Parkour is a physical activity that is difficult to categorize. It is definitely not an extreme sport, but an art that resembles martial arts. However, most traceurs are content to simply put parkour in its own category: "parkour is parkour".

The most characteristic aspect 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.

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.