The Ultimate Parkour & Freerunning Book E-Book

Ilona E. Gerling

• Herausgeber: Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd.
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Seitenzahl: 295

Beschreibung

The increasing number of followers of the two movement cultures, Parkour and Freerunning, has given rise to the need for safe, methodical orientation, which the reader will find in this book. Parkour, a new movement culture from France, is all about moving as efficiently as possible between points A and B by sprinting fluently over obstacles. The sport of Freerunning has developed from it, involving developing and showing off the most creative, extreme, flowing, acrobatic moves possible on obstacles. This book contains precise illustrations for the teaching of all basic techniques, easy-to-follow movement breakdowns and methodical tips for indoor and outdoor training. All the most common terms from the scene are listed for reference in English and French. History, philosophy, rules of behavior, training advice based on the latest sports science knowledge, interviews from the scene about motivations and trends, advice for schools and explanations of competitions and competition criteria are a few examples of the book's contents.

Leseprobe

Jan Witfeld is a graduate in sports science and now works as a school teacher. He discovered the Move Artistic platform in 2003, and, two years later, Parkour and Freerunning. He then went on to train as a Move Artistic instructor.

Ilona E. Gerling is a university lecturer at the German Sports University in Cologne and speaks at international gymnastics congresses and forums. She discovered Parkour for herself in 2003 and was the first university lecturer to teach it to sports students. Ilona introduced Parkour to the German Gymnastics Federation in 2005. Furthermore, she is an author of a number of books on gymnastics.

Alexander Pach is a former German premier league gymnast and graduate in sports science. He is the founder and owner of the „Move Artistic Dome“ (MAD) in Cologne/GER, Europes biggest Indoorgym (1000m2) for Parkour, Freerunning, Tricking und Slacklining.

The Ultimate Parkour & Freerunning Book

This book has been carefully prepared. However, neither the authors nor the publisher can be held responsible for any harm or injury that may result from this information it contains.

Jan Witfeld, Ilona E. Gerling & Alexander Pach

THE ULTIMATE

PARKOUR & FREERUNNING BOOK

DISCOVER YOUR POSSIBILITIES

Meyer & Meyer sport

Original Title: Parkour & Freerunning

© Aachen: Meyer & Meyer 2010

Translated by Heather Ross

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

The Ultimate Parkour & Freerunning Book: Discover your Possibilities

2nd revised edition 2013

Maidenhead: Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd., 2011

ISBN 978-1-78255-020-4

All rights reserved, especially the right to copy and distribute,

including the translation rights. No part of this work may be reproduced—

including by photocopy, microfilm or any other means—

processed, stored electronically, copied or distributed in any form whatsoever

without the written permission of the publisher.

© 2011 by Meyer & Meyer sport (UK) Ltd.

2nd revised edition 2013

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Indianapolis, Maidenhead, Singapore, Sydney, Tehran, Wien

Member of the World Sport Publishers‘ Association (WSPA)

Printed and bound by: B.O.S.S Druck und Medien GmbH, Germany

ISBN 9781782550204

eISBN: 9781782553496

E-Mail: [email protected]

