Where did the start of free running and parkour come from? Who is the person responsible for this new physical discipline? Well, the man that began the concept was a French naval officer by the name of Lt. George Herbert.
Lt. George Herbert
In 1902 a volcano, on the Caribbean island of Martinique, blew and Herbert coordinated the rescue and escape of over 700 people, indigenous and European. He witnessed heroism and tragedy that day which reinforced his belief that, to be of value, athletic skill must be combined with courage and altruism, "Etre fort pour être utile"-"Be strong to be useful." Herbert admired how the indigenous people of Africa and elsewhere moved and their physical development. He created a physical discipline he called "the natural method" using climbing, running, and man-made obstacle courses to recreate natural environment. This discipline was turned into the basis for the French soldiers in the jungles of Vietnam and became known as, "parcours du combattant.” (“The path of the warrior”)
David Belle
A former French Special Forces soldier, Raymond Belle, returned home and taught his son, David, the discipline of le parcours du combattant and the teachings of Hebert. Later on David took the knowledge of his father's teachings and his knowledge of gymnastics and martial arts to create Parkour.
Sébastien Foucan
David Belle along with his then best friend, Sébastien Foucan established a group of traceurs (people who practice Parkour) called Yamakasi. Being the first organized group Yamakasi began to develop a following in France which included filmmaker Luc Besson. With Besson's film, "The Yamakasi," the growth of Parkour was accelerated. Around the same time Sébastien went his own way starting what he called "Free Running" which differed from Parkour in that it wasn't just getting to point A to point B as fast as possible but also how creative the movement could be. In 2003, Mike Christie's film "Jump London," followed by "Jump Britain" in 2005, showed the growth of the sport on the streets of the UK's largest city. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8fSXGP9wvQ
It wasn't until Sébastien's appearance in the opening chase scene in "Casino Royale" in 2006 that people in the US realized that Parkour and Free Running was out there.
Finally in 2005, it was the sudden game-changing arrival of Youtube
that allowed free runners around the world to post their videos and
share their latest discoveries, that is when Parkour truly went global.
Since then there have been new leaders and pioneers emerging and doing their own things, creating groups, and starting events and competitions to further spread the influence of Parkour and Free Running.
Kyle, I like this blog a lot. I don't know much about free running, but have been interested in it from the first time I heard about it. I probably first got to see what it was in that chase scene in "Casino Royale." It's crazy what some people are able to do! I wish I could do this...it looks pretty awesome. I wonder what the biggest jump a free runner has made..
Parkour has always caught my attention. I almost considered doing it. I remember seeing some teenagers come sprinting through a play ground doing all kinds of flips and tricks I was truly amazed. To me free running looks like moving art, it's so graceful and fluid. I am interested to find out about some of the records people have set in the world of parkour. Longest jump? Most rotations in a flip? Life of an athlete that does parkour, such as fitness? People who created some of the largest EPIC looking tricks?
Great topic! Your blog has some good information in it thus far and I think it may inspire some to start free running themselves. Maybe in a future post you could offer the reader a look at what it takes to get started in this sport. Beginner moves, proper technique, what level of conditioning is required to safely participate ect.
Kyle, I love the topic you are covering! As someone who has done sports their whole life, it's weird that I've never thought about the more "extreme" side to athletic activity. I'm really curious about the psychological aspect of this, because I know everyone talks about loving the thrill and feelings they have, but I would love to know what this feeling is, and why some people claim to "not be able to live without it"; adrenaline junkies claim that it's like a drug, why is this?
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Kyle, I like this blog a lot. I don't know much about free running, but have been interested in it from the first time I heard about it. I probably first got to see what it was in that chase scene in "Casino Royale." It's crazy what some people are able to do! I wish I could do this...it looks pretty awesome. I wonder what the biggest jump a free runner has made..
ReplyDeleteParkour has always caught my attention. I almost considered doing it. I remember seeing some teenagers come sprinting through a play ground doing all kinds of flips and tricks I was truly amazed. To me free running looks like moving art, it's so graceful and fluid. I am interested to find out about some of the records people have set in the world of parkour. Longest jump? Most rotations in a flip? Life of an athlete that does parkour, such as fitness? People who created some of the largest EPIC looking tricks?
ReplyDeleteGreat topic! Your blog has some good information in it thus far and I think it may inspire some to start free running themselves. Maybe in a future post you could offer the reader a look at what it takes to get started in this sport. Beginner moves, proper technique, what level of conditioning is required to safely participate ect.
ReplyDeleteKyle, I love the topic you are covering! As someone who has done sports their whole life, it's weird that I've never thought about the more "extreme" side to athletic activity. I'm really curious about the psychological aspect of this, because I know everyone talks about loving the thrill and feelings they have, but I would love to know what this feeling is, and why some people claim to "not be able to live without it"; adrenaline junkies claim that it's like a drug, why is this?
ReplyDelete