Parkour is a fascinating and impressive activity which is loved by many across the world, but how much do you know about it?
- Parkour originates in France and has its roots in military training and physical education.
- Modern Parkour is said to be founded by David Belle and Sébastien Foucan who are ambassadors of the techniques and have pushed it into films and video games.
- Parkour is not a sport in the traditional sense. In fact, competitive Parkour has been campaigned against by leading figures in the Parkour arena as it goes against the very philosophy of free movement and self-development.
- Parkour has no set movements or tricks, but is up to the individual and focuses instead on swift movement with minimum injury.
- Parkour practitioners are known as “Traceurs” – simply because they “trace” their way through the environment and across, under and over various obstacles.
- Despite all the daring videos you might have seen, the majority of people participating in Parkour do so at ground-level. Railings, walls and low-level obstacles are seen as a great challenge and a perfect way to practice without serious risk of injury. Parkour training areas are perfect for people who are new to the discipline.
- Parkour is not just about jumping and climbing. One of the key factors in success is learning “spatial awareness” – knowing how far you can leap, judging distances and gaps and more will lead to a perfect Parkour outing.
- No equipment is required (or standard) for Parkour practice. Although traceurs may wear lose, casual clothing and things like sweat bands and gloves for protection, the majority of Parkour is practiced outside on man-made obstacles, buildings and other constructions.
- Precision is the pinnacle of Parkour movement. A large jump from one place to a small, narrow platform is a firm demonstration of Parkour skill.
- Parkour is now considered to be an “extreme” sport and is thereby part of the US X-Games – an annual extreme sports event hosted by ESPN.
- Some say that the key to Parkour is moving from one place to another as quickly as possible.
- Parkour has become so popular that training camps have popped up around the world including groups like Parkour Generations who teach and train the movements of Parkour to others.