www.m-m-sports.com

CONTENTS

Foreword

About this Book

A    THEORY

1       THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF PARKOUR AND FREERUNNING

1.1    Georges Hébert and His Méthode naturelle

1.2    Educational Progressivism at the Start of the 20th Century and Natural Gymnastics

1.3    Raymond Belle

1.4    David Belle

1.5    L’art du déplacement (The Art of Displacement)

1.6    Naming of the Movement Art of Parkour

1.7    Sébastien Foucan – From Parkour to Freerunning

1.8    Definition of Parkour and Freerunning

1.9    Further Development of Freerunning

1.10  Outlook – Current Trends and Developments

1.11  Parkour and Freerunning as Recreational, Mass and School Sports

2       SAFETY AND RESPONSIBILITY IN PK AND FR

2.1    Belle’s and Foucan’s Philosophies

2.2    General Behaviors in PK and FR

2.3    Safety Measures and Training Rules

2.4    Clothing, Shoes and More

3       TRAINING IN PK AND FR

3.1    Basic Anatomy and Physiology

3.1.1   Body Structure

3.1.2   Nutrition and Energy Supply

3.1.3   Physical Adaptation Processes

3.2    Training Theory – Training Science

3.2.1   Coordination and Technique Training

3.2.2   Endurance

3.2.3   Strength

3.2.4   Speed

3.2.5   Flexibility

3.3    Training Session Organization

3.3.1   Warm-up

3.3.2   Training Emphasis

3.3.3   Cool Down

3.4    Example Exercises for Core and Supplementary Training

B   PRACTICE

4       PK & FR – BASIC MOVES

4.1    Balancing – Équilibre

4.1.1   Balance Basics

4.1.2   Balancing on the Feet

4.1.3   Cat Balance (Balancing on All Fours)

4.1.4   Handstand (Balancing on the Hands)

4.2    Running – Courir

4.3    Jumps – des Sauts

4.3.1   Take-off Techniques for Support Jumps

4.3.2   Tic-Tac – Stepping Movements

4.3.3   Precision jumps – des Sauts de Précision

4.3.3.1   One-foot Precision

4.3.3.2   Two-foot Precision

4.3.3.3   Running Precision

4.3.4   Drops – Sauts de Fond

4.4    Landing Basics – Réception

4.4.1   One-footed Landings

4.4.1.1   Landing in the Lunge Position

4.4.1.2   Crane

4.4.2   Two-foot Landings on the Same Level and for Drops

4.4.2.1   Eccentric Silent Landing

4.4.2.2   Landing Using the Hands with Devation to Forward Movement (“Landing and Diverting“)

4.4.2.3   Landing and Continuing onto a Lower Level

4.4.2.4   Landing with Roll (“PK roll”/roulade)

4.5    Vaults – Passement/Passe Barrière

4.5.1   Step Vault

4.5.2   Speed (Vault) – Passement Rapide

4.5.3   Lazy (Vault) – Passement

4.5.4   Kong (Vault) “Monkey” – Saut de Chat

4.5.5   Dash (Vault) – Passement Assis

4.5.6   Kash (Vault)

4.5.7   Reverse (Vault) – Passement Arrière

4.5.8   Turn (Vault) – Demi-tour

4.5.9   Palm Spin

4.6    Climbing – Grimper

4.6.1   Wall Run/Wall-up – Passe Muraille

4.6.2   Cat Leap/Arm Jump – Saut de Bras

4.6.3   Muscle-up/Climb-up – Planche

4.6.4   Wall Dismount

4.7    Hanging and swinging – Lâché

4.8    Underbar – Franchissement

4.8.1   Feet First Underbar

4.8.2   Spiral Underbar

5       FREERUNNING – ADVANCED MOVES

5.1    Loops – Culbuter

5.1.1   Aerial

5.1.2   Side Flip

5.2    Wall Tricks

5.2.1   Wall Spin

5.2.2   Wall Flip

6       SCENE AND OUTLOOK

6.1    Interviews with Some of the World’s Best Freerunners at The Art of Motion in Sweden

6.2    The Scene

6.3    Groups

6.4    Workshops

6.5    Training and Further Education

6.6    Competitions

6.7    Clothing and Shoes

6.8    Miscellaneous

7       PARKOUR AND FREERUNNING IN SCHOOLS

7.1    Pedagogical Aims and Rationales for Parkour in Schools

7.2    Contents and Activities

7.3    Basic Principles of Curriculum Structure

7.4    Safety

7.5    Lesson Plans

7.5.1   Basic Structures

7.5.2   Six simplified example lesson plans

8       THE PK/FR LEXICON

8.1    Standing Positions Relative to the Obstacle

8.2    Axes of Rotation

8.3    Support and Hang Grips

8.3.1   Support Grips

8.3.2   Hang Grips

8.4    Glossary of Parkour and Freerunning Techniques

9       BIBLIOGRAPHY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

APPENDIX 1

APPENDIX 2

INDEX

PHOTO CREDITS

FOREWORD

Jason Paul on Santorini Island, Greece (October 2011)

