Official Parkour / Freerunning Topic

[3PointMan]

Definitions

 

[hide=Parkour]Parkour (sometimes also abbreviated to PK) or l'art du déplacement [1] (English: the art of moving) is the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path by adapting one's movements to the environment.[2] It is a non-competitive, physical discipline of French origin in which participants run along a route, attempting to negotiate obstacles in the most efficient way possible, as if moving in an emergency situation. Skills such as jumping and climbing, or the more specific parkour moves are employed. The object of parkour is to get from one place to another using only the human body and the objects in the environment. The obstacles can be anything in one's environment, but parkour is often seen practiced in urban areas because of the many suitable public structures available such as buildings and rails.

 

Parkour practitioners are often called traceurs if male, or traceuses if female.[/hide]

 

[hide=Freerunning]Free running or freerunning is a form of urban acrobatics in which participants, known as free runners, use the city and rural landscape to perform movements through its structures. It incorporates efficient movements from parkour, adds aesthetic vaults and other acrobatics, such as tricking and street stunts, creating an athletic and aesthetically pleasing way of moving. It is commonly practiced at gymnasiums and in urban areas that are cluttered with obstacles.[/hide]

 

Hey guys. I got into Parkour about 3 years ago, and it is incredibly fun. I gave a lot of my time to get involved in parkour, and it was well worth it. I realized there wasn't a parkour/freerunning topic. The basic difference between them is, Parkour is trying to be efficient and Freerunning is trying to look cool. You can mix and match, which is the cool part. Nobody can tell you how to do it and you can do whatever. It's free.

 

So, just discuss training, shoes, etc. I'll make a log of my training days too.

 

Some of the best shoes available are

 

FiveTens Freerunners (Alien Glow or Daescents)

Vibram FiveFingers (KSO)

K-Swiss Arikakes

 

A good website to discuss freerunning/parkour and buy some cool products is www.AmericanParkour.com (Sorry people not in America lol)

 

BTW, If anyone is into parkour as much as me, feel free to steal my Avatar!

[Kenshinjapan]

I've seen videos of both and they look really fun. However, the only thing that I don't like about them both is that a lot of people are just doing them because it makes them look like a badass an impress chicks. Sortof like learning to play the guitar just to do in public :P.

[3PointMan]

I've seen videos of both and they look really fun. However, the only thing that I don't like about them both is that a lot of people are just doing them because it makes them look like a badass an impress chicks. Sortof like learning to play the guitar just to do in public :P.

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. My friend picked up it because we wanted to do a wallflip to impress some girl.

[3PointMan]

Kinda surprised nobody is interested. If anyone is in Minnesota, or Washington D.C, there are multiple gyms that teach Parkour. There might be others but I do not know. I thought this topic would get a lot of replies =D

[Vulxai]

I've practiced a little parkour before (however I prefer not to do it in the winter). It is great fun if you work up to it, and I find it to be a great discipline!

[3PointMan]

Just got a pair of Vibram Fivefinger KSO's. AWESOME!!

[Vulxai]

Just got a pair of Vibram Fivefinger KSO's. AWESOME!!

 

I've heard about those, they seem kind of weird to me, how are you liking them? I'm currently rocking some Ariakes.

[3PointMan]

They take a while to get used to. i loved running barefoot as a child (and I can run faster barefoot). If you like going barefoot, buy them. They make your legs stronger, and stuff too. The first few days your ankles are sore, because you aren;t used to walking toe to heel. In shoes, you walk heel-toe, which is very very bad for your spine.

 

Ariakes are good too. I used to know a pair and I know a lot of people who own them.

[Tim]

I was planning on taking it up 3 years ago. So many things to this very day keep getting in my way, one of them being that I run out of energy way too fast.

