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Parkour, the art of uninterrupted motion

Hieronymus

22:01 / 01.01.06

I am absolutely fascinated by Parkour, a kind of insane mix of gymnastics, rock climbing and Spider-man like agility in an urban setting, with a kind of anarchic Zen philosophy of fluidity in motion. It really is a beautiful art form.

I'd try to describe it better but no words can do it justice (especially when Wikipedia has its history down to a 't'). Instead, check out the videos here and in this clip from Parkour's founder David Belle and his movie Banlieue 13.

Anyone else familiar with this or has shunned their ninja careers and actively practises it?

Shrug

23:10 / 01.01.06

I was talking about this with someone recently and am deeply fascinated by it too. I've never practised it unless you count age 12 running an obstacle course that involved a few walls, a few roofs and a few trees (which I suppose you could if some sort of grace wasn't a factor).
The above links are pretty cool and funny too. I suppose a certain level of acrobatic skill is involved but I think I could tenably achieve some of the vaults (well if I could overcome fear of social embarrassment).

---

08:32 / 02.01.06

Hey! Check this out that I saw linked at emptyFlower.com, it's amazing :

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=515642196227308929

unheimlich manoeuvre

10:55 / 03.01.06

Le Parkour Temple thread.

Freerunning, the learning of, should be one of my New Years resolutions.

All Acting Regiment

18:13 / 03.01.06

That's amazing. What I like about this is that it seems almost impossible to commercialise/sanitise: beyond I suppose shoes you can't exactly create a market for this.

Mr Tricks

16:06 / 04.01.06

There's a french Nike Commercal I stumbled accross that does just that.

Mr Tricks

20:25 / 04.01.06

PS: for those of you interested here's a discussion on the Martial Aspects of this past-time.

Quantum

12:46 / 05.01.06

There's some local Parkour people here in Brightonia (which is excellent terrain) but I'm too unfit & shy to contact them- I just do it from time to time on my own and get some weird looks. The other day I leapt off one of those big wheelie bins around a corner and landed right in front of a group of startled tourists. I tried to nonchalantly wander away, but they must have thought it was raining freaks in Brighton that day.

21:27 / 05.01.06

Thanks for this thread, folks— I just found a PK group in the Bay Area and I'll be going to my first open gym jam in about a week and a half. I'm totally out of shape and am the sort of person who never quite managed a cartwheel as a kid, but forfucksake I'm not growing younger.

lekvar

22:29 / 05.01.06

Id, could you PM me that info?
I've been working on a kind-of low-speed parkour, focusing on the exploration of urban landscapes rather than the speed, for a while now while I get myself into better shape. My region of the Bay isn't especially conducive to freeflow though - last time I got into it I was followed by a private security car for a block. Not threatening, but who needs the hassle?

02:51 / 06.01.06

Done. If I ever get to the point where I'm doing more than just practicing in the safety of a gym, I'll post in Gathering to see who wants to join me. Out of all three thousand of us Bay Area 'lithers, that is.

charrellz

18:22 / 06.01.06

I went out running last night and I just can't get over how it gets easier and easier the more you do it. I went from bungling a lazy vault to doing a full-on two-footed wall run in less than 30 minutes.

Best. Sport. Ever.

19:59 / 31.03.06

Feline Freerunner.

(Also topping because I want to hear more PK/FR talk, so maybe I can get motivated to do some of it.)

invisible_al

15:14 / 28.04.06

Another amazing parkour video

It looks like it's from a film, but those are some pretty amazing moves that guy's pulling. Anyone know where this film is from?

iamus

mad, our local [canberra australia] current affairs show had a piece last night on this and i was fascinated. and i almost never watch teev, so to catch it then see this thread... spooky. local scene has lots of interesting architecture to swarm about in.

i'm far too old and fat and slow and unfit and reticent to get involved, but fuck it's an amazing phenomenon to watch. some of the footage on the teev was from the supposed french originators - belle? - and was like watching spiderman without a web. astounding - i wish it was more practiced; it is like apes swinging through a jungle - concrete!

you go, traceurs, you go!

■

22:16 / 05.05.06

About a month ago I was standing waiting for the bus near a bit of an iffy area of town when a bunch of kids went past being loud and, like the sissy I usually am, prentended to be reading the timtable. When they had gone a bit further I was half-watching them when one of them jumped up, hit the ground, sprang and did a back flip (no hand on the ground or anything; straight over) right in the street, landing on his feet.
I don't know if this was some kind of street dance or what you're describing, I am still kicking myself that I didn't follow them discreetly to find out where they were headed in case they were about to try some more audacious jumpy acrobatics.

Mr Tricks

15:34 / 01.06.06

So... it was only a matter of time until Parkour was featured in a movie. I give you DISTRICT B13

Hieronymus

20:55 / 08.09.06

Seems Mr. Foucan, one of the founders of Parkour, is in the upcoming Bond flick.