We are very pleased to introduce the English language version of the book Parkour & Freerunning – Discover Your Possibilities. As Founders of the U.S.-based World Freerunning Parkour Federation (WFPF), we have watched with enormous satisfaction as the sport, the art and the lifestyle known as Parkour has made its way into the hearts and imaginations of Americans of all ages and backgrounds. From Sébastien Foucan’s amazing opening chase scene in CASINO ROYALE to David Belle’s first New York visit in 2007, to the success of the WFPF series MTV’s ULTIMATE PARKOUR CHALLENGE in the summer of 2010, awareness of Parkour has been growing exponentially across America. Though we lagged behind the rest of the English-speaking world for five years or more, Americans are now making up for lost time. In fact, there are now few towns anywhere in the U.S. that can’t boast at least one local freerunner testing his environment and his abilities, and posting his videos. And just try walking down the streets of New York with some of the top WFPF athletes without collecting a crowd of awestruck onlookers, as the likes of Tim Shieff, Oleg Vorslav, Jason Paul, Phil Doyle and Ben Jenkin lashay from scaffold to scaffold, flying through the air and landing in a precision on a bar ten feet off the ground! The WFPF is now a family that reaches around the world, embracing the beauty, the grace, the discipline and the philosophy of the Parkour phenomenon. We’ve coined a phrase that sort of sums it up for us, “Know Obstacles! Know Freedom!”

We hope this book will further your understanding of this amazing lifestyle, and the boys and girls, men and women who strive to practice it daily in all aspects of their lives.Victor Bevine, David Thompson & Francis LyonsFounders of World Freerunning Parkour Federation

WHAT PARKOUR MEANS TO ME

DANIEL ARROYO (USA)

I stand with my every sense attuned to the surroundings by which I am supposed to be bound! Rapidly moving to the point that I feel the wind briefly transit across my body! My every step carefully placed so that the approach to each barrier will flow leaving no trace of fault! I run so that everything that would normally clutter the confines of my personality gives way, leaving a blissful void, the only thing in perspective the next obstacle I will overcome as I carve a path that would normally detour another! My heartbeat’s rhythm is balanced with every breath and I am in rapture, distracted only by the joy of boundless freedom! In unique unison, my limbs propel me effortlessly and I know I was made to do this my whole life! In the beginning, I moved just because it was fun, but now what was once just a game has become an art that carries me through reality in a state of balanced imagination! Call it what you want, but ultimately, none of the words matter; it’s the feeling that overcomes your mind that is the essence of our art of movement, this obsession that unshackles me from everything earthbound! This is the passion in which I find the love that will never let me down!

SAM KILBY (NEW ZEALAND)

Affiliate Athlete of the WFPF

Parkour for me has been a step change in the way I view life and interact with others. It has given me discipline to train, confidence in life and myself and camaraderie with fellow participants. It allows me to be free, and express the way I feel. I learn from my mistakes allowing myself to know what I did wrong and to get back up and do it better the second time. Parkour has given me lifelong friendships and it has allowed me to be part of a national New Zealand Team “Invictus” and also part of the WFPF (World Freerunning Parkour Federation) as an affiliate member.

Parkour is a massive part of my life and what I am most passionate about!

ETHAN SCARLETT (NEW ZEALAND)

Affiliate Athlete of the WFPF

After the passing of my sister in late 2007, I went through a lot of depression in life and was searching for something to bring me out of it. When I found Parkour, I was introduced to a new outlet for my emotions.

Parkour to me represents freedom, joy and happiness, and this is what has driven me to continue to progress through not only my environment, but also life itself. Rails, walls and rooftops are no longer boundaries, but instead have now become part of my playground. This playground also exists in my mind as I mentally push myself further than I ever thought possible. The feeling of freedom and happiness that Parkour gives me is addictive and therefore has created a new way of life for me. This way of life is agreed upon within the Parkour Community worldwide, creating a diverse and unique family bond between all practioners.

Though I may have lost one bond in my life, Parkour has helped me gain many more. To turn back now is not an option.

YOANN LEROUX (FRANCE)

For me Parkour is a life experience, an evolution which nourishes the self and the personality of the person who practices it. Above all else, it is a physical and mental method to prepare our body and spirit, which sharpens our senses of touch, sight and reflexes. The body forges and sharpens itself like a weapon which should not be used to its maximum except in the case of absolute necessity by its owner. For me, someone who uses it in all its forms, whether it be freestyle or utility, it remains for me an art, a passion, a vocation.

