More than an art -- a way of life!
Sensations, adrenaline and giddiness. Power, fluidity and control.
Parkour responds to a deep-seated need of humans: to move. It's an art that demands the true spirit of a warrior, and offers pure action to its practitioners.
Basically, Parkour is a natural method to train the human body to be able to move forward quickly, making use of the environment that's around us at any given time. This 'art of displacement' requires neither specific structure nor accessory for its practice. The body is the only tool. It's an athletic discipline accessible to all, because it combines all the natural skills of the human body: running, jumping, climbing... It's a sport that permits exploration of the potential offered by your body.
It's about being able to face the obstacles with which you are presented, whether they be in the natural environment or in the urban environment, in a search for movement that combines effectiveness and control.
The necessary equipment is simply a T-shirt, a pair of light jogging-type trousers, and a pair of running shoes.
"C'est comme si votre corps avait toujours été en pilotage automatique et que vous découvriez soudain que vous êtes capable de le piloter vous même". -- or, it's as if your body has always been on autopilot, and you've discovered for the first time that you are able to control it!
Running on foot, crawling, jumps, rolling and other methods of catching yourself, grabbing hold of things, hanging from things and balancing are the essence of what fuels this sport. All this towards a single goal: never to be stopped by any obstacle (whether it be wall, grille, hedge, railings, trees, other foliage, bushes, rocks, vehicles, gaps... etc), but to continually adapt.
This way of moving has existed since the dawn of time, where early men had to learn to move skillfully to hunt, to attack and to defend themselves. Later, special groups such as the ninja and, later, commando soldiers were taught movements in order for them to carry out infiltration missions. Today, firefighters, soldiers, and special police intervention teams still learn how to move without being hindered by obstacles.
One man -- David Belle -- has devoted his life to the development of this art. Surrounded by a family comprised of sporting heroes, David practiced sports which had physical action as their base and which allowed him to move effectively (such as gymnastics, athletics, climbing and martial arts).
On this matter, David Belle said (translated from the French): "Passion, way of life, and today sport -- Parkour, first of all, was a natural method to develop all the qualities that are at the natural disposal of the human body. Increasing strength, agility, speed and power were the first steps in this search. As a practitioner of gymnastics, athletics and martial arts I already had certain basic abilities and skills that I found to be limited by the structures required by the various sports I was doing. So, I decided to create a sport in my own style, that is to say, without material constraints; a pair of jogging trousers, a T-shirt, a good pair of running shoes, and myself.
"While running, I'd fix on a point to represent an objective, and tell myself: 'I'm going to go there; I'm going to go there directly; I'm going to go there quickly; and nothing will stop me'. I must add that I was always an enthusiastic admirer and reader of Daredevil, Spider-Man and other superhuman characters from comics, animation and action movies. All excellent warriors, and all so free."
The fundamental idea is a man who runs, and whom nothing stops.
Parkour aims to be a 'complete' sport; by the mindset that it inspires in its practitioners just as much as by the many skills that it develops. It's a difficult discipline to train, because it continually tests the limits of each practitioner. It's all about knowing if one is prepared to stick with existing limits, or if one is prepared to push back those limits as far as possible...
Accessible to all who are 15 or older (due to the necessary physical development), Parkour makes it possible to develop physical fitness and coordination while developing willpower, determination, motivation, strength, endurance, agility and courage: essential qualities in life! It educates and informs young people who are eager for new experiences.
Parkour is much more than a sport. It is a way of life, the way to 'find yourself', even; to learn how to know and control one's own body. One becomes stronger, and learns how to surmount mental obstacles just as much as physical ones.
A word of warning: Certain people -- the reckless -- who assume too much about their physical abilities, and/or do not take full account of the risks are often given a nasty shock -- or even, seriously injured. In the world of Parkour, the mindset is to combine body and spirit, power and control. It's ridiculous to 'seek freedom' but end up broken in a wheelchair -- so, have prudence!
Once could also suggest that a good Traceur (Parkour practitioner) will be an excellent participant in other sports that require cool-headedness, agility, power, good self-control, the ability to be observant and so many other qualities developed in the Traceur as they practice "L'Art du Deplacement", to use a French term.
This is the reason why Parkour is the most complete sport. It recruits and demands all the physical capabilities of the human body at the same time as it requires a perpetual consideration that is, in effect, "3D" -- evaluation of distances, evaluation of capability, evaluation of risk.
Today, Parkour has developed throughout the world, with regional quirks springing up here and there. The media have gradually seized this opportunity; Traceurs have been used for music videos, advertisements and even movies! If you would like to know more about Parkour, here are some articles that should interest you:
- David Belle: pioneer and creator.
- Raymond Belle: David's father.
- Techniques and movements of Parkour.
Source:parkour.net
