re looking to smoke those whippersnappers at the next Warrior Dash or you’re running from the cops after stealing some overpriced liquor, parkour can get you as close as you’re going to get to superpowers. (But seriously, don’t run from the cops — some of them have taken APKA courses!)
About the facility:
Not only was this the first parkour gym in the WORLD, but they’re easily the most friendly and well-​qualified instructors around. APKA may not have the flashiest gym (there’s a Crossfit gym downstairs, so the aesthetic is minimalism like all Crossfit facilities), but they are the only parkour gym in the area with certified instructors. Like martial arts schools, certifications are important. Any hobo can teach you how to throw some ‘bows, but I’d rather learn from a Muay Thai world champion if I have the option. Travis, Mark, and the other instructors are your world champions: they’ve met the founders of parkour (like that guy from Casino Royale), they’ve coordinated the stunts for movies and commercials, and have their fingers on the pulse of the sport in this country. More importantly, they treat you like family right from the beginning.
They have beginner classes if you’re new to the sport and advanced classes if this ain’t your first rodeo. Recently they started doing freerunning classes, which involve more of the acrobatic movements and flips that you see on Youtube. Those classes are less about overcoming obstacles and more about looking fancy doing it. It’s strongly recommended that people start with one of the parkour classes first before diving into freerunning. They do preview classes on the weekends and often set up Ninja Warrior workshops for all those hoping to test their skills.
Prices are comparable to Crossfit memberships, which can be expensive for some, but short of moving to Russia and running from the FSB on rooftops, this is the best training you can get! If you’re still sitting in your chair at this point… just stop. Take my advice, call APKA, set up a time, and drop in on a class!