The generations evolve, Parkour evolves, but the basis of Parkour stays the same. At this point, we can‘t change the older generation, so it‘s up to the new generation to take up the baton and move, without any second thoughts, as a new Parkour emerges and evolves.

I can‘t define Parkour, or frame it, but to me Parkour means creating a mix of Urban Arts, which mix together to create one’s own personal style. Martial Arts, Dance, Acrobatics all mix together with Parkour creating a kind of „sandwich“ which I like to call „Free-style Parkour“. Parkour is the bread and the other Urban Arts are the ingredients that you choose to put between the two slices!

And the best thing about Parkour is the „lifestyle“ as we experience this lifestyle every moment, every second of the day as we are not only a family, but a community which pushes its limits whether it be against oneself or against the street.

TIM SHIEFF (UNITED KINGDOM)

Parkour to me is like flight mastery for those brief amounts of airtime that gravity allows us humans. It is total kinesthetic awareness and confidence that you have control in any situation, be it 6 inches off the ground or 15 stories up, standing, upside down or backwards. It‘s knowing just how long you‘re going to be in the air, recognizing all the different possible movements you could do with your body in that time and continuing your flow through to your landing.

Parkour in its most expressive form is the physical art created when you combine extreme environments with the limits of the human body. I‘ve got two arms, two legs and a brain; parkour utilizes all of these, the limbs for movement and the brain for creativity. People use their legs to get to and from work, but in-between they forget they have them, which to me seems like such a waste when we have so much potential. Parkour is about finding that potential. I feel it has similarities with many other art forms, such as skateboarding, b-boying, capoeira. But for me the art I most like to compare it to is ballet, with its flawless fluid movement from one position to another. The main difference between the two is the speed of the movements, but when slowed down parkour can appear to be just as controlled, seamless and fluid as ballet.

Most of all, Parkour is about approaching life with a certain mental attitude, teaching you how to know your limits and how to transcend them. Parkour continues to teach me about commitment, decision-making and ironically, it keeps me grounded!

ABOUT THIS BOOK

We are pleased that you have overcome the first obstacle by being interested in this book! This is a book that should help you to learn basic skills through the use of tips and photos, which can ultimately form the foundation for the discovery of the world of movement possibilities in our urban living space.

Parkour is all about the efficient clearance of obstacles in urban and rural environments. There are no right or wrong movements in this activity, the right solution is the one that is right for the individual.

And yet we have dared to name moves (which also have their names on the scene), to show and describe them as orientation patterns, and have also dared to reveal tips and tricks in order to teach these “models” of movement solutions for clearing man-made and natural obstacles. Starting from the origins of Parkour, methodical pointers are first given for the outdoors. Learning the basic models is essential and speeds up the learning process. Traceurs and freerunners on the scene also do this by watching videos on the Internet, (e.g., on YouTube) which feature sequences by experienced traceurs again and again, in order to copy the stars. Once you have acquired the basic movements of Parkour, you will then be free to perform experimental moves and to discover creative, unusual and individual movement solutions as situational adaptations to the features of an obstacle. By mastering Parkour-specific basic elements, you will be able to select the most appropriate move for each situation from your repertoire. Pointers on how to do this can be found in this book under the heading “Nothing is Impossible”. All new moves have been named by those on the scene and can be “Googled”.

Traceurs do not restrict their enjoyment of Parkour to the purely sporting aspect. Every true traceur or freerunner also lives his sport mentally and lives the philosophy of the founders D. Belle and S. Foucan, which is described from page 31 onward. This may be lost on those who only use the sporting part of the book, who are not interested in learning about and living the philosophy, which would be a shame. They should definitely try to read the theory sections of the book!

We do consider it vital though to take advantage of the excellent indoor facilities available. We are convinced that learning Parkour and especially Freerunning with the aid of apparatus, partners and safety mats will significantly increase the popularity of these “new-wave” sports.

