Parkour and Free Running
Parkour is the art behind free running, getting from one point to another as fast and efficiently as possible. Free running itself is more about urban acrobatics, although the two are very closely related. Georges Herbert, a French naval officer, is considered the creator of the parkour mentality, while David Belle is considered the true founder. Herbert visited Africa before World War I and was inspired by their athletic abilities to start fitness courses in France for the military. These courses then became standard for firefighters, policemen and even for recreational fitness training. The foundation of parkour has been built upon since WWI, although the founding principles have remained the same.
Both the picture at the top and the video clip above are of David Belle, although the video clip is from the movie District B13. Still, it is a super tight example of parkour, and he does it all without guide ropes or safety harnesses (except for the rope part, which I believe used safety gear). The sport/art requires immense amounts of physical strength and endurance, which you can plainly see in David Belle’s physique.
The above video is of the Dvisnk clan, a group of Latvian parkour practitioners. The main runner featured in the video is amazing and is able to move around and through urban terrain that would be untraversable for the normal person. The one thing that confuses me is why they would choose to run with their shirts off if they go rolling through grass and across the rooftops of old buildings. You’d think they’d end up cutting their backs up a ton. Oh well, I’d take having a little bit of their skills if it meant getting the occasional scrape on my back. Below are a couple of sweet action shots of people practicing parkour around the world.
Remember to check out David Belle’s movie District B13 for other cool clips of parkour. There are also tons of YouTube videos with other amazing free running, all you need to do is run a quick search for them. For other tight sports, check out our post about 8 of the Manliest Sports.
July 8th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
c le sport qui j’aime de puis j’ai regarder tes video