It Started With Arsh
As Lepaknlearn holds its 2026 Parkour Championship, Lukman reflects on how a search for parkour lessons for his son led him and his wife, Nilofer, to establish an organisation neither had anticipated.
When Lukman talks about how Lepaknlearn began, much of the credit goes to his wife, Nilofer. Their son, Arsh, is homeschooled, and during his early years, his parents limited his exposure to gadgets, giving him plenty of time to explore, run around and play. Already attending boxing classes, Arsh enjoyed jumping and climbing, although his enthusiasm left Nilofer concerned about how he landed.
She asked his boxing coach whether he could teach Arsh to land properly. The coach suggested finding someone who taught parkour instead.
“Dulu kami tak tau pun ada sports name parkour 😅,” Lukman wrote. (“We didn't even know there was a sport called parkour.”)
Nilofer began learning about parkour herself before searching for a gym in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Unable to find one, she turned to social media, contacting practitioners individually. Neither she nor Lukman knew at the time that Malaysia already had an established parkour community.
Some of those she approached quoted fees the family considered steep, while others weren't keen on teaching children or had other commitments. Among them was Marcus, a familiar figure in the Malaysian parkour scene. Although he explained that he didn't teach children, Lukman remembers him being encouraging. Nilofer was eventually introduced to Ashraf, who was working in Kuala Lumpur and agreed to teach Arsh and a few of his friends.
In early 2019, she gathered the children, confirmed a park location and arranged for Ashraf to coach them. The outdoor sessions became a weekly activity throughout the year. As interest grew, parents began requesting additional skills, including flips, prompting Nilofer to arrange indoor training at the boxing gym. Ashraf brought two vaults, while the gym owner allowed the group to use some of the equipment and mats.
The classes were still an informal arrangement. Nilofer managed the sessions without taking a share of the coaching fees, and the family continued paying for Arsh's lessons like everyone else. Lukman, who describes himself as a regular nine-to-five guy at the time, credits her with much of the work that kept things running.
When the boxing gym closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the children lost their indoor training space. Lukman suggested finding somewhere they could practise parkour comfortably and safely, and in 2020, he and Nilofer established Lepaknlearn.
The new premises came with financial challenges. Parkour was still unfamiliar to many parents, and maintaining the space was costly. Looking for ways to make it work, Lukman approached a nearby archery equipment shop about collaborating. That conversation eventually led to archery becoming part of Lepaknlearn's programmes, encouraged by parents in Melawati whose children had different sporting interests.
Lukman and Nilofer credit the Melawati and Wangsa Maju communities with playing an important role in Lepaknlearn's development. The organisation now offers parkour alongside archery, boxing, silat, chess and other activities. Ashraf, who coached those first parkour sessions, later established Parkour Warriors, another coaching initiative within the Malaysian parkour scene.
On 24 and 25 October 2026, Lepaknlearn is holding its annual Parkour Championship at Sunway Wangsa Mall in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur. The programme brings together student assessments, competitions, a beginner Lava Race and free introductory workshops. An adult/open competition featuring Speed and Freestyle categories, along with a mini jam on 24 October, is also part of Lepaknlearn's effort to contribute to the wider Malaysian parkour community.
For a family that once had to search through social media and personal contacts to arrange lessons for their son, organising an event of this scale is quite a change. As Lukman recalled the people and circumstances that had shaped Lepaknlearn's early years, he seemed to be rediscovering parts of the story himself.
“Man... while writing all this I realized how far we have come 😁”
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