Parkour and Freerunning

[PositiveZero]

So yeah, a thread for anyone who practices parkour and freerunning, or anyone who just has some questions on the subject. As a traceur myself, I'm always curious to see who else practices the art of parkour, or just talk about the movement in general.

As far as my own qualifications go, I've been regularly training parkour for a few months over a year now, am fairly skilled, and seem to be one of the few tracers left in my area that still holds a philosophy with the movement (hence not putting this in sports initially, I just don't think it fits there at all.)

Any comments are welcome and encouraged.

[UNODRAGONE]

I had to actually look this up because I have never heard of it. I hate using Wiki but it gave me the best explaination, please advise if this is right. Parkour sounds like a form of martials arts that I practiced years back and is actually quite relaxing.


Parkour (sometimes also abbreviated to PK) or l'art du déplacement[1] (English: the art of movement) is an activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as smoothly, efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the abilities of the human body.[2] It is meant to help one overcome obstacles, which can be anything in the surrounding environment—from branches and rocks to rails and concrete walls—and can be practiced in both rural and urban areas. Parkour practitioners are referred to as traceurs, or traceuses for females.[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkour



Free running is a form of urban acrobatics in which participants, known as free runners, use the city and rural landscape to perform movements through its structures. It incorporates efficient movements from parkour, adds aesthetic vaults and other acrobatics, such as tricking and street stunts, creating an athletic and aesthetically pleasing way of moving. It is commonly practiced at gymnasiums and in urban areas that are cluttered with obstacles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_running

[Revan]

Yeah, Im pretty sure Parkour and Free Running are in fact the same thing.

I've always wanted to do it, but its not really socially acceptable.

[UNODRAGONE]

Yeah, Im pretty sure Parkour and Free Running are in fact the same thing.

I've always wanted to do it, but its not really socially acceptable.

Just out of curiousity, how come?

[Revan]

Because your running and jumping really fast over things like cars, fences etc.
Which in a busy city could go horribly wrong or make some people feel uncomfortable.

[PositiveZero]

Yeah, Im pretty sure Parkour and Free Running are in fact the same thing.

There is a difference in parkour and freerunning. Actually the wiki hits it fairly squarely. Parkour is a philosophy, which emphasizes efficiency over any obstacle, a mind set encouraged through physical objects, but which is supposed to carry over through every obstacle in a persons life.

Freerunning is more or less the act of getting from point A to B in the prettiest way possible. So instead of simply jumping over a rock, you would jump onto the rock and do a backflip off of it.

As far as it being socially acceptable goes, I actually get a lot more people stopping to watch than I get looking disgusted with me. And while something can go wrong, parkour encourages safe and steady progression, so you're not supposed to do anything that you don't feel ready for. I've really never seen anyone that was upset that I was practicing. I've had a few frat boys mock what I was doing, but it happens I suppose.

[Revan]

I thought freerunning was as efficiently as possible.
Surely a backflip isnt efficient unless its backflipping up onto a higher ledge.

[PositiveZero]

In its simplest terms, parkour is the quickest and most efficient way of getting from point A to point B.

Freerunning is the act of getting from point A to B in a visually pleasing way.

So technically freerunning could use the exact same move set as parkour, its the mindset that sets them apart.

If you can backflip into a higher ledge, then you are very skilled indeed. :D

[Vendetta]

If you can backflip into a higher ledge, then you are going to be in a LOT of pain. :D
Fixed for you.