New Parkour Gym Opening Soon in Thousand Oaks

This October, North Hollywood-based parkour gym Vortex Freerunning is opening a new location in Newbury Park. Designed for both kids and teenagers, our gym offers a supportive and safe environment after school and on the weekend to engage both your child’s muscles and mind.

Parkour is a sport that consists of moving through their environment in the most efficient way possible. This sport focuses on utilizing various problem-solving skills combined with fitness to help your kid improve their coordination, confidence, and overall health. We use this sport as a tool to develop your child’s personal growth, pushing them past their limits and learn what they are truly capable of.

Our grand opening is almost here! To learn more about what Vortex Freerunning can offer you, please contact us online.

About Parkour

Parkour is an urban lifestyle sport that consists of jumping, vaulting, or climbing in non-dedicated settings. Originally developed in the 70’s, this sport is designed to create a more well-rounded athlete by working out multiple different muscle groups at once. In addition to being a physical sport, it is also a mental one. Athletes, also known as traceurs, must figure out how to navigate from one point to another in the most efficient way possible. 

At Vortex Freerunning, we use parkour to help children develop both their mental and physical strength. We use parkour as a tool to help build the strength, function, motor skills, and confidence of kids of all ages. We keep each class size small so that our coaches can provide individualized attention to each child, and pair it with individual growth tracking to monitor their skill level. We strive to inspire the next generation of young athletes to take parkour to greater heights through skills that serve them both inside and outside the gym.. 

Our Memberships: What is Included?

At Vortex, we offer a subscription-based membership program that includes:

• Weekly Coach-Led Sessions: Your child can take either one, two, or three classes each week, depending on your membership level.

• Unlimited Access to Open Gym Sessions: Our gym offers weekly two-hour, supervised drop-in sessions, allowing your child to practice their skills outside of class. 

• Personalized Skillset Tracking: We track each child’s growth progress so that each coach knows what skills they need to work on and can design a training plan around their needs. 

• Small-Group Classes: Each of our classes has a 1:5 coach-to-student ratio to offer individualized attention to each child. 

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Whether you are looking for cross-training for another sport or simply a fun activity to get your child moving, our memberships offer more than just classes, but a community that pushes your child to be the best they can be. 

To get a taste of what we offer, we invite you to schedule a free trial class!

Our Classes

Our classes are separated by age group to make sure that each of our athletes is trained at a level that matches their learning style, safety needs, and skillset. Each class has a 1:5 coach-to-student ratio to ensure individual attention and guidance. Our classes consist of:

• PreKour: Basic obstacle-based courses aimed at kids ages 4-5 years old.

• JrKour: More progressive obstacle courses for children ages 6-8 years old.

• Level 1 & 2 Parkour Kids: Skill-focused classes and work for those ages 9-15 years old.

• Level 3 & 4 Parkour: Continued development for kids ages 9-15 years old that builds off of previous progression. 

• Adult Parkour: Our 16+ classes are centered on mastering certain skillsets. 

If you are interested in learning more about our different courses and services, please contact us online or call (818) 326-1697.

What Makes Vortex Freerunning Different?

There is a reason why Vortex Freerunning has been featured in the media as much as it has. Our expertly designed curriculum aims to nurture not just athletic skills but important life skills in several different ways. We aim to personalize each child’s experience as much as possible to provide a fun, engaging activity paired with support and guidance that is tailored to their unique abilities, learning styles, and personality. 

Expert Coaching and Mentorship

Each class helps push kids to tackle new challenges in a safe and supportive environment under the guidance and supervision of an expertly trained coach. Our coaches also act as mentors, establishing trust with each individual to help them feel excited and motivated to meet new milestones. 

Skill-Based Progress Tracking

We also offer skill-based progress tracking to help monitor each individual’s growth. Each coach tracks our students’ progress to tailor classes to areas they could improve in, allowing for continuous development between sessions. This system also allows us to celebrate when students achieve their goals and milestones.  

