For anyone interested, this article was written about the local Parkour community I belong to. Originally posted here. It’s a great little overview of the practice and philosophy of Parkour… plus it gives some context to what I do or what I mean when I ever talk about Parkour. Enjoy…
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steelie
PARKOUR or “What are Those Young Folk Doing by the Citadel Hill Clocktower?”
Posted by: Conrad 01/26/2007 05:57PMSo I’m walking along Brunswick Street, by Citadel Hill and I see groups of young people gathered by the steps up to the clock. They’re jumping, leaping, climbing, balancing on railings, walking down steps on their hands and feet – head first. It’s a cold day so it’s a small group of maybe four or five. Twice as many, maybe more gather there on nicer days. They’re very quiet. No shouting or yelling. No carousing. No horseplay. They’re polite. They’re intense. They’re focused.
What ARE they doing?
Parkour. The word has a nice, elegant ring to it. It suits the activity. The word is derived from the French, “parcours” meaning “course” (inspired by French soldiers’ “parcours du combatant – military obstacle course). Parkour describes a physical discipline where the participants (called traceurs) try to pass obstacles in the fastest and most direct manner possible. The obstacles include anything in your (usually urban) environment: buildings, railings, walls, stairs, bridges. It hones physical skills like agility and balance and involves jumping, climbing, running and more complex techniques. The goal is to adapt your moves to whatever obstacle crosses your path.
The philosophy behind Parkour is “reach and escape”. It’s all about society’s restrictions of natural movement (walls, doors, railings, etc.) and overcoming them… getting from point A to point B creatively …. focusing on “feeling” the best way to move through the obstacles. It’s about challenging yourself in a non-competitive environment. It’s about respect for nature and the urban settings in which you train.
It’s pretty cool. Seeing them practice makes me wince a bit, (in sympathy with their joints), as I see them leap from one concrete ledge to another. They do warm-ups though and they’re certainly not reckless.
I like the concept of challenging the urban landscape. I do a bit of that myself as I walk to and from work every day; as I walk around the city doing errands. I find shortcuts, figure out ways to deal with that big hill between my home and my work, master snow banks and fences, wind-tunnels created by poorly planned tall buildings, awkward construction sites that close sidewalks without providing detours.
So, anyway, I just wanted to give Halifax’s traceurs a little, “You Go!” They’re outdoors. They’re getting exercise. They’re not bothering anybody or asking anything of anybody. We should all practice a little of this.
Check out the Halifax Parkour website at: www.halifaxparkour.com