PARKOURI chose to write about a free running sport called parkour because I think it is a truly challenging and difficult sport.

WHAT PARKOUR IS: Parkour is an individual sport .A male practitioner of

this sport is called traceur and traceurese if it is female. Tracer in French means “to move fast” or “to hurry”.

It Is the physical discipline of training to move from one point to another and overcome any obstacles as quickly and efficiently as possible within a path by adapting one’s movements to the environment.

Movements in parkour include running, jumping, vaulting, climbing, balancing, and quadrupedal movement (move by using hands an foots).

Movements from other physical disciplines are often incorporated. Parkour training focuses on safety, longevity, personal responsibility due to the possibility of falling.

HISTORY OF PARKOURParkour first appeared In Lisses, France by David Belle the parkour founder. Raymond Belle, his father, was born in French Indochina (now Vietnam). He was taken by the French Army in Da Lat and received military education and training that shaped his character. Raymondintroduced his son David toobstacle course training and theméthode naturelle. David

Belle

...David took part in activities such as martial arts and gymnastics and tried to apply his athletic prowess for some practical purpose. David left school when he was 17 seeking freedom and action. He continued to develop his strength and dexterity in order to be useful in life, as Raymond had advised him. Then he moved to Lisses and participatedin a group of young people with the same passion, called “Yamakasi”. Then he “invented”the extreme sport, parkour.

EQUIPMENTParkour does not require expensive equipment, but you must wear light casual clothing and a solid pair of sneakers that will not let you down: 1. the shoe should be as light as possible 2. the sole of a shoe must be thin. A thin sole

allows you to feel the impact of landings. This is benefit about this kind of sole as it forces you to maintain correct technique.

3. harder compounds last longer4. Shoes with a one piece sole

TO BE GOOD AT PARKOUR....You have to watch a master in this sport

and practise day by day for a long time. Traceurs are working hard for a number of years to perfect their fitness and technique. But this dedication never stops because parkour is a constant work in progress. It also requires good physical conditioning, balance, creativity, fluidity, control, precision, and self-improvement.

You can do this sport whenever you want. However when it rains paths slip and you have to take the responsibility of your choice. It is very possible and usual to break your legs or your hands.

DOING OR NOT PARKOUR COMPETITIONS..Many amateurs traceures stand against the idea of organized

parkour competition. They don’t accept such a drive as part of the parkour philosophy.

They believe to be “the best”, winning or losing, doesn’t mean anything. In addition, they don’t believe in the necessity of any form of hierarchy of performance among practitioners. They don't care about fame or money. Instead, they look for benefits that all can share because they are givers, not takers.

Competitions encourage traceurs that aren’t ready to sacrifice their health for early victories.

Also it isn’t a sport for people sitting at home to watch and it doesn’t belong to corporations. They stand against ambitions that don’t reflect the original philosophy of parkour.

However FIBO is the world's largest parkour event IN 2010, opens on April 22 in Essen, German.

A WIDESPREAD GLOBAL SPORT!However, Parkour is mostly known in U.S.A. , German, Austria, Vienna and China.It is used in television advertisements, news reports and entertainment pieces, like games.

7up commercial:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax1v62SGWCs

PERSONAL THOUGHTMark, a parkour practitioner said : “I’m very interested in reading about young people that seem to argue amongst themselves about what parkour is and where they stand on flips and tricks. People seem to discover parkour and quickly claim to be a traceur and be passionate about it, then discover the fun of flips and suddenly they’re not a traceur (often without realising), then they’re told they’re free-runners then they start kicking a bit and now they don’t know what they are!” That thought urges people who do free running sports like parkour to realise the seriousness of being involved with it!

Bibliography:

http://ridelike.pro/2008/05/24/list-of-extreme-sports/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkour

http://www.americanparkour.com/

http://parkourpedia.com/other/shoes-for-parkour

http://parkourpedia.com/other/why-there-are-no-parkour-competitions

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/fibo-2010-parkour-and-freerunning-1943327.html

PARKOUR

Andria Christodoulou

G6

21/11/2010