Don’t be put off by the first, thick theory section; it is best to start by looking at the fantastic photos and dipping into the movement sequences. Look for the Parkour elements that you immediately find most interesting. Read the descriptions of them and then flip through the tips and tricks and methodical suggestions. To start with, use it as a reference book for the Parkour and Freerunning elements! The longer you work with the book, the more you will also, as a Parkour or Freerunning fan, become interested in the theory, because you will want to know more and above all want to improve.

In the theory section of this book, we first want to review the origin and development of Parkour, which became known through a French youth movement and has spread throughout the world thanks to the Internet. The theory section is then devoted to training theory to help improve your performance.

But this book should, of course, first and foremost be as described above – a how-to-manual for all those who would like to try out Parkour and Freerunning. For all learners, and also for all teachers, this book offers a comprehensive methodical review of the basic techniques. Let us repeat once more: if the philosophy of Parkour and Freerunning is not the prescription of compulsory techniques, the movement solutions should therefore result in individual movement challenges with individual movement solutions, which must be completely adapted to the characteristics of the obstacles. However, it is possible to provide a few methodical steps as a foundation for individual, creative performances both indoors and outdoors.

Ilona E. Gerling and Alexander Pach

To this end, we have combined our experiences and knowledge derived from our own years of training, the exchanges within the scene, sport science education and work and from a myriad of youth and culture projects. For many years, we have been enthusiastically combining various different acrobatic styles and ways of moving and have learned a great deal during this time, of course, also from our mistakes. We have been elaborating and implementing ways of teaching Parkour and Freerunning (PK & FR) at the German Sports University Cologne since 2003 and via the platform Move Artistic at many events since 2003 too.

Ilona Gerlingwith Freerunners from Budapest

We have now reached the point where we can properly represent the complex nature of PK & FR and its current popularity.

We do not claim that this book is complete though, for this topic and the variety of moves on the scene are too diverse. However, we would like to draw as accurate a picture as possible of this complex development process and to address the original movements and philosophies just as much as the modern forms of practicing the art of displacement.

Alexander Pach

Jan Witfeld

We all have goals in our lives! In Parkour and Freerunning, the way or the movement is the goal. The obstacles represent ever-changing challenges. These challenges not only expose our personal physical limitations but also show us the possibilities and skills that can very easily be developed by motivation, concentration and repetition. To what extent this can influence people’s lives is shown by many young PK and FR practitioners. This can be seen at the end of the book in the interviews with those who have dedicated their lives to Parkour and Freerunning.

Discover the unlimited possibilities within you and with Parkour and Freerunning!

A   Theory

1    THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF PARKOUR AND FREERUNNING

Parkour and Freerunning both originated in France. Both movement philosophies were developed in a small group of young people and spread around the whole world via the media, particularly the Internet. David Belle, a Frenchman, is credited with being the founder of the Parkour movement (Archard, 1998; Desbois, 1999). Sébastien Foucan is considered to be the founder of Freerunning.

The historical development of Parkour and Freerunning is multi-facetted and features many influential figures. We would like to start the historical development with the méthode naturelle, a training method that is seen as the physical and mental training foundation of the movement art of Parkour.

1.1    GEORGES HÉBERT AND HIS MÉTHODE NATURELLE

The historical development of Parkour begins with the training method, méthode naturelle (natural method), which is often seen as the philosophical foundation of Parkour also (Desbois, 1999; Foucan, 2008; Atkinson, 2009).

The méthode naturelle, also called hébertisme, sprang up at the start of the 20th century in the training philosophy of the French naval officer Georges Hébert (1875-1957). He was an advocate of life-long physical training, because he wanted people to be agile and useful in the community. Hébert was particularly impressed by the physical and mental abilities of the people from the African continent, whom he had met during his travels. “He realized that solely living in and with nature had made these people’s bodies flexible, resilient and robust and their movements seem nimble and agile” (Hess & Hess, 2007 – Parkour Association Germany).

In 1902, Hébert was stationed on the island of Martinique when the region was victim of a volcanic eruption. Hébert single-handedly coordinated the evacuation of almost 700 people from a nearby village. This experience made a deep impression on him and reinforced his belief that physical strength and skill must go hand in hand with courage and altruism in order to be useful for the community (Atkinson, 2009).

