Parkour (sometimes abbreviated to PK) or l'art du déplacement[1] (English: the art of displacement) is an activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the abilities of the human body.[2][3] It is meant to help one overcome obstacles, which can be anything in the surrounding environment — from branches and rocks to rails and concrete walls — and can be practiced in both rural and urban areas. Parkour practitioners are referred to as traceurs.
Founded by David Belle in France, parkour focuses on practicing efficient movements to develop one's body and mind to be able to overcome obstacles in an emergency. It may also be a form of entertainment or pastime. But many traceurs consider it as a Discipline---an art which involves supreme fitness of the body and the mind. The mind needs to be alert and the body fit in order to practise this discipline.
Parkour is such a wonderfuly beautiful discipline/art/sport/activity (choose watever u want to, i prefer the 'Discipline').
It not only keeps the body and mind super-fit but also helps us see our surroundings (the concrete jungles that we live in) in a different perspective. It is more of a discipline becoz it requires (like i've already said) supreme fitness of the body and only with regular practise can one achieve that.So one needs to be dedicated to his practises. One who just practises a few times a month wenever there is a sudden fire in the stomach to do some parkour is not a true traceur/parkourist.
I hav been practisin parkour since almost one year now.
Wenever i am walking down the road ar anyplace....my constantly keep scanning and finding new spots to practise parkour (not that i try all of them :-) ). I really like doin that.
Fitness nowdays is a major concern for many people around the world...and in India- with the recent 'six-pack abs thing' goin, the fo us on fitness is more than ever.
Well ..according to me...one way to get them is to start practising parkour. A great way to keep ur body fit (read Super-fit).
Wen I practise (i do it mostly wen there arent too many people around) sometimes wen there are people around...the stare at me as if i am a crazy guy or some kinda mutant of a monkey. At first i used to feel shy..but now i wait for that kinda reaction. That's becoz someone calling u a monkey wen u are practising parkour is kind of a compliment.Monkeys were one of the inspirations of David Belle wen he started out Parkouring.
The discipline is fast catching up in India too. Many youngsters are showing intrest thanx to the media who are helping spread Parkour thru advertisements and Documentaries or special coverages.
I was in my hometown of Vizag recently for my winter-vacations.
There i hav an ol' friend who got intrested in parkour some time bak. He has been practising lightly and we decided to meet up and do a session.
We did and What a wonderful fun session it was. We met on the beach road and found a perfect spot to do some vaults (a place with lots of bars). It was fun and exciting. We did some basic vaults and My friend (Murali is his name) did a Hand 360 flip which i havent mastered yet.It was cool.
I encourage all the experienced traceurs/parkourists to organise such sessions wenever possible. It encourages new people to learn frm us and also allows us to learn a few things frm them.
That's all for now. I'll keepin touch,
