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Our physical literacy system for kids, the Parkour Animal Paths, is designed specifically to capture the natural abilities of young people and expand upon them to help every child achieve their full potential, both in body and mind.
Through the Animal Paths we provide physical activity and teach functional movement techniques while simultaneously imparting the values that lay at the very heart of parkour; adaptability, courage, integrity, honesty, perseverance, personal development and more.
Healthy development isn’t linear or uniform, and our system recognises that each child is unique in their pace and direction of growth: one size never fits all.
Some will lean towards the strength of the bear or the agility of the squirrel, for example, while others might resonate more with the adaptability of the monkey or the speed of the cat. Our approach is to recognise each individual’s natural physical predisposition while also helping them round themselves out by focusing on their weaker aspects.
Each Animal Path contains six levels of achievement, requiring competence in technical ability and physical literacy as well as core skills such as teamwork, resilience, problem-solving and decision-making. Achieving the higher levels brings access to the more experienced training sessions, enabling deep exploration of whatever aspect of themselves they want to develop.
The Animal Paths system draws upon the best ideas from both constraints-based and traditional skill acquisition models to provide a method that is inclusive and effective for as many young people as possible.
We have implemented the Animal Paths to great success within our own Youth Academies, and are now licensing the programmes worldwide for use by schools, sports clubs and other organisations who are interested in a new, better approach to physical literacy and personal development through movement.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Introduction to the Animal Paths System of Physical Literacy and Personal Development
- Why general physical literacy trumps specialized movement patterns
- How to introduce the Animal Paths system in your school
- Using existing equipment and grounds to foster adaptation, exploration, and challenge
- The importance of introducing risk management at all ages of development
