Sports 101: Parkour
The word Parkour comes from the French word, ‘Parcours du combattant’, the obstacle course used by the French soldiers in the early twentieth century. A practitioner of parkour is called a traceur if male, or traceuse if female. Parkour is the art of training oneself to be physically disciplined, and to thus be able to push one’s body to a limit and overcome material obstacles that hinder one’s path. Parkour is a non competitive sport but its popularity has started to grow dramatically over the past couple of years, mostly with the influence of movies such as ‘District B 13’. The sport basically involves athletics running along a route, attempting to overcome obstacles and blockades in the most efficient and thrilling manner possible. Many believe the sport originated in the French suburbs.
The two most important characteristics of Parkour are efficiency and speed. People practicing Parkour tend to take the most direct path possible and tend to get to their destination as rapidly as they can. Efficiency also involves avoiding injuries on the long and short run. The unofficial, official motto for Parkour is ‘To be and to last’.
David Belle who is a former French soldier is credited to be the founder of the sport. His military training and early athletic training coupled with his gymnastic and martial arts trainings have acted as the foundations to the development of this discipline that he has single handedly developed.
There are no specific accessories required for this sport, but people practicing it tend to wear loose casual clothes. Light upper body garments such as t-shirts or sleeveless shirts are used normally. Open finger gloves are a good idea as well, since they help increase grip and prevent people from injuring their hands. The most important requirement is a good pair of athletic shoes, generally light ones with good grip, sometimes traceur’s perform barefoot as well.
Parkour is often referred to as, Free-running. Free-running however is a slightly modified version of Parkour because in free-running, people tend to be slightly more expressive with the environment around them. In other words, the main aim of Parkour is to get from one point to the other, while in free running you need to show off while doing it.
Unlike most sports or activities Parkour does not have dedicated training facilities allocated to it. Traceurs tend to practice their skills in public places such as, gyms, parks, playgrounds and abandoned structures. Concerns were raised about trespassing but most traceurs take care of their training spots and leave if asked to do so.
Before an aspiring traceur attempts a difficult route, he or she must train for months if not years. The sport requires people to be at the peak of their physical condition. Body strength, balance and agility need to be at optimum levels along with the persons mental strength and willingness to perform.
Militaries from all over the world have realized the benefits of this sport and are looking at ways to incorporate it into their trainings. The British Royal Marines decided to hire various Parkour athletes to help train their members. Colorado Parkour in U.S.A is a project that was initiated to help introduce Parkour into the U.S. military. It seems that this sport will go a long way, despite having a very light start.
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