Written By Jammie
If your new to the Parkour discipline, or just stumbled on this site by chance then you are probably thinking:
What the hell is Parkour?
Well to put it briefly: The art of Parkour is getting from A-B, as efficiently as possible, over any obstacle in your way using your own body. Its not an extreme sport like skateboarding, where your skill is determined on the amount of tricks you can do, or how crazy and death-defying your stunts are. As a tracer (A person who practices and dedicates his/her life to Parkour) the quality of your movement is determined on your efficiency and imagination.
To overcome the obstacles in his or hers path, the tracer (or traceur as its more commonly known), will run, climb, vault, jump and use their body in a manner of ways to overcome them, be it a wall, fence, hedge, rail, whatever the obstacle, the tracer trains to overcome it. The ultimate aim of Parkour is to let nothing stop you, and that the obstacles meant to close you in, are being overcome efficently without a thought ( A mindset that most tracers refer to as Flow.) But acheiving this demands a large amount of practice and commitment, not to mention mental strength, as it can be frustrating when a technique which is useful in a cerain situation does not come naturally. This is why tracers spend hours of their time perfecting their skills and techniques, so that they can improve, learn new techniques and in turn eventually achieve perfectly efficient movement. (A task not to be underestimated!) Not only do tracers practice this discipline, they also immerse themselfs in the philosophy and lifestyle of Parkour, by thinking about the way they move and what their purpose is, and by training their body elsewhere to improve their efficiency or movement e.g Weight Training, and a special diet, along with regular exercise. Without this mix of the mental and physical side, there is no Parkour, it's simply vaulting or climbing, without a purpose.
The creator of Parkour: David Belle says his inspirations for parkour came from many sources, one of which is the ‘Natural Method of Physical Culture' developed by Georges Hébert in the early twentieth century. David Belle was introduced to this method by his father Raymond Belle, a French soldier who practiced it during his time in the Armed forces, and the Fire Brigade. The word Parkour derives from "parcours du combattant", the phrase referring to the obstacle courses of Hébert's method. The younger Belle had participated in activities such as martial arts and gymnastics, and sought to apply his athletic prowess in a manner that would have practical use in life.
Since the definition of Parkour, tracers have been springing up all over the world, practicing and immersing themselves in the Discipline, they have been constantly pushing the boundaries of efficiency and imagination to the maximum. This is a discipline that will stay along time, thanks to the dedicated tracers and organisations (e.g PAWA) speading the word about Parkour, and helping others on the way to learning.