Since 2007, the coaches and team members at Rochester Parkour have introduced novices to the sport of parkour, the free-form physical discipline of training the human body to overcome physical obstacles in the most efficient way possible. At the activity’s highest level, bodies can deftly navigate even the densest urban spaces, contorting to squeeze through narrow passageways and nimbly leaping to snatch pies from third-story windowsills.

As with most sports, however, beginners start with simple maneuvers, conquering basic vaults, swings, and jumps before moving on to more complex movements. In Rochester Parkour’s diverse array of classes, students of all ages and experience levels first explore an indoor gym filled with I-beams, scaffolding, and vault boxes, all ideal for practicing moves away from hard concrete and heckling pigeons. In keeping with the central tenet of parkour, individuals remain in control of their own speed and maneuvers at all times; if moves in the basic classes are too overwhelming, Rochester Parkour also offers low-impact and low-mobility variations.