Brief Introduction to Parkour

Parkour is a method of training which teaches us how to intelligently use the environment – especially the urban environment -, so we can get from point A to point B with maximum speed, spending  the minimum amount of energy. 

Since ancient times it has been a part of the traditional martial arts training, but with the rise of modern ways of teaching martial arts (mostly inside gyms and dojos) this has been ignored and forgotten. 

In Kung Fu it was known as “light body skills” and in other martial arts, like Ninjutsu, this was an essential part.

Obstacles – such as metal bars, poles, walls, gaps – are no longer perceived as obstacles but as means of projecting ourselves further. One could say it is a bit “old school” to think that we overcome obstacles, since the obstacles are here to help us reach our destination, not to stop us.

The word “parkour” comes from the French “parcours du combattant” – a route to be travelled. Amongst Parkour practitioners – also known as traceurs – it is generally accepted that this art has been founded and developed by the French traceur David Belle. And to be honest, I also started practicing Parkour after I first watched the movie Banlieue 13 in which David Belle displays tones of amazing Parkour skills. He developed and named the basic techniques, but any movement that allows us to get from one point to another fast enough, without using too much effort, is considered to be Parkour.

Many times people make confusions between Parkour  & FreeRunning, since lots of practitioners get so advanced that they can even flip over obstacles. Flips are a great way to train our body and develop lots of control and balance skills, but they are not the easiest and fastest way to get from here to there. Parkour is jumping over a fence fast and easy, FreeRunning is flipping over a fence. The focus in FreeRunning is put on how we can make use of the obstacles to help us do breath-taking acrobatics, while in Parkour the focus is put on the efficiency and speed of the movement, not on its spectacularity. 

Besides getting us in a great shape, it also enables us to perceive the urban environment differently – since many times this kind of environment can be quite depressing due to do the risen levels of pollution.  After a few Parkour trainings, we no longer see just concrete walls and metallic bars all around us, we see movement, we see training opportunities. 

The beauty of this art is that it doesn’t require any special equipment, any special gym or park, and depending on you – it may not even require an instructor. Of course, it’s better when there are already a few more experienced practitioners around, but the movements are so natural that anybody can learn them on his own. It’s best to have comfortable clothes which don’t stop your movements and some shoes with flat, hard soles and a good grip. 

For beginners, it is highly recommended that they do some body conditioning before. Many times Parkour is perceived as an extreme sport – but it isn’t. It’s us who decide just how extreme it can get. If we know we can’t jump over a 10m gap we don’t do it. Some take this as a challenge and train until they can jump over the 10m gap, but you can enjoy the training just as much even if you jump over a 1m gap. Some adrenaline will still be there. And here we got to a very important aspect of Parkour – the fact that it enables us to see our limits, to know what we can and what we can’t do. And the moment we decide to do a movement, we learn to have no hesitation.

The body conditioning in Parkour starts with jogging – we should be able at first to run long distances without getting tired, if we want to travel long distances that have obstacles too. There is a lot of pressure on the ankles and on the wrists, so better train them before. That will enable you to enjoy the training and gain confidence. Also, there is a lot of pressure on the back because of the shocks you get from landing and jumping against walls, but regular calisthenics training and stretching will help you maintain your back in good shape and correct technique and attention will help to reduce the risk of accidents. 

Parkour can also be seen as a way of self-defense, since most of the times people get attacked on the street by multiple opponents and it is recommended to avoid such fights, even if you consider yourself to be a great fighter. You are still in a win situation if they chase you and they can’t get you! Or, some people may steal something from you or from a friend and run away, and then it will be much easier to get your belongings back. But this is not why most of the people practice Parkour, it is for the beauty of moving freely, without fear.

_____________

*the first videos are from around 2009. the last video is a group video from around 2010 with me and some of my parkour & freerunning training partners. I was the guy in snow camo pants
unfortunately, after the ankle injury in the summer of 2011 I couldn't focus so much on parkour & freerunning anymore so I don't have very recent videos. but I hope to make some soon...

*primele clipuri sunt de prin 2009. ultimul clip este o filmare de grup de prin 2010 cu mine și câțiva parteneri de ai mei de antrenament. eu eram cel cu pantaloni de camuflaj de zăpadă
din păcate, după accidentarea gleznei în vara anului 2011 nu m-am mai putut concentra pe antrenamentele de parkour & freerunning, așa că nu am clipuri mai recente. dar sper să fac câteva de curând...