Parkour: The Art of Movement
Parkour or Freerunning is a seemingly underground discipline that is not widely known to the public. This article will cover the basic principles of Parkour, allowing the public to fully understand its true meaning.
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Parkour is described as “The art of movement”. It is an art, because it involves choice and creativity. Also, its a discipline. It is physically intense and requires the use of every muscle in the body. Some say its a sport. Although it is not usually preformed competitively, it involves technique and strength. For most tracuers ( practitioners of Parkour ) it is a passion. It is an escape from the fears that surround them.
Here is an example of Parkour, as portrayed by 3Run (www.3run.co.uk)
Origins
There are many debates concerning the true origin of Parkour. Although this article will not side with any particular opinion, it will state that the practice was first recognized in Europe. Most of the origin theories are concentrated in France.
There is proof that a generous amount of credit concerning the origin of Parkour is granted to the Belle family. To read more on this, click here
Public Opinion
For the most part there has only been two major forms of public opinion concerning this “new art”.
Ex 1: “Wow, that’s amazing. What is that?”
Ex 2: “That’s stupid. Why would they go jumping off buildings and stuff?”
Parkour has been featured in the media on numerous occasions.
- K-Swiss has endorsed Sébastien Foucan with their own “Free Running Shoes”.
- Sebastien has also preformed in Casino Royale along side Daniel Craig.
- David Belle shot an intense chase scene in District 13
These are just to name a few.
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Community
Most tracuers will admit that most of their inspiration and/or knowledge of Parkour has been obtained from the internet. Youtube.com features hundred of user submitted videos, showing off their skills and techniques.
americanparkour.com is another tracuer community. It has a number of different resources, ranging from training guides to forums where tracuers can network and communicate.
urbanfreeflow.com is similar in content as the website listed above. UFF is a UK based community.
Conclusion
Most people would agree that Parkour is an interesting practice. Most tracuers feel that it will become more widely know across the world. Just as skateboarding and roller blading did, Parkour will slowly become a new extreme sport for a new generation. Whether they run for the workout, adrenaline, or the embedded philosophical meaning, practitioners of Parkour continue to keep the utmost respect for the art.
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1 Comment
Wow, sounds like an extreme sport, very interesting.