Parkour is a physical activity that is difficult to categorize. It is definitely not an extreme sport,[4] but an art[5] that resembles martial arts. According to the founder David Belle, the spirit of parkour is guided in part by the notions of "escape" and "reach," that is, the idea of using quick thinking with dexterity to get out of difficult situations, and to be able to go anywhere that one desires.[6] By having a hostile confrontation with a person, you will be able to speak, fight or flee. Since martial arts are a form of training for the fight, parkour is a form of training for the flee. Because of its difficulty to categorize, it is often said that parkour is in its own category: "parkour is parkour."

An important characteristic of parkour is efficiency. The basic meaning of this is that a traceur must not merely move as fast as he can, but move in a way that is the least energy-consuming and simultaneously the most direct. In addition, since parkour's unofficial motto is être et durer (to be and to last), efficiency also involves avoiding injuries, short and long-term.