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Writer's pictureJimmy Davidson

Attracting Adult Athletes to Your Parkour Program: A Strategic Approach

As a parkour gym owner, enticing adults into your program can be a challenge. However, with a tailored marketing strategy, targeted offerings, and a focus on retention, you can create a thriving community of adult athletes. Understanding three distinct adult profiles commonly encountered in this realm is pivotal for tailored strategies that resonate and convert. Let's delve into defining these profiles and crafting targeted tactics for each segment.

Henery, a new adult parkour studnet training at Freedom in Motion Parkour gym in CA

Defining Adult Profiles:

1. Transitioned Teens: The Foundation Builders (Adult Type 1)

These are individuals who have progressed from your teen program to adulthood. They are the nucleus of your adult community, possessing a strong affinity for parkour due to their upbringing within your gym's environment. A strong focus on a robust teen program offered for just 3+ years can organically create a powerful and long-lasting adult community.

2. Fitness Seekers: Novices to Parkour (Adult Type 2)

This group primarily seeks fitness benefits but is hesitant about parkour due to perceived risks. They're interested in low-impact, beginner-friendly activities that aid in weight loss and strength building. They often need to see more strength and cardio-style programming with some light parkour sprinkled in. Parkour is not their focus (at first).

3. Adventurous Enthusiasts: Already Active, Open to Parkour (Adult Type 3)

This cohort consists of individuals engaged in various high-intensity activities like mud racing and obstacle course racing (OCR). They're open to exploring parkour but often engage in diverse sporting activities.

Kat, a new parkour student training at Freedom in Motion parkour gym in CA

Tailored Tactics for Each Profile:



Marketing Strategies


1. Tailored Visuals and Messaging

Create a separate landing page and funnel for adults, showcasing diverse images and videos that resonate with their age group and body type. Landing pages focused on attracting adults must show images and videos of beginner-level adults practicing foundational skills that seem approachable to potential leads.





Adult Type 1: Transitioned Teens
  • Focus: Build a robust kids and teens program. Overtine these teens will become your adult community as they age.

    • Tactics: Leverage family-centric marketing channels to generate a powerful family lead flow. Over time, the teens who fall in love with parkour will become the adults in your community. Your program will need to grow your LEG (Length of engagement) to ensure participants stay in your program for long enough.

    • Actionable Steps: Develop your foundational marketing tactics geared towards attracting kids and teens. Use methods like local jams, competition teams, and coster strong coach-to-student bonds to keep these kids in your program for long enough.


Adult Type 2: Fitness Seekers
  • Focus: Demonstrating fitness benefits while mitigating perceived risks.

    • Tactics: Showcase adults engaging in basic parkour skills alongside strength training. Put strength and weight loss ahead of parkour. These clients need to strengthen their bodies and self-esteem before they will take parkour on as "their sport".

    • Actionable Steps: Create promotional content emphasizing fitness gains, highlighting low-impact, beginner-friendly programs, and sprinkling in some parkour.


Adult Type 3: Adventurous Enthusiasts
  • Focus: Appealing to their adventurous spirit.

    • Tactics: Highlight the thrill and excitement of parkour sessions. Show other adults like them in your marketing.

    • Actionable Steps: Develop action-packed content integrating parkour with high-intensity activities like CrossFit. Consider hosting an intro to parkour workshop for adults and personally inviting adults you already know, have them invite their friends.


Offering Tailored Programs

Adult Type 1: Transitioned Teens
  • Focus: Building community and continuity from teen to adult phases. Social groups are vital for this age group. If you offer jams and bonding time regularly these teens will stick around well into adulthood because they will feel like their friend group revolves around the parkour community.

    • Tactics: Host local events, and completion teams, and foster outdoor community engagement. Foster friendships and hangouts within the parkour community and teen student base.

    • Actionable Steps: Initiate completion teams, organize frequent local jams, and encourage outdoor community building.


Adult Type 2: Fitness Seekers
  • Focus: Structured programs for fitness and gradual parkour integration.

    • Tactics: Design beginner-friendly strength and weight loss programs with minimal parkour. Partner up with a local strength coach with an existing client base.

    • Actionable Steps: Develop structured fitness programs integrated with minimal parkour elements.


Adult Type 3: Adventurous Enthusiasts
  • Focus: Offering a mix of intense activities and parkour.

    • Tactics: Create sessions blending parkour with CrossFit-style workouts.

    • Actionable Steps: Develop high-action sessions focusing on parkour while integrating CrossFit elements.


Retention Strategies

Adult Type 1: Transitioned Teens
  • Focus: Fostering a sense of community and celebration. This group needs to perceive that their social group revolves around parkour. Offer jams, hangouts, and celebrate their achievements on social media.

    • Tactics: Celebrate their achievements on social media, and offer personal invitations to events.

    • Actionable Steps: Share user-generated content, and personally invite them to events and jams.


Adult Type 2: Fitness Seekers
  • Focus: Demonstrating tangible results and progress.

    • Tactics: Conduct goal reviews, and personalized invitations to try parkour.

    • Actionable Steps: Conduct regular goal-setting sessions, track progress, and provide personalized invitations.


Adult Type 3: Adventurous Enthusiasts
  • Focus: Building a habit and community engagement.

    • Tactics: Showcase results while building a community.

    • Actionable Steps: Share success stories, engage in community-building activities, and highlight progress.


Understanding and catering to these three adult profiles is crucial for effectively marketing, offering programs, and retaining participants in your parkour gym. This nuanced approach, tailored to diverse adult needs, ensures a welcoming and engaging environment for all. If you seek further guidance on refining these strategies, let's connect and strategize to elevate your parkour business!


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