Parkour is a sport that requires regular training and a good physical condition. The main goal of Parkour is to move from one place to another as fast and efficient as possible. Although the term "Free-Running" is used interchangeably with Parkour, Both are different from each other. The goal is basically the same but in Parkour, you have to get to your goal as fast as possible utilizing only the techniques needed while in Free-Running, you incorporate more tricks than what is needed like flips and the like.
Parkour was founded by David Belle when he was 15 years old in Lisses, France. He was influenced by his father because of his father's military history. He emphasized the integration of the body and mind in overcoming obstacles through running, jumping, leaping, and using quadrupedal movement. He invented Parkour using his military training, gymnastic ability, and athleticism.
Male practitioners of Parkour are called traucers. We call female practitioners of Parkour a traceuse. They do death defying tricks to overcome obstacles in their way.
Different countries are finding ways to incorporate parkour in training their military. The British Royal Marines have traucers and traceuses to train their recruits. Colorado parkour began introducing parkour into the U.S. Military and now, it is slowly being introduced to the United States Marine Corps.
Parkour is considered as a philosophy and an art as well as a form of martial arts. Most people see parkour as just a plain sport. The true lovers of parkour consider it as an art because each intricate body movement, each decision on how to overcome obstacles and be as fluid as possible makes the parkour makes it an art in motion which is hard to perfect. You may be wondering why they considered it as a form of martial art because it does not look like a form of self defense. Well it is. The body has to choices when in times of danger, fight or flight. The “fight” martial arts let your body defend itself by attacking the threat. Well, Parkour is the martial arts for flight because you run away as efficiently possible. You still defend yourself in times of trouble but not in a way like fighting but in a way of avoiding a fight so no one can get hurt.
The tricks of parkour need proper practice to perfect because one false move can result in a dead body in the world. Some of the most important moves of parkour mimic animal movements and skills. For example, when doing a Cat Jump, Cat Balance, and Cat to Cat, you need balance and flexibility to get these moves done, just like the cat.
Another fundamental trick that needs to be learned is the vault. There are many kinds of vaults. Some of the common vaults are the Turn Vault, Dash Vault, Reverse Vault, Speed Vault, Lazy Vault, Kong Vault and Kash Vault. You need to be very precise to do these techniques properly.
The most important move in parkour is the roll. It is sometimes called the breakfall, the parkour roll, or the PK roll. You do this when you have just performed a trick that lets you fly through the air. When you don’t do the roll when you land, all the force goes down to your feet which can be very painful when you’re not used to it. When the roll is done, it takes away most of the damage and helps you to continue with your flow.
So that is about it. That is all I want to say about parkour. Always remember safety when you try to do it for the first time. And when doing it, always enjoy!
"Stop talking and Move"-David Belle
"The way of the parkour is to continue, not to stay here.”-Sebastian Foucan
"We are Traceurs, and we will prevail. Parkour is not just a way of life. Parkour is life."-unknown
