Parkour

[firesion]

been working on adapting my training from distance running to Parkour and Free running. I like to mix up my sports every few years and have basically experienced what distance running can give me. If you have no idea what I am talking about you can see examples here http://www.americanparkour.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/ and
http://www.arizonaparkour.com/

In my view parkour is not a martial art. It has nothing to do with self defense it is more inline with trail running and gymnastics. I am looking at adding some classes by Francesco



He is the guy on the bottom right with no shirt on. He is local and runs a class out of Scottsdale.

Comments

[brokenallbroken.livejournal.com]

Parkour is a martial art in the sense that it was developed to help French soldiers in Vietnam move through Basic Training obstacle courses (and thus presumably a battlefield) more efficiently. But no, not a whole lot on the hand-to-hand combat use.

[firesion.livejournal.com]

According to David Belle and friends Parkour is not le parcours du combattant. It pulls some ideas from there, but it also pulls from gymnastics, Bboying, etc. Here he is explaining in an interview why he does not see it as a martial art http://parkourpedia.com/about/interviews-and-articles-of-interest/david-belle-interview . In the end the one thing I hate about parkour is the fact that it is very difficult to pin down. You want to see some fun go to a parkour group and say they are all free runners. They get mad without really being able to explain why. In the end I like this explanation best even if it is a bit long http://www.alliedparkourtraceurfederation.com/missionofAPTF.html

[brokenallbroken.livejournal.com]

My understanding is that parkour is just getting from one place to the other in the fastest, most efficient means possible though the use of the movements, and freerunning is parkour + acrobatics (inefficient, circus stunt stuff). Someone who considers themselves efficient and disciplined doesn't want to be compared to those crazy, undisciplined punks with their flips and their corkscrew passages. It's kind of like saying Lance Armstrong and Dave Mirra are doing the same thing.

[firesion.livejournal.com]

the catch is that the inefficient stuff is applicable to certain situations. So to say that in parkour you never do a back flip would be incorrect as certain obstacles may require it. Also most people who practice parkour will Kong over a wall that would be done faster and more efficiently by simply jumping it like a hurdle. In the end I consider them personally the same sport. I like the term parkour better then free runner because it sounds better and takes less time to type. I think since the sport has little structure people like to carve out their own niches and they get very defensive of them. Personally I am to old for that type of status game. Call me a traceur, free runner, lemming and it still does not change the fact that I have to do another 30 pull-ups today :)