Take Flight

Parkour is a discipline founded in France by David Belle in the 1990’s. In some places Parkour has been defined as the “fluidity and efficiency of human movement.” Others have given it a more explicative definition by saying it is, “The art of moving effectively through the environment using only the human body to overcome obstacles,” and/or “Moving from one point to another as smoothly, efficiently and quickly as possible using the abilities of the human body.”

Although these definitions are all true and accurately reflect Parkour in a performance environment, David usually explains Parkour with a much different focus. Says David about his art:

“Parkour is a method of training which allows us to overcome obstacles, both in the urban and natural environments….It’s a weapon in disguise. We train… and when one day we encounter a problem, we know that we are able to use it…It can be the art of flight, of the chase, of helping someone with a problem, or something ordinary.”

“Parkour is firstly about the useful side, to teach people how to trust themselves, to learn to be careful.”

“The philosophy [of Parkour] is always to advance, never to stop. If some time you have problems, like in life, if you have an obstacle you must always continue forward…Parkour begins when you find an obstacle in front of you and have to utilize your body to surpass it.”

Since Parkour’s foundation more than a decade ago, the discipline has spread around the world and now has communities, delegations, and committed practitioners in virtually every country.