Parkour
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Parkour (IPA: [paʁ.'kuʁ], often abbreviated PK) is a physical discipline of French origin in which the participant — called a traceur (/tʁa.'sœʁ/) — 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.
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[edit] Overview
Parkour is a physical discipline inspired by human movement. It focuses 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 more complex techniques. The goal of parkour is to adapt one's movement to any given obstacle in one's path.
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, Sebastien Foucan, a free runner who trained with David Belle during the infancy of the art, speaks of being "fluid like water," a frequently used simile 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 you and the obstacle; the movement has to be elegant... If you manage to pass over the fence elegantly—that's beautiful, rather than saying 'I jumped the lot.' What's the point in that?
To some people, 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."
[edit] Terminology
The name parkour derives from the (identically pronounced) French word, "parcours", meaning "course". David Belle took inspiration from the french soldiers and their "parcours du combattant" (military obstacle course).
The term traceur is the substantive derived from the verb "tracer". Tracer normally means "to trace", "to draw", but also "going fast" (see, for instance, the relevant entry in Trésor de la langue française).
Freestyle Parkour (FSPK) is sometimes used to describe free running. Use of the term is deprecated among parkour communities due to the fundamental differences in intention between the two activities.
[edit] History
In the Jump London documentary Sebastien Foucan says, "Free running has always existed, free running has always been there, the thing is that no one gave it a name, we didn't put it in a box." He makes a comparison with prehistoric man, "to hunt, or to chase, or to move around, they had to practice the free run."
Inspiration for parkour came from many sources, the foremost being the 'Natural Method of Physical Culture' developed by George Hébert in the early twentieth century. French soldiers in Vietnam were inspired by Hébert's work and created what is now known as parkour. David Belle was introduced to the art as well as Hébert's methode naturelle by his father, Raymond Belle, a French soldier who practiced the two disciplines. The word parkour derives from "parcours du combattant", the obstacle courses of Hébert's method and a classic of military training. The younger Belle had participated in activities such as martial arts and gymnastics, and sought to apply his athletic prowess in a manner that would have practical use in life.[1]
After moving to Lisses, Belle continued his journey with others.[1] "From then on we developed," says Foucan in Jump London, "And really the whole town was there for us; there for free running. You just have to look, you just have to think, like children." This, as he describes, is "the vision of Parkour."
According to Foucan, the start of the "big jumps" was around the age of fifteen. Over the years as dedicated practitioners improved their skills, their moves continued to grow in magnitude, so that building-to-building jumps and drops of over a story became common in media portrayals, often leaving people with a slanted view on the nature of parkour. In fact, ground-based movement is much more common than anything involving rooftops.
The journey of parkour from the Parisian suburbs to its current status as a widely practised activity outside of France created splits among the originators. The founders of parkour started out in a group named the Yamakasi, but later separated due to disagreements over what David Belle referred to as "prostitution of the art," the production of a feature film starring the Yamakasi in 2001. Sebastian Foucan, David Belle, were amongst those who split at this point. The name 'Yamakasi' is taken from Lingala, a language spoken in the Congo, and means strong spirit, strong body, strong man.
[edit] Movements
There are fewer predefined movements in parkour than gymnastics and other extreme sports, in that parkour is not made up of a list of appropiate "moves." Each obstacle a traceur faces presents a unique challenge on how they can overcome it effectively that depends on their body type, speed and angle of approach, the physical make-up of the obstacle, etc... Parkour is about training the body and mind to be able to react to those obstacles appropiately with a technique that works, many times that technique cannot and need not be classified and given a name.
Despite this, there are many "basic" techniques that are emphasized to beginners for their versatility and effectiveness. Most important are good jumping and landing techniques. The roll, used to limit impact after a drop and carry one's momentum onward, is often stressed as the most important technique to learn. Many traceurs develop joint problems from training too many large drops and rolling incorrectly.
[edit] Non-parkour movements
Tricks, such as flips, are a topic of much debate amongst traceurs. Most experienced traceurs agree that since flips merely add to the aesthetic value and are rarely the most efficient way of passing an object, they are not parkour. However, some traceurs believe that tricks add style and total freedom of motion, and that parkour is not so rigidly defined. Free Running, a movement that stems from Parkour, embraces tricks as a way of artistic and physical expression. Free Running differs from parkour in that visual flair is also a goal, while parkour solely focuses on efficient movement - movements that are useful in navigating your evironment.