After returning to France, Hébert taught at the University of Reims, where he led his then-groundbreaking, physical culture lifestyle. His training consisted of running, jumping, climbing, balancing, throwing, lifting, self-defense and swimming. However, he did not teach these physical skills separately, but taught his students in natural terrain, combined with a 5-10km endurance run.

Hébert was convinced that training the movement forms in varied, natural surroundings would enable his students to be able to use endurance, strength and speed in every geographical terrain and in any situation. He regarded competition as a distraction from the central philosophy of his training principles (Hess & Hess, 2007). In order to teach his training principles, he went on to develop a series of drills and equipment that supplemented natural conditions.

Georges Hébert was thus one of the first to popularize the training of movement techniques and physical training on an obstacle course for non-military purposes.

The modern sub-cultural term Parkour accordingly has its roots (see Fig. 1, page 25) in Hébert’s use of the term “parcours” (Atkinson, 2009) and in the term of the French military Parcours du combattant (assault course) (Foucan, 2008). The modern image of the discipline of Parkour can therefore also be seen as a particular urban interpretation of the training principles developed by George Hébert.

In fact, the méthode naturelle as a training method had a strong influence on the military training of soldiers in the 1960s. During the Vietnam War, French soldiers were inspired by Hébert’s training methods and his philosophy of physical, mental and emotional development. They used this principle to perfect their escape techniques in the jungle (Atkinson, 2009).

One of these soldiers was the young Raymond Belle, the father of David Belle (see Chapter 13).

1.2    EDUCATIONAL PROGRESSIVISM AT THE START OF THE 20TH CENTURY AND NATURAL GYMNASTICS

The educational progressivism of 1890-1940 (in which Georges Hébert was also working in France [1875-1957]), involved the reform of educational concepts affecting education both inside and outside schools. It was an international phenomenon, which began to develop specifically in industrialized countries and urban cultures. The main focus of these efforts was the child. Children should no longer be objects of education; instead the individuality of every single child should henceforth be the priority. It should be a child-centered education, in which the development of pupils’ responsibility and autonomy were the educational goals. Its objectives should not be just the education of the mind but the development of all the children’s potential.

The Games and Sports Movement in Europe was a departure from the strict, systematic gymnastics exercises in schools found around 1920 to the concept of physical education, which was intended to improve the development of children’s latent movement potential, abilities and skills. Children’s natural need to move was the starting point for a new kind of movement education.

The progressive educational concept of natural gymnastics and physical education developed by Austrian school reformers Karl Gaulhofer (1885-1941) and Margarete Streicher (1891-1985) quickly caught on in Germany. “The aim was no longer just to do gymnastics, to swim, run and throw with the correct style... instead the pupils should be able to develop their own abilities and skills in specific movement tasks” (Krueger, 2002, page 24).

The progressive educational principles promoted “child and nature-appropriateness” of the movement tasks, emphasized the individualization (in the context of community education) and prioritized the self-guided learning of the pupil. The real educational goal of natural gymnastics was a physical activity that educated the whole person.

Movement tasks should also stimulate creativity, and incorrect movements were even welcomed as opportunities “to discover the validity of expediency.” Gaulhofer wrote, for example: “In natural jumping training, one must at all costs avoid forcing the pupil to jump in a certain way, before he has been given the opportunity for a richer movement experience” (Gaulhofer & Streicher, 1930, page 131).

In Germany, the new “physical education” was welcomed by gymnasts, because it meant a return to the old educational ideals of gymnastics of GutsMuths and Fr. L. Jahn, in which pupils did not just have to reproduce pre-determined movement patterns, as in rigid competitive and artistic gymnastics. Instead, they touted the education of the young people through movement tasks determined by the individual and corresponding to and shaping his whole personality. Natural gymnastics originated from the (natural) movement forms of running, jumping, balancing and climbing. Natural movement tasks involve every pupil creatively discovering his own individual movement solutions, which brings us back to the French contemporary Georges Héber and those who came after him, to the founders of modern Parkour: Raymond Belle and his son David (also French).

