What is Parkour

There is no single definition of parkour yet, but the following description gives a pretty good idea of what parkour is for those who have never heard of it.

Parkour (pronounced parkur) actually means freedom of movement, it is the fastest and most creative movement possibilities, changing position and location, using the diverse/creative use of terrain. The movement material of parkour is made up of athletic runs, jumps, acrobatic elements of gymnastics, martial arts and various dance movements, making it an excellent way of developing the body in a variety of ways. 

A brief history of the sport of parkour

Parkour or, as it is also called freerunning, art du deplacement in its current form originated in France in the 1980s/90s, but its roots go back much earlier and further. Today’s form of movement is based primarily on exercises used in the physical training of professional soldiers and firefighters. Parkour as a sport can be traced back to David Belle and Yamakasi. David Belle is said to be the father of parkour and his team was Yamakasi, which included his friends’ cousins, but David split from the team over a disagreement. (For many, the name Yamakasi will be very familiar as it was the first film about parkour. Another such film is B13, which starred David Belle. )

The sport is now evolving at a dizzying pace, with the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) adding parkour as its eighth discipline in 2017 and organising its first official World Cup series in 2018. The World Urban Games (WUG), held in Budapest in September, also took place under the control and management of the FIG. In parkour, competitions are organised in four different formats: speedrun, freestyle, Skillz Competition and World Chase Tag. The FIG has incorporated the first two of these into its competition programme.