[Skeptical]

Parkour looks so awesome. I'd like to try it sometime, but I don't think that I have the coordination. =P

[Vulxai]

Parkour looks so awesome. I'd like to try it sometime, but I don't think that I have the coordination. =P

 

There's only one way to get better, however I wouldn't start off by jumping rooftops or wall flips, just simple with some vaults, and do some conditioning exercises to build up. If there's a Parkour gym in your area, I'd definitely go check it out.

[3PointMan]

Parkour looks so awesome. I'd like to try it sometime, but I don't think that I have the coordination. =P

 

There's only one way to get better, however I would start off by jumping rooftops or wall flips, just simple with some vaults, and do some conditioning exercises to build up. If there's a Parkour gym in your area, I'd definitely go check it out.

NEVER jump roofs until your ready. At my local gym they stress this enough. Practice by testing how how you can jump/how far you can jump and go form there.

[bedman]

I've been interested in Tricking for some years now, but because I was doing Ahtletics (highjumping and hurdles) 3-5 times a week, I couldn't find time/energy to practice is enough. I did learn some moves like backflip, btwist, wallflip, double leg etc though.

[Tim]

I know I can do flips, but I'm too damn scared of breaking my neck. :ohnoes:

[3PointMan]

I know I can do flips, but I'm too damn scared of breaking my neck. :ohnoes:

If you learn the proper safety techniques it is literally impossible to break your neck unless you jump from an unsafe height.

 

@ Bedman,

 

B-Twists are my favorite trick :thumbup:

[Vulxai]

Parkour looks so awesome. I'd like to try it sometime, but I don't think that I have the coordination. =P

 

There's only one way to get better, however I would start off by jumping rooftops or wall flips, just simple with some vaults, and do some conditioning exercises to build up. If there's a Parkour gym in your area, I'd definitely go check it out.

NEVER jump roofs until your ready. At my local gym they stress this enough. Practice by testing how how you can jump/how far you can jump and go form there.

 

That was a huge typo, I mean "I wouldn't".

[Furah]

I myself started getting into parkour 3 years ago, then a year and a half ago I moved out to the countryside and have unfortunately had no time to resume practice. However I am going to try and get back into parkour, and as part of that I am going to get back in shape (hence why I'm on the Fitness section.)

[Dax]

I'd like to get pro at it, just to show off, but I'm way out of shape to do anything like that. Haha.

[Rebdragon]

I've been interested in Tricking for some years now, but because I was doing Ahtletics (highjumping and hurdles) 3-5 times a week, I couldn't find time/energy to practice is enough. I did learn some moves like backflip, btwist, wallflip, double leg etc though.

How'd you learn the double leg? I've been trying it thinking of it as a kick or a twist, and I really mess up the angle unless I have a block in front of me. How do you think about the move to make it work right?

 

Also, love btwists. Just hyperd mine and I'm goin for a double, which is a [bleep].

[muggiwhplar]

[Saru Inc]

 

 

 

Haha, I LOVE that part.

 

 

Is it just me, or does Parkour seem incredibly nerdy...

[Furah]

Is it just me, or does Parkour seem incredibly nerdy...

*imagines a bunch of nerds attempting to vault a fence and then wall run to get on a roof*

 

Not happening.

[Vulxai]

http://www.hulu.com/...-office-parkour

 

 

 

Haha, I LOVE that part.

 

 

Is it just me, or does Parkour seem incredibly nerdy...

 

Not even in the slightest...

[Rebdragon]

I get what he's saying. Parkour has become kind of viral on the web, so a lot of nerds who don't play actual sports like to pretend to be athletic by jumping over short fences and walls. Makes sense.

 

Parkour is amazingly useful. True parkour is not glorified though- most people glorify freerunning, or tricking. True parkour takes a simplistic elegance to look good and work properly, that is get you from A to B ad fast as possible using as little energy as possible. The best just flow.

[Furah]

True parkour takes a simplistic elegance to look good and work properly, that is get you from A to B ad fast as possible using as little energy as possible. The best just flow.

That's why me and my friends got into it. Saves us considerable time.