Le Parkour...

[Ransom v. Unman]

So, how many of yous have heard about/practised the French art of running with style?

Actually, this might better be put under a martial arts thread... These guys look more like ninjas than anything.

Behold and be amazed...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEeqHj3Nj2c

[pajarita_deDios]

Parkour is amazing! Don't let any of them see that you've posted it under sports though. They are adamant that it is an ART, not a SPORT (partly because it has nothing to do with a competition).

Of friend of mine recently did a short documentary on it, I'll try to find it and put the link here.

[pajarita_deDios]

Aha, it's only a trailer, but very good.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iw-fnDz8iNA

Felipe Trevino is the filmmaker. He's also a classmate of mine :) .

[Ransom v. Unman]

That's pretty awesome... And yeah, there's the whole art/sport thing, but I would consider it a sport as much as skateboarding was considered a "sport" when it first began.

I think it's only a matter of time before we see parkour/free-running on the X-games, and as much as many might not like it, there are already parkour competitions out there.

/sigh

[pajarita_deDios]

I think it's only a matter of time before we see parkour/free-running on the X-games, and as much as many might not like it, there are already parkour competitions out there.

Oh yea, it's inevitable. The nature of Americans to take everything to the extreme.

[Ransom v. Unman]

...especially if it originates in France. :eek:

[Cymrugirl]

I watched a whole Discovery channel special on these guys a couple years back and was astounded by them. I loved, of course, listening to comments in the audience during the latest James Bond flick when it was out over the athlete featured in that first chase scene. "What is he supposed to be Spiderman or something?" I heard one old lady say, because the stunts he was doing was stretching their believabilty - and I knew full well who he was and that what we were seeing was no digital stretch.

I remember telling my husband that if I had discovered that particular sport in my early twenties, it would have been something I would have just had to try. I'm far too advanced in years to train myself to execute that kind of timing and balance now - but I get a heartrace just watching.

Not sure why they'd say it wasn't a sport just because people don't compete - figure skating is very similar in its execution. It can be done solo - as an artful presentation. Must there be competition in order to define it as sport? Maybe there does.

[Ransom v. Unman]

I watched a whole Discovery channel special on these guys a couple years back and was astounded by them. I loved, of course, listening to comments in the audience during the latest James Bond flick when it was out over the athlete featured in that first chase scene. "What is he supposed to be Spiderman or something?" I heard one old lady say, because the stunts he was doing was stretching their believabilty - and I knew full well who he was and that what we were seeing was no digital stretch.

I remember telling my husband that if I had discovered that particular sport in my early twenties, it would have been something I would have just had to try. I'm far too advanced in years to train myself to execute that kind of timing and balance now - but I get a heartrace just watching.

Not sure why they'd say it wasn't a sport just because people don't compete - figure skating is very similar in its execution. It can be done solo - as an artful presentation. Must there be competition in order to define it as sport? Maybe there does.

Well, i don't think the artsy-fartsy Frenchies who started the art would want it commercialised and associated with what "sport" means in most people's minds, so I can understand that.