Movement without boundries

Author: Luke Burgis

Article:
Copyright (c) 2007 Luke Burgis

"Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people
understand what it is to move" - David Belle.

Anyone who has seen Casino Royale (the latest of the James Bond
series) remembers the spectacular chase scene in the beginning
that has Bond chasing a man who moves with the grace, power, and
ease of a jaguar. The man easily leaps off of and over
obstacles, rolls away from multiple story jumps unharmed, and
runs on all fours, making his escape look effortless and
impressive, although calling it impressive still doesn't do it
justice. Anyone in the know knows that this style of movement is
referred to as parkour, and is a fully-functioning community of
skilled individuals capable of moving as if unrestricted by
their own bodies. Unfortunately, the group in the know is still
small. Parkour is something that either you are involved in, or
you have never heard of. If you are like most people, myself
included, you see the amazing display of athleticism in Casino
Royale and think, "wow, that guy can do some cool stuff" or,
"they must have enhanced that footage someone", never knowing
that you are watching a master at work. So what exactly is
parkour, and where did it come from?

The term parkour was defined by David Belle, the founder of
parkour, and his friend Hubert Koundé. It derives from parcours
du combattant, the classic obstacle course method of military
training proposed by Georges Hébert. Koundé took the word
parcours, replaced the "c" with a "k" to suggest aggressiveness,
and removed the silent "s" as it opposed parkour's philosophy
about efficiency. Parkour's focus is on moving as efficiently
and quickly as possible from one point to another, using the
abilities of the human body. It is meant to help one overcome
obstacles, which can be anything in the surrounding environment,
from branches and rocks to rails and concrete walls, and can be
practiced in both rural and urban areas. Male parkour
practitioners are recognized as traceurs and female as
traceuses. An important characteristic of parkour is efficiency.
A traceur moves not merely as fast as he can, but also in the
least energy-consuming and most direct way possible. Going
further in that path, efficiency also involves avoiding
injuries, short and long-term, part of why parkour's unofficial
motto is être et durer (to be and to last).

Due to the athleticism involved withparkour, many are quick to
call it a sport, but a traceur, or traceuse will quickly correct
you. Parkour is not a sport. Not an activity. Not a hobby.
Parkour is a lifestyle. "I don't say 'I do parkour', but 'I live
parkour', because its philosophy has become my life, my way to
do everything", explains Andreas Kalteis, a professional
traceur. It is also known to have an influence on practitioner's
thought process. Traceurs and traceuses experience a change in
their critical thinking skills to help them overcome obstacles
in everyday life, whether they be physical or mental boundaries.
According to Kalteis, "to understand the philosophy of parkour
takes quite a while, because you have to get used to it first.
While you still have to try to actually do the movements, you
will not feel much about the philosophy. But when you're able to
move in your own way, then you start to see how parkour changes
other things in your life; and you approach problems - for
example in your job - differently, because you have been trained
to overcome obstacles". Moving freely and thinking clearly, who
wouldn't want this lifestyle? Despite parkour's popularity
growth as of late, with the help of many traceurs being featured
in films and television, it is still a relatively unknown art.
But now you can help spread the word. You are now in the know.

So the next time you see parkour in a movie, or that crazy
Russian climber video on YouTube, and the person next to you
says "that must be fake, no one can move like that" you can set
them straight.

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If you want to see what Parkour is all about go to http://www.mybestparkourvideos.com

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About the author:


This article is from the online marketing director of Fit Fuel,
Amber Thompson. Fit Fuel is a leading natural and organic foods
retailer on the web (http://www.FitFuel.com) and an official
sponsor of American Parkour (http://www.americanparkour.com).
Source material was cited from Wikipedia
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/parkour).

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