An action sequence in the upcoming James Bond film, Casino Royale, has been confirmed as a roof-top chase that implements many aspects of Parkour. Sebastien Foucan has been hired to perform the stunts for the character that James Bond will be chasing. The scene will be filmed in Nassau, Bahamas, but the Bahamas have been confirmed as doubling for Madagascar.

You can see him doing his thing in the trailer

Olulabelle

10:15 / 13.09.06

There's a parkour thread over in the Temple which some of you might be interested in.

Quantum, I am like you; a little bit now and then. My partner and my son spend very little time on the pavement, instead preferring to travel by wall. Even the dog has taken to jumping up after them when he can so it's just me taking the normal route. I do do the easy bits, but they do things involving throwing themselves through railings and the like. There's a big parkour group here in Birmingham which meets up in the town centre. Birmingham is ace for parkour, it has lots of strange and freaky 70's architectural quirks.

pointless & uncalled for

13:36 / 13.09.06

I've been interested in this for a long time now but not really gotten around to doing it.

Things have changed though. I'm going to start trying to get into adventure racing which is kind of adopting PK as a discipline, particularly in the urban series so I think I'm going to do a bit of research on the moves.

Kind of handy that I've just started learning to run again. Tough work, causing some pain.

MintyFresh

20:40 / 14.09.06

A few of my friends are into free running, but whenever I mention that I'd like to learn they say "But you're a girl." I really am interested in learning though, so I refuse to let sexism stop me! Watch out boys, here comes That Pale Chick, She-Ninja!
In all seriousness, how many girls do you think actually practice parkour? You only ever see guys in the videos and photos.

pointless & uncalled for

06:50 / 15.09.06

I regularly see a handful down on the Southbank with the usual suspect who hang out there. Sadly they seem to quite often be treated like skater chicks; eye candy that should try not to get in the way.

I guess it'll be one of those annoyingly male dominated sports for a while longer.

MintyFresh

13:40 / 15.09.06

Ignominious, that's exactly my problem. The guys think it's cool for me to watch and cheer them on, but when I try to get involved they act like I should be at home taking care of the babies and cooking them dinner.

Quantum

18:46 / 15.09.06

Practice until you can shame them all with your madskillz, and don't listen to their nonsense- parkour is no harder than Capoeira, and there are bazillions of female Capoeristas.
Olulabelle, I started off as a kid playing Laser Wheels, where the cars shoot lasers at your legs so you have to get off the ground. I've kicked the habit now but whenever a huge 4x4 SUV goes by I think of getting chopped off at the knees and want to leap on a post box or something.
It's funny the things that stick with you.

Ticker

19:59 / 15.09.06

I know this is a bit thread rotty but I remember being a young gel and having a board (big fat wheeled thing I snagged from an ex) and having the males be so disapproving of me trying to learn that it hurt more than that time I landed on the hood of car while skating down a street. Yet I was proud that I knew how to skate as little as I did and how great it was when my cool male friends encouraged me.

I may be too whatever and not enough of something else to be good at it but damn, no one is going to tell me I can't or shouldn't at least try PK. Well except the City, it may very well to tell me to stop bashing myself into surfaces for the sake of the children.

I will now go and be the crazy lady jumping on park benches.

pointless & uncalled for

08:12 / 18.09.06

xk, not thread rotty and quite relevant.

but when I try to get involved they act like I should be at home taking care of the babies and cooking them dinner

Ahh the delicate unchallenged male ego. Shouldn't be difficult to manipulate mind you. One of my favourite moments from the skatepark was the utterance of the phrase "Every time I skate like a guy, you cry like a girl."

iamus

11:36 / 18.09.06

As much as I'd love to be a professional traceur, I know I'm never gonna be.

Anybody is therefore invited to take my chosen name of Peter Parkour all for themselves. 'Cause I'm like that.

Ticker

14:19 / 18.09.06

"Every time I skate like a guy, you cry like a girl."

priceless.

Shrug

22:37 / 17.10.06

Parkour the Poppins Way

(Ah, silliness but not exactly off topic).

Chiropteran

01:20 / 11.11.06

[I hope this hasn't been posted already in one of the youtube threads...]

This video is wonderful. Little Kai is not quite three years old, and has been watching parkour videos. It is almost chillingly sweet, and really really awesome. I actually got all teary and sentimental watching it, when I realized what he was doing. That's the future right there, it is.

illmatic

15:14 / 11.11.06

That is very cute, Lep.

There's a PDF downloadable here of Parkour basics, for those intrepid enough to learn it (second article down). Great stuff.

Any updates from those practising?

Mirror

19:59 / 11.11.06

I haven't tried parkour yet, but I've done urban balance stuff (walking handrails, wall tops, etc) and urban bouldering ("buildering") for a long time. There's a local parkour group that I've been meaning to meet up with, but I haven't yet been able to make my schedule work for it.

The one thing I'm not sure about is how my knees will hold up. They're painful enough just running.

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