Most people take up an art form or sports to beat everyday stress, some play musical instruments, some swim and others read. For Sreeramachandra Yasaswy, a native of Hyderabad, more than beating everyday stress, Parkour, which involves jumping, climbing, rolling to avoid various obstacles like walls, brings him to life.
The 23-year-old MSc Health Psychology student from University of Hyderabad started practising Parkour in 2009. “I used to practise long jump and sprinting. When I stood fifth in a sprinting competition, I thought of proving myself in Parkour,” says Yasaswy, on how it all started, adding that right from childhood, he used to routinely jump and climb walls.
With no presence of formal Parkour training institutes in the city, Yasaswy picked up some skills by watching YouTube videos and later improvised on his own. He practises at parks in the city and at places with maximum obstacles as it helps him make use of more movements.
“I practise Parkour everyday. In addition to this, I started practising Calisthenics which focuses on building muscle strength without using any equipment. This makes me more athletic and lean,” he says. He wants to pursue an MSc in Sports and Exercise Psychology from a university in UK, in future, where Parkour is popular and taught extensively. “I also want to establish an academy in Hyderabad which teaches the sport,” he says.
shiva.shanker@ newindianexpress.com