Parkour and Free Running

Firstly let me start by clarifying that Parkour and Free Running are two different disciplines derived from the same place. To put it simply, Parkour is more concerned about the efficiency and simplicity of movement. If Martial Arts trains the ‘fight’ response then Parkour trains the ‘flight’ response. Free Running on the other hand is more of an art form where the movements are beautiful and flowing, but not necessarily practical in the sense of efficient movement.

Taken from Wikipedia;
While free running and parkour share many common techniques, they have a fundamental difference in philosophy and intention. The aims of parkour are reach, the ability to quickly access areas that would otherwise be inaccessible, and escape, the ability to evade pursuers, which means the main intention is to clear their objects as efficiently as they can while free running is concerned more with aesthetics and the beauty of the certain vault, jump, etc. Certain free running moves may not involve any movement across the environment at all, such as a standing backtuck.

Inspiration for parkour came from many sources, the foremost being the 'Natural Method of Physical Culture' developed by Georges Hébert in the early twentieth century. French soldiers in Vietnam were inspired by Hébert's work and created what is now known parcours du combattan.t David Belle was introduced to the obstacle course training as well as Hébert's methode naturelle by his father, Raymond Belle, a French soldier who practiced the two disciplines. David Belle had participated in activities such as martial arts and gymnastics, and sought to apply his athletic prowess in a manner that would have practical use in life.

After moving to Lisses, David Belle continued his journey with others. "From then on we developed," says Sébastien Foucan in Jump London, "And really the whole town was there for us; there for Parkour. You just have to look, you just have to think, like children." This, as he describes, is "the vision of parkour."

The founders of parkour started out in a group named the Yamakasi, but later separated due to disagreements over what David Belle referred to as "prostitution of the art," the production of a feature film starring the Yamakasi in 2001. Sébastien Foucan, David Belle, were amongst those who split at this point. The name 'Yamakasi' is taken from Lingala, a language spoken in the Congo, and means strong spirit, strong body, strong man.

David Belle is very much a man of mystery. He does not make the regular public appearances that a lot of Free Runners make, however, assuming your French is good, he has a very cool website at http://kyzr.free.fr/davidbelle/. On the other hand Sébastien Foucan, the founder of Free Running, has a much more public profile having started in terrific Free Running documentaries such as Jump London and Jump Britain, not to mention a guest spot at the beginning of the latest James Bond movie, (Casino Royale). There is also a recently released Free Running video game on PSP, http://au.gamespot.com/psp/sports/freerunning/index.html.

Parkour and Free Running can not be summed up in one brief article so encourage you to do your own research and follow the paths that interest you the most.

Andreas Kalteis, an Austrian traceur, has stated in documentary Parkour Journeys:
"To understand the philosophy of parkour takes quite a while, because you have to get used to it first. While you still have to try to actually do the movements, you will not feel much about the philosophy. But when you're able to move in your own way, then you start to see how parkour changes other things in your life; and you approach problems — for example in your job — differently, because you have been trained to overcome obstacles. This sudden realization comes at a different time to different people: some get it very early, some get it very late. You can't really say 'it takes two months to realize what parkour is'. So, now, I don't say 'I do parkour', but 'I live parkour', because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything."