Parkour

Keep in mind that today instead of standing at my computer as I usually do, I am seated and sedentary while I write about parkour. In the past I have written about skitching and slacklining and parkour fits right in the same category. Parkour is not competitive but it does look like fun. My favorite part of the definition of parkour involves the creative reinterpretation or subversion of urban spaces, which is where this sport is often practiced. Something subversive, yet fun, just appeals for some reason, maybe because of all the NSA stuff in the news. Parkour is a holistic training discipline using movement that developed out of military obstacle course training. Practitioners aim to move quickly and efficiently through their environment using only their bodies and their surroundings to propel themselves, negotiating obstacles in between. When I watched a video on You Tube I marveled at the participants literally rolling along (flipping) and they actually reminded me of the magnetic Bakugan toys. The toys transform from a ball to a figure (for lack of a better word) and the parkour-ers seem to do the same. Parkour can include running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, rolling, and more, if they are the most suitable movements for the situation and are often done in tandem with free running. Parkour began in France in the 1990s and is obviously for the younger athletic set but older folks that want to get in on it can do so at a gym (there are a couple of them) aptly named Urban Evolution.

*Bloggers note: After I wrote this I checked out some epic parkour fails on You Tube. It’s some of the more painful looking stuff that America’s Funniest Home Videos are made of. I’m definitely reconsidering whether or not parkour is for me!