Take Flight

Here is the fourth installment of our What is Parkour? series and the last piece of our three part mini-series featuring the Yamakasi. Stay tuned to MisterParkour.com as we end our five part series tomorrow with a rare video of David Belle speaking openly about Parkour and what it means to him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP6sCV9lA8Q

For part three of our What is Parkour? series we will continue with our mini-series featuring the Yamakasi. Embedded here is video 2 of 3 of the question and answer session that took place at Rendezvous II.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce2ma_ej9nk

Also, here is another link to a great video we posted a couple weeks ago. Featured in the link below is a short video of David Belle briefly answering the question “What is Parkour?” However, please note that this is NOT the rare David Belle video we have promised to post in this series. That video of David (with the transcribed translation) will be the final installment of our five part series so stay tuned.

http://www.misterparkour.com/?p=58

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfm_xUV2xkI

A few weeks ago we also posted a Parkour documentary by TK17. The movie is a full length 90 production titled “Parkour Project: Pilgrimage,” and it takes an in depth look at Parkour and its origins in Lisses, France. The majority of the movie focuses on Lisses, but we decided to include a link to this post because the first 20 minutes specifically does a great job of answering the question, “What is Parkour?”

http://www.misterparkour.com/?p=48

Here is a German news feature broadcasted in 2005 that is dense with Parkour information. It features David Belle, the Yamakasi, and Austrian Tracer Andreas Kalteis.

The news pieces starts with David Belle at a Parkour workshop in Berlin. In this segment David talks about the origins of Parkour and one of the often overlooked mental aspects of Parkour. Clips featuring David are also shown from the Accroches Toi video and the feature film Banlieue 13 (District B13).

After the workshop the news feature moves to Lisses, where it spends considerable time with Austrian Tracer Andreas Kalteis. Andreas trains at some of the most famous locations in Lisses and prominently represents the mindset of humility and modesty when he refuses to do a jump for the camera.

The news piece ends with the Yamaksi and a short interview with Yann Hnautra. Yann talks about the Yamaksi organization and their, unreleased at the time but recently established, Majestic Force brand/label is also mentioned.

Gems of Parkour history are spread throughout this feature in the video clips and interviews. We have transcribed David’s dialogue below.

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“I was interested in the story of my father. People always said, “Your father did this and that he saved people,” and I wanted to know why – what he was doing? He explained to me, ‘that is Parkour.’ I asked – ‘what is Parkour?’ and he told me that in Vietnam there are different kinds of Parkour. The more he told me the more I wanted to experience that myself because he did that too. When I was out, more and more young people came and asked ‘Can I participate? Can I participate?’ and I said ok, and here we are today.”

“You escape form the system, from pressure, from technology from such things. When you escape you feel free. When you stop you think about your problems, so when you do Parkour these thoughts aren’t there because you have to focus so you don’t get hurt.”

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L62iU_mNqWU

We have recently added four new blogrolls to the site, and since only two of these directly represent Parkour I wanted to explain our reasoning for these additions.

The two blogrolls that directly represent Parkour are www.ParkourGenerations.com and David Belle’s personal website kyzr.free.fr/davidbelle/ The Parkour Generations blogroll was included because Parkour Generations is the most prestigious Parkour academy in the world. Located in London it is directed by Stephane Vigroux, Forrest, and Dan Edwards, all three of which are incredible Tracers who deserve the utmost respect for their knowledge, skill and contribution to the instruction and spread of Parkour in Britain and throughout the world. David Belle’s personal website was included for obvious reason.

