Your opinion on Parkour.

**empty** · March 02, 2007, 01:22 PM

Do you know parkour? It's a great sport that involves gymnastics surrounded with urban elements when practicing it. Not many people now it, because it's recent, was invented in early 90s I think, by David Belle or Sebastien Foucan... Pardon me but my memory ins't exceptional

It requires some patience to learn, skills, acuracy, stealth and sometimes nuts.

Next, is a good example of parkour:

**~~removeduser_426582376423734~~** · March 02, 2007, 02:31 PM

Yeah, I've got close friends who are pretty hyped on parkour. Its snazzy.

**The Alcotroll** · March 02, 2007, 03:43 PM

I tried, but since I lack balance and agility, I spent too much time on my arse for it to be worthwhile.

A mate of mine is very much into it however, and he's a handy man to have on an assault course. I once saw him take a nine-foot wall with one hand, which is the epitome of hardcore.

**Ghoulem** · March 03, 2007, 09:02 PM

I once tripped on a bench and kicked a pigeon. Does that count?

**Ó Cathasaigh** · March 03, 2007, 09:33 PM

It's very enteresting to watch, but it's not much more of a sport than Jackass is.

**zingerburger** · March 04, 2007, 03:55 AM

You could probably classify it as an "extreme" sport. Some of the things they do are pretty extreme.

It's hard to believe the stuff they did in that scene in Casino Royale (the new one) but it is real. I've heard alot of people say that it's fake, or it's done with wires or whatever, but they don't know what the limits of the human body can be.

**empty** · March 04, 2007, 01:34 PM

Originally Posted by Ghoulem

I once tripped on a bench and kicked a pigeon. Does that count?

I don't think, it counts more like a sport that I'd like to invent, since I HATE PIDGEONS. Please, kick more pidgeons' arse for me

. They are an useless plague spread all over our little world.

It must've made you laugh a bit, didn't it? The feeling of kicking a pidgeon should be great!

**Il Duce** · March 04, 2007, 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by empty

I don't think, it counts more like a sport that I'd like to invent, since I HATE PIDGEONS. Please, kick more pidgeons' arse for me

. They are an useless plague spread all over our little world.

It must've made you laugh a bit, didn't it? The feeling of kicking a pidgeon should be great!

Boy, I'm gonna sic PETA on your ass

**Manji** · March 11, 2007, 05:44 AM

Pidgeon Kicking is a national sport Il Duce, don't mock our culture!
(ehe, just kidding mate).

I've tried a couple of times and it's both entertaining and adrenalin-pumping, it's good for your health and as long as you don't take it beyond your capabilities it's simple "urban gymnastics".

Originally Posted by Corporal_Hicks

It's very enteresting to watch, but it's not much more of a sport than Jackass is.

Clearly you have no idea what Parkour is, the history of the practice and it's goals. Research a bit before comparing a gymnastics exercise dedicated to increasing your natural capabilities to a TV show dedicated to entertaining you by showing ridiculous stunts. Seriously.

**Captain Arrrgh!** · March 11, 2007, 06:33 AM

From a philosphical point of view, I find parkour highly intriguing. The skill with which one is able to manipulate their environs to traverse from one location to another is quite impressive. Let's just hypothosize there was an urban collapse. Being able to vault from stairs to a precipice of a building would be a valuable skill. Parkour also reflects our animal nature, and how increasing urbanization encroaches on our instinctive and latent athletic abilitites.
I go jogging fequently with a young friend who is highly energetic and parkours all over the place while we run. Being old, and panting at dragging my ancient pirate's arse around for a 40 min run, I feel an amused envy for this athletic colleague.
As a negative, as athletic as some of these... 'parkourites' are, I can see this passtime turning into another form of skateboarding, where we see young fools cracking their heads and groins off of cement steps and rails, and then turned into a tv 'most outrageous sports goofs' thing.

**Manji** · March 11, 2007, 06:41 AM

Originally Posted by Captain Arrrgh!

As a negative, as athletic as some of these... 'parkourites' are, I can see this passtime turning into another form of skateboarding, where we see young fools cracking their heads and groins off of cement steps and rails, and then turned into a tv 'most outrageous sports goofs' thing.

Well, but you can't judge parkour by a fringe group.
Parkour itself is not a organised sport, parkour is simply gymnastic (callisthenic) running with a emphasis on freedom of movement regardless of the environment.
The creator of parkour described it as the modern attempt to recreate the "hunting run", a physical activity which has a start line and a goal but without a predefined route.
Parkour itself should only be made by those who have achieved a certain degree of physical aptitude and it's "show off" quality is partially because we aren't used to seeing a guy running towards a wall and climbing it then proceeding to jump into a rail and walking over it, all this done smoothly.
Again, Parkour should be done by a trained person and those who are not should practice more before trying to jump from one building to another... but then again, in all sports, some people do dumb things, which doesn't mean it's the sport we should blame.
Also, most people confuse free running with parkour.

David Belle is considered one of the founders of Parkour (the original creator, or "re-creator", would be his father, Raymond Belle), here's a interview with him.

**Captain Arrrgh!** · March 11, 2007, 07:15 AM

I've been following parkour fairly closely. Identifying it with the 'hunting run' is intriguing, and harkens to what I mentioned about intrinsic man. I can only see the parkour phenom growing. I myself have introduced more acrobatics into my workout regimen, not necessarily due to parkour, put for the practicality mixed with art and skill. I suppose my interest could also be tied in with the Splinter Cell franchise, where we see an older man mounting ledges and railings etc. Even though I have nothing against parkour, we need to recognize that though its been given a name, it is still essentially acrobatics in an urban environment.
@ The Alcotroll. Yes I've witnessed such incredible displays as well. I was no mean creature on the assault course myself, but one handed on the wall is truely impressive.

**Manji** · March 11, 2007, 07:33 AM

Originally Posted by Captain Arrrgh!

I've been following parkour fairly closely. Identifying it with the 'hunting run' is intriguing, and harkens to what I mentioned about intrinsic man. I can only see the parkour phenom growing. I myself have introduced more acrobatics into my workout regimen, not necessarily due to parkour, put for the practicality mixed with art and skill. I suppose my interest could also be tied in with the Splinter Cell franchise, where we see an older man mounting ledges and railings etc. Even though I have nothing against parkour, we need to recognize that though its been given a name, it is still essentially acrobatics in an urban environment.

Well, the whole idea of "hunting run" was developed by Raymond Belle, who based his studies on survival and hunting in Vietnamese jungles, which tried to apply it to the urban setting, something his son, David Belle, perfected and dubbed "Parkour".
Yes, I think we all introduce acrobatic elements into our simple physical workouts, the next step is simply to keep on developing them as our fitness increases.
I don't practice Parkour or Free Running in it's "jump from buildings" component, I prefer the more practical (and less dangerous) "get over the obstacles" version which I do when I go out running. I usually pick either a wooded area nearby which has alot of natural obstacles (fallen trees and tree trunks, rocks, water streams, slopes, etc. ) and set my goal as a particular area and then try to reach it by going as straight as possible and using the environment not as a obstacle but as a tool.
Speaking of games, a game which seems to take most influence from Parkour/free Running is the upcoming "Assassin's Creed".