1.3    RAYMOND BELLE

Raymond Belle was born in modern Vietnam, where he was orphaned. Already as a schoolboy (at the “l’école des enfants de troupe de Dalat”), he was trained as a soldier for the French army. Around the age of 12, with some friends, he practiced and experimented with efficient escape techniques in order to improve his chances of survival during the war in his homeland.

These outstanding physical abilities acquired in childhood enabled him to find a job and a career with the Paris Fire Brigade as a young adult. Here he received many awards and became a role model for his two sons, Jean-François and David Belle (Belle, J-F, 2006 – Internet Blog “Parkour by David Belle”).

1.4    DAVID BELLE

David Belle, son of Raymond Belle, was born on April 29, 1973 in Fécamp, France. He was raised by his maternal grandfather. The men in his family had served in the Paris Fire Brigade for generations, and he was constantly reminded of his father’s extraordinary physical abilities and heroic fire-fighting deeds.

As a child, David Belle practiced gymnastics and track and field, but he always preferred to train in the open air and the woods. For him, the movements had to have an element of “usefulness” just as his father had told and explained to him. As a child, he imagined situations in which he had to put his courage and strength to the test.

His passions were overcoming obstacles, always moving forward and not letting anything get in his way. The constant running, jumping, climbing and balancing formed the foundation for his physical abilities. The physical challenges that he set himself during his imaginary stories formed the foundation for his powerful concentration.

At the age of 15, Belle relocated with his family to Lisses, near Evry, about 35 miles from Paris. There, he transferred the techniques he had learned in the forests of Normandy to the urban environment and architecture. His active, public example sparked the interest of other young people around him (Hess & Hess, 2007 – Parkour Association Germany; Belle, J-F – Homepage of David Belle: http://kyzr.free.fr.davidbelle/).

David Belle and Sébastien Foucan met at this time. What started off as playful games of chase among young people developed, during the years that followed, into a real sporting challenge: escape techniques over obstacles. The movement forms inspired by the urban landscape were further developed by this small group of youngsters, who constantly increased heights and distances, each in his way bringing something new to the movement forms. The art of displacement, or l’art du déplacement therefore originated from a kids’ game, which was already given the name (le) parcours in 1989 (Foucan, 2008).

The urban, athletic movement forms first gained wide public attention thanks to a video of Belle that his brother Jean-François Belle showed to the French TV show Stade2 in May 1997 (Belle J-F – Homepage of David Belle: http://kyrz.free.fr/davidbelle). This led to the first media reports about David Belle and his friends. In the same year, the group Yamakasi was formed by the top practitioners.

1.5    L’ART DU DÉPLACEMENT (THE ART OF DISPLACEMENT)

The term l’art du déplacement (the art of displacement) was initially used as a synonym for the word Parcours and heavily influenced by the French group Yamakasi, whose members were some of the first to develop and advance the art of displacement. The original nine members included David Belle, Yann Hnautra and Chau Belle-Dinh (Edwards, 2009, page 10).

Yamakasi’s current fame and popularity in the Parkour and Freerunning scene was acquired through their mythical status as the first Parkour and Freerunning team but also through the eponymous movie Yamakasi – The Samurai of the Modern Age by Ariel Zeitoun and Luc Besson, which was first shown in 2001. The term l’art du déplacement already existed before the usual modern terms Parkour and Freerunning and is described by the English author Dan Edwardes as the original term for this movement art (Edwardes, 2009, Page 8).Even then, Yamakasi combined efficient escape techniques with creative and acrobatic movements from other sports. The nature of the exercise and the differing approaches were reasons why David Belle and Sébastien Foucan, who was also an early member of the group Yamakasi, left the group in 1989. At this time, Belle and Foucan followed their own way to bring about Parcours according to their individual understanding. This period is very well-documented by the French newspaper article published on October 1 by Emmanuelle Archard entitled Les Hommes-Chats sur Bercy... (The Cat Men of Bercy).

The group Yamakasi still exists to this day.

1.6    NAMING OF THE MOVEMENT ART OF PARKOUR

As mentioned above, Parkour was originally written in French le parcours. The current spelling with a “k” and without an ”s” arose from a kind of separation from the existing terms (le) parcours and l’art du déplacement. It is speculated that David Belle coined the modern term Parkour in order to pay homage to his late father.