The other two blogrolls are www.Foucan.com and www.MajesticForce.com. Although these two sites do not perfectly represent Parkour, the founders of these sites, Sébastien Foucan and the Yamaksi, are inexorably linked to Parkour through their childhood relationships with David and their influence on the development of Parkour. David Belle started the Yamakasi, but when disagreements arose regarding the true meaning of Parkour, the group split up and since then three disciplines have emerged: Parkour, Freerunning, and the Art du Déplacement. Sébastien is the founder of Freerunning and the Yamakasi are the leaders of the Art du Déplacement.*

In the near future we will be posting more information and videos that explain the differences between these arts -even though some contend that they are the same-. However, for the sake of highlighting the similarities and connections of Parkour, Freerunning, and the Art du Deplacement, we will point out that the movements in all three disciplines are rooted in dynamic movement of the human body and encompass interacting with and/or overcoming obstacles in your environment. As such, many of the movements in all three disciplines are very much the same if not identical. In many cases the training methods and principles, including both the mental and physical aspects, for these three arts are the same as well. Regardless of which art you study/adhere to, the founders/leaders of Parkour, Free Running, and the Art du Déplacement are all incredible athletes that have uncovered ways of movement that were previously unimagined in modern society, and they have reached levels of athleticism that supersede any previous beliefs of man’s capabilities and/or limitations to move.

You will learn a great deal from every one of these sites, and although the primary focus of www.MisterParkour.com is the philosophy of Parkour, from time to time we will include videos and information from www.Foucan.com and www.MajesticForce.com to supplement your training methods, enjoyment, and imagination.

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*“The founders of the Yamakasi group haven’t invented anything! However, with what they have agreed to call the << Art du Déplacement>>, they affirm that they have reached a very high level of research and performance with the aim of bringing to a life a simple form of expression that is capable of reaching out to everyone’s imagination.

Having succeeded it making their Art known and achieving a certain popular recognition, within a few years they became real ambassadors for the << Art du Déplacement>>, their own discipline…”

-Quote taken from www.MajesticForce.com.

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To Learn, To Grow by Demon

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?&brand=null&videoId=3097213&n8pe6c=1

Here is another new feature that includes David Belle, Sébastien Foucan, Stephane Vigroux and some other Tracers as well. It’s all in French so the only thing I understood was that David Belle formed the Yamaksi. Nevertheless, it includes some great footage that you probably won’t see in any other videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYyCPxT9gOs

The following post includes one of the first ever news features made on Parkour. Produced in France by TFI News (included here with English subtitles), the French news team follows David Belle and Sébastien Foucan around Lisses as they demonstrate and explain Parkour. The feature also spends some time with the Yamakasi.

Features like this provide a lot of information about Parkour, including insights into the arts origins and philosophy. But it won’t be possible to glean all the relevant information from this news feature in one sitting. As you start learning about Parkour this film will continually teach you new things about the art. As you grow in your knowledge of Parkour, you will start to recognize some of the intricacies and background detail that give even more insight into the beginnings of Parkour.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1996675427048738448&q=Parkour+David+Belle&total=2207&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=5

No Obstacles, an article written for the New Yorker by Alec Wilkinson in April 2007, is probably the most comprehensive news piece to date regarding Parkour. This piece goes in depth, revealing David Belle and his personality for the first time, as well as explaining David’s view of Parkour like no other article before. No Obstacles uncovers insights that you will not find anywhere else and gets one-on-one with David exposing the true philosophy behind his art. The article also spends a considerable amount of time with Ryan Ford who is considered to be the most skilled Tracer in The Tribe. Some of the highlights of the article include…

• A long interview/conversation with Ryan Ford

• George Herbert’s Natural Method of Physical Culture (arguably the single biggest influencer on the development of Parkour)

• A running conversation with “Jeff Belle”, David’s brother

• Insight into why David Belle founded Parkour and his passion and intentions for it

• The beginning of the Yamakasi

• Insight into David’s personality

• A visit to the Dam de Lac with some commentary on David’s experiences with it

• Details of David’s philosophy behind Parkour, including the origin of Parkour technique
  David commenting on his fall at the UCLA campus and his thoughts on wearing gloves

This article is 12 pages long and is well worth reading every word.

No Obstacles by Alec Wilkinson

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/04/16/070416fa_fact_wilkinson