Parkour Philosophy
Parkour is a non-competitive discipline which emphasizes the practitioner to be strong and flexible as to be able to move quickly and efficiently through any given environment so to be able to react during emergency situations. It is safe to say that the motto for parkour is the motto of Georges Hebert's "Methode Naturelle"; "etre fort pour etre utile" ("be strong to be useful") The reason parkour is a non-competitive discipline and not a sport is the same reason for Hebert's dissatisfaction with the dominant gymnastics style oriented training of his time. Being a very moral man and believing in altruism, Hebert thought that remedial Gymnastics exercises and its predominant concentration on performance and competition did not prepare his students for the physical and moral challenges of the real world. He believed one should not strive to be strong simply to win a medal or hold a trophy, but to be ready to use his/her skills to be useful in times of crisis and danger. His view was shaped by his heroism during his time in the town of St. Pierre which was afflicted by a volcanic eruption. Thanks to Hebert around 700 people where saved. From that moment on his view was cemented that an athlete should not only be physically strong, but also morally just and should strive use his or her skills in altruistic ways rather than to use them to simply glorify oneself. Parkour is a discipline and not a sport because it has no set boundaries, time limits or rules which are mandatory to follow. There are no teams or tournaments. The only thing that is given is a set list of movements which David Belle, Sebastien Foucan and the Yamakasi have judged to be the most efficient and safe. These moves are tools for the practitioner to use when traversing their environment and there will be times when the practitioner will have to turn to the Hebert's Natural Method in order to find the quickest route. Though there is competition against one's fears and against the environment when practicing parkour, competition against a fellow practitioner is discouraged which is another major aspect of parkour which sets it apart from most other sports.
