| Parkour is a physical discipline of French origin in which
the participant - called a traceur - attempts to pass obstacles in the
fastest and most direct manner possible, using skills such as jumping,
vaulting and climbing, or the more specific parkour moves. The obstacles
can be anything in the environment, so parkour is often practiced in urban
areas because of many suitable public structures, such as buildings,
rails, and walls. Parkour is a physical discipline inspired by human
movement, focusing on uninterrupted, efficient forward motion over, under,
around and through obstacles (both man-made and natural) in one's
environment. Such movement may come in the form of running, jumping,
climbing and other more complex techniques. The goal of parkour is to
adapt one's movement to any given obstacle. According to founder David Belle, the spirit of parkour is guided in
part by the notions of "escape" and "reach", that is, the idea of using
physical agility and quick thinking to get out of difficult situations,
and to be able to go anywhere that one desires. Free running, a closely
related art emphasizing aesthetics, is most concerned with fluidity and
beauty. For example, Sébastien Foucan, a free runner who trained with
David Belle during the infancy of the art, speaks of being "fluid like
water," a frequently used metaphor for the smooth passage of barriers
through the use of parkour. Similarly, experienced traceur Jerome Ben
Aoues explains in the documentary Jump London that: The most important element is the harmony between the traceur and the obstacle; the movement has to be elegant. To some people (particularly non-practitioners), parkour is an extreme sport, to others a discipline more comparable to martial arts. Some consider it a combination of the two, recognizing similarities between parkour and the stunts and techniques of Hong Kong martial arts star Jackie Chan (who gained his skills from being trained for Beijing Opera), whose fight and chase scenes take place in industrial or urban environments. Still others see it as an art form akin to dance: a way to encapsulate human movement in its most beautiful form. Parkour is often connected with the idea of freedom, in the form of the ability to overcome aspects of one's surroundings that tend to confine; for example, railings, staircases, or walls, it also encompasses freedom on a non-physical level. The practice of parkour requires considerable physical and mental dedication, and many adherents describe it as a "way of life." |