[edit] List of movements
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Basic movements used in parkour include:
| Synonym | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| French | English | |
| Atterrissage or Réception | Landing | Traceurs try to always land on the front of their feet, minimizing the shock of heel-strikes as much as possible. |
| Équilibre | Balance | Walking or crawling along the crest of an obstacle; literally "balance". |
| Équilibre de chat | Cat balance | Quadrupedal movement (using all fours) can be helpful for balance in some situations. |
| Franchissement [fʁɑ̃.ʃis.mɑ̃] | Underbar, jump through | Jumping or swinging through a gap between obstacles; literally "to cross" or "to break through". |
| Lâché [la.ʃe] | Dismount, swinging jump | Hanging drop; lacher literally meaning "to let go". To hang or swing (on a bar, on a wall, on a branch) and let go, dropping to the ground or to hang from another object. |
| Passe Muraille [pas my.ʁaɪ] | Wall climb, wall pass | Overcoming of a wall by using your feet to help push up and over. |
| Passement [pas.mɑ̃] | Vault | Overcoming an obstacle by vaulting. General term. |
| Demitour [dəmi tuʁ] | Turn vault | Any kind of turn vault; literally "half turn". This move is used to place yourself on the other side of an object, shortening a drop or preparing for a jump. |
| 360° | Reverse vault | A good recovery vault that continues the spin of a demitour to direct you forward, useful in places or conditions with limited approach space. |
| Planche [plɑ̃ʃ] | Muscle up/Climb-Up | To get from a hanging position (wall, rail, branch, arm jump, etc) into a position where your upper body is above the obstacle, supported by the arms. This then allows for you to climb up onto the obstacle and continue. |
| Roulade [ʁu.lad] | Roll | Forward rolls are done on the diagonal of your back. Used primarily to transfer the momentum/energy from jumps, general term for any roll. |
| Saut de Bras [so d bra] | Cat leap or arm jump | To land on the side of an obstacle in a hanging/crouched position, the hands gripping the top edge, holding the body, ready to perform a planche. |
| Saut de Chat [so d ʃa] | Cat jump, King Kong or Monkey | To dive onto an obstacle, place the hands, and follow through with tucked legs, pushing off with the hands to bring the body back into a vertical angle, ready to land. |
| Saut de Fond [so d fɔ̃] | Drop | Literally 'jump to the ground / jump to the floor'. To jump down, or drop down from something. |
| Saut de Détente | Gap jump | To jump from one place/object to another, over a gap/distance. This technique is most often followed with a roll. |
| Saut de Précision [so d presiziɔ̃] | Precision jump | To jump from one object to a precise spot on another object. |
| Tic Tac [tik tak] | Wall jump | To kick off a wall in order to overcome an obstacle in the path or gain height to grab something. |
[edit] Other movements
- Dash Vault
- Kash Vault
- Handed Vault
- One Handed Vault
- Two Handed Vault
- Lazy vault
- Thief or Rocket vault
[edit] Advanced movements and fusion
- Double King Kong Vault
- Diving Roll
- Monkey Stall
[edit] Aesthetic movements
Some movements that may be questionable and most used in free running:
- 360° Cat leap
- 360° Underbar
- Flip Vault
- Handspring
- Reverse Vault
- Railspring
- Palmspin
- Tic Tac 360°
- Wallspin
[edit] In popular culture
Parkour has appeared in various television advertisements, news reports, and entertainment pieces, sometimes combined with other forms of stunts and acrobatics.
[edit] Film
- After including parkour moves in a chase sequence in the film Taxi 2 (2000), in 2001 French filmmaker Luc Besson made a feature film, Yamakasi—Les samouraï des temps modernes (Yamakasi—the modern-day Samurai), featuring members of the original Yamakasi. The film tells the (fictional) tale of a group of young friends who use their parkour skills to evade capture, while stealing money to fund the healthcare of a child that was injured copying their parkour training. In 2004, Besson wrote Banlieue 13, another feature film involving parkour, starring David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli. An English subtitled version of Banlieue 13 was released in America, as District B13 in June 2006, and in the UK under the title, District 13, in July 2006.
- The biggest interest surge to date was created by the documentary Jump London, which explained some of the background to parkour and culminated with Sebastien Foucan and two other French traceurs (Johann Vigroux and Jérôme Ben Aoues) demonstrating their parkour skills at many famous London locations: HMS Belfast, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Somerset House and the Tate Gallery and Saatchi galleries amongst them. It is perhaps worth noting that David Belle received no mention in Jump London, despite often being accredited as the most important founder of parkour. Jump London was followed up by the sequel Jump Britain, once again featuring Foucan and Ben Aoues.
- An action sequence in the James Bond film, Casino Royale, is a construction site roof-top chase that implements many aspects of Parkour. Sebastien Foucan, the founder of the similar sport free running, plays a small-time terrorist after whom James Bond is chasing. The scene was filmed in Nassau, Bahamas.
- A lengthy chase sequence in the film Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse features parkour.
- Parkour is featured prominently in the 2006 film Breaking and Entering, in which two of the characters employ parkour techniques to burgle an office in the King's Cross area of London.