In this way he remembered the origins and reduced Parkour as he understood it to efficient movement and escape techniques because escape was a matter of life or death for his father as a child soldier (Müller, 2009).

In parallel to the term l’art du déplacement, the art of displacement, there now exists the term Parkour, which is today defined as the art of efficient movement.

At the end of the 1990s, media interest in the movement arts increased dramatically, with TV appearances and the first offers of film and advertising work. Despite this increased interest, David Belle and Sébastien Foucan went their separate ways, citing differing future plans as the reason for the split.

Belle saw his future in the movies. He learned English and took acting lessons. Foucan wanted to teach and popularize the art of displacement.

1.7    SÉBASTIEN FOUCAN – FROM PARKOUR TO FREERUNNING

In 2001, Sébastien Foucan formulated his own philosophy with the term Freerunning (“follow your way”). In some cases, this discipline was also written as Free Running. The first media references to the term Freerunning include the English documentaries Jump London (2003) and Jump Britain (2005). These documentaries, which are also considered to be important testimonials of the Parkour movement, were a milestone for the emerging Parkour and Freerunning movement in England. Inspired by the documentaries, the first English groups formed in the footsteps of Sébastien Foucan.

Fig. 1: Simplified representation of the developmental history of PK & FR.

There is debate over whether Foucan’s term Freerunning was considered the universal term for the movement form Parkour and for l’art du déplacement, in order to make it more accessible to an English-speaking public, or whether Foucan even then was aiming for a separate development of the movement form of Freerunning. This is where opinions in Germany and England differ. Regardless, Sébastien Foucan is considered to be the founder of the movement discipline of Freerunning. However, author Dan Edwardes attributes the idea for the term “Freerunning” not to Foucan but to Guillaume Pelletier, who had collaborated with Foucan on the Channel 4 documentary Jump London. Furthermore, the existence of the term dates from 2003).

At this time, terminological chaos reigned. The relatively young movement forms had now spread beyond the borders of France and a varied and colorful scene had sprung up, which along with efficient escape techniques also practiced creative and acrobatic movements in urban terrain. The definition of Parkour as efficient movement by David Belle excluded acrobatic movements. Sébastien Foucan’s Philosophy of Freerunning on the other hand offered a much more open interpretation with regard to which movements belonged to Freerunning and which did not.

This led to creative and acrobatic movements in urban settings being termed Freerunning.

Whether or not it was Foucan’s goal right from the start to differentiate between Parkour and Freerunning is open to question. The movements that Foucan and Belle presented for their different movement philosophies are not actually that different from each other and make their common origins very clear.

Since then, Freerunning has been considered a separate discipline.

1.8    DEFINITION OF PARKOUR AND FREERUNNING

DEFINITION OF PARKOUR

Parkour is described as a movement discipline or art, in which the practitioner, called the traceur (a person who draws a line, or a path), adopts other ways than those set out for him architecturally or culturally. The traceur chooses his own way through the natural or urban space and runs along a path he sets for himself, clearing any obstacles that may arise as quickly and efficiently as possible, focusing on a controlled execution of the movements and the flow of the movement combinations. Parkour is understood to be the art of efficient movement.

DEFINITION OF FREERUNNING

Freerunning is understood as a derivative of the movement discipline Parkour. The basic movement techniques in urban and natural settings often form the foundation of Freerunning techniques and technique combinations. The emphasis though lies not on moving forward but on moving one’s own body and interacting with the environment creatively and individually.

1.9    FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF FREERUNNING

Freerunning has seen a dramatic increase in the variety of movements and movement techniques in only a short time. This can be explained by the influence from other sports.

Elements of acrobatic movements from extreme martial arts, gymnastics, Capoeira, breakdance, and tricking (tricking is a young sport movement that freely and creatively combines elements of extreme martial arts, gymnastics and other disciplines) are incorporated into the urban obstacle courses.

The free and creative nature of Freerunning has led to completely new movement creations and combinations. The diversity of acrobatic Freerunning wall tricks in particular appears now to have increased significantly.

Fig. 2: Overview, origin, structure and relationship of modern movement arts (according to Müller, 2009, www.freerunning.net).

1.10   OUTLOOK – CURRENT TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS