I just found out about this fascinating thing called parkour.
Parkour is the art of quickly and efficiently getting from one place to another (also used in a chase, to escape pursuit). Basically, you train your body to peak physical condition, and utilize any objects in your surroundings to make for a speedy trip. This includes running along walls, jumping over cars, leaping from rooftop to rooftop (very dangerous, and only reccomended for professionals).
Now, I know what you are thinking… “What?!?”
So I present to you two things that will give you a good picture of what the heck parkour is.
The first is from the movie District B13 (thank you, O!), and stars David Belle, founder of parkour (he’s the running dude). As it is a movie, it’s overly dramatized, as parkour does not usually involve so many leaps from rooftop to rooftop, but it does indeed contain many real things from parkour, such as climbing up poles, pushing off of things, wall runs, precision jumps, rolling when you hit the ground to avoid impact damage or loss of momentum, and much more And it’s totally badass, too.
Without further ado, I present to you (since a picture’s worth a thousand words, and a video’s worth a thousand pictures)…
And a great Wikipedia article that explains the whole thing well….
Note that you may come across the term freerunning. This is not parkour. It is a similar, related art, but is not parkour. The two are most decidedly different. In the words of an article I found on the topic…
So you want to get started in Parkour or Free running. The videos are out there... people doing insane jumps between buildings, over railings and through cities. These trained experts are probably practicing either parkour or free running. Parkour is a form of movement that stresses efficiency and speed. The point is to get from spot A to spot B as quickly and efficiently as possible. Free Running is similar but it also involves aesthetic movements such as flips, spins, and many other forms of 'flair' (traceurs, practitioners of parkour, usually frown upon movement "wasted" on aesthetics). Also, Free Runners usually don't have a set path.
Parkour is all about efficiency and speed, whereas freerunning is like parkour that has mutated into an art form. Parkour ensures that no energy is wasted or misdirected, whereas freerunning is more like an exhibition.
Parkour is much more practical.
I plan to get involved in it. My being in cross-country/track ensures that I already am in good shape, have good stamina, and am good on my feet (as well as already having developed leg muscles).
Time to see what it’s like.
Last edited by WakataDreamer; 05-29-2009 at 05:21 AM.
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