Parkour Technique Analysis: What to Look For
Reviewing your own Parkour footage is one of the highest-leverage things you can do as a self-coached athlete. The problem isn't the footage — it's knowing what to look at, in what order, and how to convert what you see into a specific change for the next session.
This is the framework Obstacle IQ uses internally and the same framework experienced coaches use when reviewing athlete tape.
Watch the clip three times — never just once **Pass 1: Full speed, full clip.** Get the overall impression. Was it clean? Did it feel hesitant? Don't note details yet — you're building the gestalt.
**Pass 2: Half-speed, phase by phase.** Approach → takeoff → flight → contact → exit. Pause at each phase boundary and check one specific thing.
**Pass 3: Frame-by-frame on the failure point.** If there was a wobble, miss, or hesitation, find the exact frame where it started.
The five things to score on every clip 1. **Approach.** Is your body already in position for the takeoff three steps out, or are you still scrambling at the edge? 2. **Takeoff.** Knee bend depth, arm drive, line of force toward the target. 3. **Flight.** Body shape (tight vs open), arm timing, head position. 4. **Contact.** Foot placement, knee tracking, hip descent. 5. **Exit.** Is your next movement already loading, or do you reset?
What separates good clips from great clips - **Great clips look quiet.** No flailing, no extra steps, no noise on contact. - **Great clips don't have spare movements.** Everything in frame is contributing. - **Great clips end as cleanly as they start.** The athlete is in position for the next obstacle the instant the current one is finished.
How to film for review - Side profile is the default. - Add a front angle for landings and a behind angle for vaults. - Use 60fps minimum, 240fps for slow-motion segments. - Film at hip height. Filming from below distorts angles and hides knee bend. - Don't trim. Save the full clip including the lead-in and recovery.
Building a personal review workflow After a session: review same-day, while the kinesthetic memory is fresh. Note one cue per failed rep. Don't try to fix three things at once.
Weekly: pick the three highest-leverage clips and write a one-sentence change for each. These three sentences are your next week's training focus.
Monthly: compare a current clip to the same line from a month ago. If you can't see the improvement, you weren't training the right thing.
How Obstacle IQ accelerates this The system runs the five-point breakdown above automatically and surfaces the one cue that would change the most about the rep. Instead of scrubbing through frame by frame, you get a structured score and a recommended next focus in seconds. The frame-by-frame view is still there if you want it — but the workflow gets compressed from 20 minutes per clip to under a minute.
Related reading - [What elite coaches look for when reviewing footage](/blog/what-elite-coaches-look-for-when-reviewing-footage) - [How to analyze your own obstacle videos like a coach](/blog/how-to-analyze-your-own-obstacle-videos-like-a-coach)
Upload your obstacle footage to Obstacle IQ and receive AI-powered feedback on technique, efficiency, movement quality, and performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Obstacle IQ work for Parkour?
Yes. Parkour is a core supported discipline alongside Ninja Warrior, OCR, and climbing. Upload a clip and the system analyzes movement quality, balance, and efficiency.
What angle should I film from?
A side-profile clip from 10–15 feet away captures takeoff, flight, and landing in the same frame. Add a second angle for vaults and wall runs when possible.
Do I need special equipment?
No. A modern phone shooting 60fps at 1080p is enough. Tripods help for repeatable drills but are not required.
Obstacle IQ grades your technique frame-by-frame.