Varying Membership Levels

Each membership offers several different perks, including weekly coached sessions, unlimited supervised open gym access, skill-based tracking, as well as access to our video library. Memberships can be purchased with one, two, or three classes included per week, allowing you to choose a package that best suits your child’s schedule and needs. Unlimited access to our library and open gym sessions additionally allows your child to practice new skills and tricks in their own time. We are invested in continuously maturing each child’s skillset outside of their scheduled classes, allowing them to build confidence at their own pace. 

How Parkour is Beneficial for Kids

Parkour is not just fun, but beneficial, as it offers an exciting way for children to nurture their athletic and cognitive skills both inside and outside of the gym. Through our one-of-a-kind training program, children can experience what parkour has to offer, ranging from health benefits to the formation of new friendships. 

Improved Coordination and Strength

Parkour teaches fundamental movement skills to kids through natural movements that engage each muscle group. This sport challenges kids to navigate new environments using their whole bodies in ways that many traditional drill-based repetitive sports do not. (Stafford, et al.) 

Additionally, these fundamental movement skills can be transferred to other sports, such as agility skills. This is especially effective for pre-adolescent children, as their bodies are more adaptable to developing skills such as running, jumping, and climbing. Even as children enter adolescence, parkour still plays a role in their physical and mental development by strengthening their muscle coordination during a period of higher neural plasticity, when the brain is more capable of forming new neural pathways. (Williams, et al.)

Enhanced Cognitive Development

Physical activity has long been recognized to enhance strength and focus, helping children navigate their lives more functionally. Generally, regular exercise is known to provide a number of effects for up to two hours, including improvements in:

• Self-Esteem

• Cognitive Function

• Stress Levels

• Attention

• Focus

• Memory

• Language Fluency

• Decision Making (Mahindru, et al.)

Parkour itself also enhances each child’s problem-solving skills as they navigate new obstacles and environments. These complex movement problems continuously present challenges and opportunities of varying levels to athletes of all ages. (Myszka, et al.) The process of learning new skills additionally helps children learn to set attainable goals and milestones and work their way up to achieving them. 

Boosts Confidence and Self-Esteem

Mastering new skillsets and tricks can enhance your child’s sense of accomplishment and confidence that translates into other aspects of their lives. Our classes offer safe and supportive environments to help kids tackle new challenges and overcome their fears. Our skill-based tracking also allows each student to track their growth over time, showcasing their progress right from day one. Research has also found that kids feel more confident in their motor abilities and overall movement after engaging in parkour-based activities. (Williams, et al.) 

Access to a Welcoming Community

One of the biggest benefits of parkour is the supportive community it comes with. Our classes foster a supportive network that encourages kids to raise each other up when tackling new obstacles. Parkour is focused on self-development, helping children grow physically, mentally, and emotionally. Placing them in an environment with like-minded peers allows them to encourage one another, share advice and tips, and celebrate new milestones together, all while cultivating friendships and positive new connections.  

For more information about how parkour can benefit your child, we encourage you to submit our online contact form.

References

Mahindru, Aditya, et al. “Role of Physical Activity on Mental Health and Well-Being: A Review.” Cureus, vol. 15, no. 1, 7 Jan. 2023, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9902068/, https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.33475. 

Myszka, Shawn, et al. “(Re)Conceptualizing Movement Behavior in Sport as a Problem-Solving Activity.” Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, vol. 5, 26 May 2023, https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2023.1130131. 

Strafford, Ben William, et al. “Parkour as a Donor Sport for Athletic Development in Youth Team Sports: Insights through an Ecological Dynamics Lens.” Sports Medicine - Open, vol. 4, no. 1, 24 May 2018, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-018-0132-5. 

Williams, Mark David, et al. “Parkour-Based Activities in the Athletic Development of Youth Basketball Players.” Frontiers in Physiology, vol. 12, 15 Oct. 2021, https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.771368.