[edit] Television
- The British public was widely exposed to parkour during 2002 via the BBC television trailer Rush Hour, which depicted David Belle leaping across London's rooftops from his office to home, in an attempt to catch his favourite BBC programme.[2][3] The piece generated a great deal of discussion, particularly after it was revealed that no special effects or wires were used (although it was partly filmed in Newcastle upon Tyne). It was later re-used for the BBC Children in Need appeal, with the face of Terry Wogan superimposed onto the body of Belle.
- A series of Nike commercials[5] depicted traceurs clearing rooftop gaps and stairwells as part of an ad campaign for their Presto line of slip-on running shoes.
- A Toyota Scion commercial[6] had free runners Sebastien Foucan and Jerome Ben Aoues playing "tag" with two cars in a parking structure.
- A Rogers Wireless mp3 phone commercial features a group of young adults running to meet another group via parkour on a rooftop, with a slogan "Tippin' on the brink".
- A Canon 350D commercial on MTV shows a traceur.
- An episode of the BBC's motoring programme Top Gear featured a race between James May in a new Peugeot 207 against two traceurs (Daniel Ilabaca and Kerbie from Worldwide JAM's 'Street Team') in the city of Liverpool on 23 July 2006.[7] The traceurs won the race to the Liver Building, if only because May, true to character, got lost on his way to the building.
- A European advert for Microsoft's Xbox 360 features a car chase and chases over roof tops and streets all influenced by Parkour. One of its stars is Cyril Raffaelli, famous to many as Capt. Damien Tomaso in the 2004 French film Banlieue 13, also starring David Belle.
- An Irish television advertisement for the shop "Lifestyle Sports" has a traceur jumping shelves in it.
[edit] Literature
- Issue 6 of the limited series Global Frequency, written by noted comic book author Warren Ellis, tells the story of a young traceuse named Sita Patel who is tasked with the seemingly impossible task of crossing London in under twenty minutes to defuse a biological weapon. The issue, titled The Run, is a varied and detailed (and mostly believable) treatment of the topic. The series was published by Wildstorm Comics.
[edit] Video games
- Eidos Interactive has announced their intention to publish a parkour video game on the PSP platform under the title "Free Running", with a release date still to be announced.[8]
- Assassin's Creed, another game in development by Ubisoft Studios, has character movements inspired by free-running.
- Splinter Cell series by Ubisoft contains many parkour movements.
- In Activision's Tony Hawk's (Series), (After Underground) the character has the ability to leave the skateboard and perform some limited free running techniques.
- Lara Croft, the protagonist of the Tomb Raider series, is often considered a traceur, especially in the most recent game, Tomb Raider Legend.
- Prince of Persia has extensive free running moves which are performed by the main character. The moves that the main character performed slowly evolved from parkour to free running, as his moves gained more and more extravagant and ostentatious flair during execution with each new sequel that came out.
- Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure involves some parkour techniques.
[edit] Music Videos
- Madonna featured parkour extensively in the Jump music video and its sequence for the Confessions Tour. It was also featured at the beginning of her music video for Hung Up.
- David Guetta has released a new music video for his song "Love Don't Let Me Go (Walking Away)" which features parkour extensively throughout it.
- German singer Liza Li chases after Austrian traceur Moses Kallweit in both cartoon and real life scenes on her video for the song "Ich könnte dich erschießen".
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- David Belle — the founder of parkour and its most famous practitioner.
- Sebastien Foucan — one of the pioneers of parkour, and is also credited with creating free running.
- George Hébert — early proponent of the obstacle course, inspiration for Belle.
- Yamakasi — a free running group and a 2001 movie.
- Free running — an art form having the goal of visual flair, utilising techniques from parkour and tricking.
- Free climbing — a style of climbing using no artificial aids to make progress.
- Freestyle walking - an artistic means of self-expression and creative interaction with one's environment.
- Bouldering — a style of climbing without a rope, generally limited in height for safety.
- Buildering — the act of climbing the outside of buildings and other urban structures.
[edit] References
- ^ a b http://parkour.net/modules/articles/item.php?itemid=2
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/04_april/11/rush_hour.shtml
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAMAr8y-Vtw
- ^ http://www.cbs.com/primetime/csi_ny/episodes/111/
- ^ http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6571575392378784144
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1ucNP74HV0
- ^ Top Gear Series 8 Episode 7 23 July 2006
- ^ http://www.gamespot.com/psp/sports/freerunning/index.html, http://psp.gamespy.com/playstation-portable/free-running/613055p1.html
[edit] External links
- Parkour.NET - International Parkour community
- worldwidejam.tv - Global Parkour and Movement Revolution
- Parkour-Videos.com - Selection of parkour videos
Revolution
Parkour at the Open Directory Project
- American Parkour - Center of American Parkour and Freerunning
- Parkour.com - Sebastien Foucan's Parkour/Freerunning website
- Corby3Run - Corby3Run's offical Website
