Sports & Wellness
Parkour – an art of running away?
What is parkour and why it is not the sport we see in movies all the time? Read our piece to know how to 'parkour' your way from any place.
Perhaps,
you saw this popular meme: “Pugilism is the martial art of fighting with the
fists. Judo is the martial art of gripping. Parkour is the martial art of
running away.” But is this really so?
Some people
think this is the case. Nowadays parkour indeed has been represented in
videogames, movies and TV shows as a way to escape danger. For example, you are
running from bad guys, dogs, zombies etc, and you need to run away quickly.
However, it is not about that at all.
If you look
at the beginnings of the parkour and understand the philosophy behind it,
you’ll see, that parkour is anything but running away.
Parkour or
free running is an art of movement, the practice of overcoming obstacles in an
urban or natural environment. It became widely popular in the late 1980s in
France and since then developed into a cultural trend depicted on Internet, on TV
shows, in documentaries and feature films. However, the discipline existed a
long time before.
What French
military has to do with it?
Parkour
takes its origins as far as the 1900s. At one point a French naval lieutenant
George Herbert noticed that modern people had lost the ability to move
efficiently and effectively. They preferred to choose familiar pathways and in
case of emergency struggled to come up with alternative routes to make their
way through the obstacles, manmade or natural.
So Herbert
developed a physical training discipline called “the natural method”. It
combined climbing, running, swimming and using tactics to overcome different
obstacles. Soon Herbert’s “Natural Method” got accepted for military training
in France.
Later
parkour was introduced for firefighters' training as well. And we can
understand why. Firefighters needed to move quickly and efficiently in
dangerous circumstances to save people’s lives. You can’t get these skills by
simply training the muscles. This is where parkour proved to be useful.
Do you see
it now? Parkour was originally used by warriors and saviours. It was not the
way to escape and hide. It was the way to face the danger well prepared and use
your strength and wit to help the others. This is what lies in the core of
parkour’s philosophy: “Be strong to be useful”.
Parkour
movement in France
In the
1980s David Belle, a son of a French firefighter, developed the father’s
training routine into the sports art we know today. He even gave it the modern
name “parkour”. Together with his best friend Sebastian Foucan, they
established a “Yamikazi” group, which popularized parkour techniques and
philosophy across France and far beyond its borders.
Unfortunately,
later an argument occurred between two friends and each of them chose a
different path. Foucan brought the discipline to the UK and called it
“Freerunning”, while Belle remained in France. If you are confused now, which
style is the real parkour, the answer is both of them. Though, “Parkour” is
defined as the most efficient way to move from point A to point B, and
“Freerunning” as the most creative way from A to B. From this perspective,
Bell’s parkour remained faithful to its routes and Foucan’s freerunning went
more into art and entertainment. You could even see Foucan in James Bond Casino
Royale movie.
Parkour
becomes official
In 2008
parkour was officially recognised as a sports art when World Freerunning
Parkour Federation (WFPF) was formed. WFPF then launched a groundbreaking MTV
series “Ultimate Parkour Challenge”, which rose the discipline to the rank of a
cultural phenomenon. Now parkour was featured in movies, commercials, music
clips and all other manifestations of youth culture.
In 2014
WFPF founded the International Parkour Federation, a US non-profit
organisation, dedicated to the advancement of parkour worldwide. Together WFPF
and IPF create training programs, curate professional instructors and provide
insurance to hundreds of gyms and colleges practising parkour.
What is parkour
now?
So what is
common between a French navy officer training in the 20th century and a modern
sportsman running an obstacle course in an international competition today?
Yes, the style of their run has changed a bit but the purpose remains the same.
Real
parkour is not about showing off and trying to impress everyone with your
tricks. It is about wit, strength, resourcefulness and help. A traceur never
runs from something but rather towards something: a place, a person, a dream.
Parkour
training
Of course,
doing parkour includes the risk of injuries. So we strongly recommend you not
to try parkour on your own. Your parkour coach at Sport Session will teach you how
to run, jump and tumble. But what is more important, the coach will teach you
safety precautions. Because there is no use in being strong and useful with a
broken leg.
Sign up for
your first parkour training and be sure that from now no barrier can stop you!
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