Parkour

Parkour is a sport of turning elements of the urban scenery into hurdles for jumping and climbing. The goal is to move from one point to another in the most effective way possible. This discipline was established in Sarcelles, France, by David Belle, Sebastien Foucan, and the founding members of Yamakasi.

It is inspired by “the natural method of physical education” by Georges Hebert. It then spread throughout the world through his dedicated filmography, television reports and amateur videos on the internet.
Principle

The logger (practitioner of Parkour) tries to find a way through places that normal people would avoid. He seeks to overcome obstacles by movements that are useful, efficient, fast and simple. The stunts do not respond to these qualities of utility and efficiency, but can provide an aesthetic and personal pleasure.

The most famous plotters are David Belle, Sebastien Foucan, Cyril Raffaelli, the Yamakasi, Timothy Molla Molla Dorian Benjamin Bervouet.
The practice of parkour requires good physical condition to have a better resistance to impact.

A good physique can also increase the capacity, agility, mind and confidence of the practitioner. Taking risk is calculated by example, and practice on the roof is not necessary, as the ground represent many more obstacles to pass.
Terminology
A practitioner of parkour is called a logger.
A gathering of tracers is called parkourday.

Some movements have devoted terms:

Skip cat is crossing a barrier plunging and pushing on the arm to move one’s legs between one’s arms.
Break arm is jumping on a wall or other obstruction, concluded by a reception with arms (and dampened by the legs).

Skip to relax is a jump done with or without momentum to cross a distance.
Precision jump is a jump technique with both feet, the receipt of which is a small area (e.g., a wall), and generally associated with a relaxing break.

Skip to bottom is a jump made at a significant height, generally followed by a trill.
Tic-tac is to gain support on an object or a wall with your foot in order to pass over an obstacle (or a portion of vacuum), or execute a jump of arms.
Free wall is a crossing technique for a wall of rather important height. The idea is to brace on the wall with one foot to reach greater heights.

Coward is to drop from a height when you stand in the arm by performing one break back, for example by catching a branch below.

Roulade is to break one’s fall after a jump, falling back on the front foot and running immediately on the shoulder (not to be confused with the roll gym that is right).

Half Round (Hurdle) is to pass over a fence or a wall and cling to the other side, then bind a movement (the most common after a back is a coward).

Reception is the technical bending of one’s legs to a cushioned landing (the reception is always on the forefoot, the heel should not touch the ground).

Balanced is being suspended by using hands on a bar or a branch, throw the body back and forth to let go to make up for another run or making a reception.

Passement fluid or space is a movement of flexibility and fluidity that allows the legs to move and then the whole body in a space as thin as possible, as the gap between two horizontal bars.

Plate is a technique to reach the top of a barrier (wall or bar) where one is suspended by the arms, feet hanging in the void (if hung from a pole) or rested against the vertical portion of a wall ( if wall-pass). It must force the arms and legs to move the upper body over the obstacle (this is, without traction in forward flexion), then raise the rest of the body to the force of arms and completely lift the top of the obstacle.

This technique is very effective after just a hobby or a wall jump up, and one can reach the top of the obstacle very quickly while remaining fluid.

Password barrier is a technique for crossing a fence by leaning with one’s arms and pretending one’s legs are together to one side or the other; one can also twist.

Parkour in popular culture
Movies
Parkour, or its technology, is represented in several film productions. Yamakasi, one of the first films, is the founder of the art movement performing acrobatics on the roofs of Paris. In a chase scene on foot in Casino Royale, James Bond pursues a terrorist who multiplies jumps and techniques in this discipline.

Parkour is also represented in District 13 and in the Bourne ultimatum, Crimson Rivers 2 – Angels of the Apocalypse, The Son of the Wind in 2004 by the Yamakasi, and Babylon AD. Parkour is also in Asian films, for example K20: Man with 20 Faces.

Television
In the CSI series, one episode shows the murder of a man who practices parkour. An episode of the series Boston Public shows a schoolboy fan of parkour. A reference is also made to Yamakasi by one teacher.

In the series Chuck, the first episode shows a character escape by practicing a few basic techniques of parkour.

Two documentaries about parkour (or Free Running) were aired on British television, on Channel 4, and the satellite channel Discovery Channel. The first, Jump London, produced in 2003, focuses primarily on the origins of parkour by visiting and meeting Smooth Sebastian Foucan. Johann Vigroux, Stephane Vigroux, and Jerome Ben Aoues practice a free run of fourteen London monuments (with government approval).

Following the documentary, many groups of tracers were then trained around the world, including the British team Urban Freeflow.
In 2005, more is achieved when Jump Britain invited Sebastien Foucan and Jerome Ben Aoues to practice throughout the United Kingdom with the then newly formed Urban Freeflow team.

Another documentary, French this time, was also conducted in 2005 and broadcast on France 2. Calling itself Generation Yamakasi: Flying over cities, it follows the vision of four members of Yamakasi who are founders of the new generation.

With scenes documenting about two years of training and interviews, the film explores the fieldwork and the mood of the subject by the Yamakasi.

Madonna takes Parkour mainstream