American Parkour

Why is it that when my friends say what are you doing when im running around.
I answer them and say "Parkour" and they are like whats that? Has it allways been
like this or has Parkour got less known?

Parkour is increasing in popularity but the main thing about parkour is that it is relatively unknown, I'm tempted to say that now is the best time to do parkour because when it is a household name I'll imagine there will be certain laws and No Parkour signs. We will all talk about back when Parkour was free.

Yes unfortunately. so i guess we've got to make the best of it while we can.
i'm going to hate it when that day comes ; if it comes because you cant ell for sure.

Thats the good thing about now because we are really the first generation Traceurs (meaning after David Belle and the group created it, were really the first people in the world to see it and live it)

Yes, it is still gaining in popularity (every month it feels more and more pronounced and it feels great), and yes we are indeed the first generation of traceurs (after Mr. Belle and the traceurs of his day. Well, before us anyway). Thus, you have to be VERY GOOD at explaining what parkour is. It'll take a few sentences and some demonstrations, but it's best explained by saying "here, watch this video" and sticking your iPod or PSP or whatever in their face and showing them just what it means to be a traceur/traceus.

I HOPE THIS NEVER HAPPENS. i really do because parkour is about using everything as your stepping stone and once you have to start breaking the law to do that i dont think itl be the same.

If that day comes... protest it!
Ask them, why are they banning movement? that will tie their tongue and make them think about how stupid it was for them to ban it.
This country is so f*cking anal.
There really is no freedom anymore, it's all about control.
the moms don't want their children doing this so they say ban it, but that them getting involved in anothers life and banning their lifestyle.
They need to ban alcoholism and gangs, f*cking stuck ups.
I'm getting angry, it's time a stop typing.

If that day comes parkour will probably get the rap of a bunch of kids messing around and probably doing drugs and stuff like that, kind of what skateboarding has become and is. The government and public won't see us as athletes comitted to our art.

yeah. Its already happening to. right know its in the stage right before everyone starts trying it. The stage where its in all the action movies. Im so sad im hoping im wrong i really am.

if that ever happens i say we all go to a place with a no parkour sign and pk for hours(i can just see it 100 or so guys just jumping ever where,anhd the cops are like wtf)

They will never be able to ban parkour. That would be like banning running. The whole banning skateboarding thing is dumb too but when skateboarding started it was about rebelling pretty much. Which parkour isn't. If skateboarding has thrived for this long then parkour will for many years to come. Also we have the internet these days and are better able to make a community and try to help parkour get and keep a good rep.

yeah but then they'll put up signs no jumping over rails, no getting on roof,or some kid we'll get killed trying to jump off a roof and then parkour will have a bad name. and i agree with airgear its already happening.and they have the right to tell or ask you to leave cause your destruction of property.Or they'll have so many signs or something,that they'll kill the true meaning of parkour.(i am in no way for this,but thats what happens)(I HOPE I'M WRONG)

im with thomas k. in my mind but in hopes and body im with charlie. Ya know that when i first saw that sponsored by k-swiss thing i mean i was happy for apk but parkour in general i got really sad cause i dont know pk bein sponsored? i just dont like but hey thats just me. also i hate ta be the downer all the time but im seein it happen and if some kid does kill himself bein stupid (cause he dont get the basics of pk, ya know the guy doesnt understand about training and practice) then he'l be the scapegoat for the whole ruin of pk. But again i hope im wrong

every sport that carries inherent risks is put through tests of bad PR.  some states banned MMA for a time due to its alleged "brutality" and now it is overtaking boxing and other combat disciplines by storm.  many extreme sports got bad raps from angry parents and politicians but the Xgames can now be seen on major TV networks.  this is an inevitable event that will put us all to the test as traceurs.

besides, how would they enforce a ban on parkour?  do you think the police can catch people who specifically train to run away?  :P
(i do not endorse fleeing from police, please dont do it)

I have a few points to make. First of all, I find that "free running" is a more recognizable term than "parkour." The meaning is easier to grasp to people who are uninformed. I also don't feel like its becoming less known. Many people have seen the movements, but don't know what to call it.

Paul makes a really great point. PR is going to really test us. I agree that we SHOULD train and condition as much as possible because of our freedom to do so. We should also focus on educating ourselves. We should know our rights, the current laws, and how people in our communities respond to our training. We have to expose our good works now. A little community service doesn't hurt either. We're supposed to be useful, eh?

Yay
http://www.americanparkour.com/smf/index.php?topic=9059.0

That's one of the things I was thinking of. :)

not to be rude UR all misin the point the point is parkour shouldent lose all its integrity like alot of others urban things have (skateboarding)
if were lucky because parkour is so hard itl end up like graffiti alot of people know about it but less do it. but hey i dont knw

Skateboarding was started by surfers who were rebelling against low tide LOL.

lol then what are we rebelling against? the ground :P

We as traceurs need to show the world that just because they don't understand what we do or why we do it, it's not gonna really hurt anyone. I mean there is always going to be some dumb kids trying something too big for them, but the majority of us don't, we have to show that the majority are responsible good law abiding people and not criminal crack heads. Skateboarding started out with no integrity i think. But look at it now, we got Tony Hawk doing good things for sb and sponsorships and all kinds of things. This really wont happen for parkour i think because there is no competition with parkour and they can't really make money off of pure parkour ( no commercials or movies). When parkour goes truly mainstream i think that it will wind up like the jedi religion, not many people will remember what it is truly about. It will become tainted and a way for criminals to commit more crimes. But we can stop it. We can spread the true meaning of parkour to the world and show them what it really is before it gets out to them via some horrible movie. Look at the Leave no trace initiative. It's more things like that that will give pk an amazing rep. Also you may be a little confused by this, tried to be clear on my thinking but may have got it mixed up.

i think that already happened.  Also, i think the worst we'll ever see would be the No Parkour signs but like someone else said, there'd be no way they could actually ban it

to paul bischoff um........thats when the police pull out a gun and say freeze!!

^ninja stars fix everything.



jk, don't actually try that.
had to put that in there because i know someone out there would try it.

but the police can't just start shooting at you.
they use their guns in extreme situations and int is always a last resort.  As long as you are not threatening them in any way they won't pull out their gun, nightsitck, whatever. the least they can do is tell you to stop and what do you do, well run to another spot of course.

This is sort of a funny topic because i was talking with my dad today and i used to skateboard and i said, its fun doing something for once that when done in public places isnt illegal.  And jokingly he goes yeah just watch out for the no running up walls signs, they'll come.

Really, theres nothing wrong with it.

It's not vandalism. The most they could get you for is trespassing but even then most traceurs run on public property anyway.

yeah bu theres also nothing wrong with skateboarding in publec places but people still get sent to jail for it. what we do is even more "bad" i mean cmon to some soccermom or some policemen it looks like we are runnin from somtin and hell i mean were jumpin off stuff ta them.

p.s. sorry ta use skateboarding as an example again.

Well things like skateboarding and rollerblading can leave bad marks on the property. Thats why they put up grind stubs. Also, they are more invasive than we are. I mean that the other sports involve transportation from another object. What we are doing is more natural, therefore, seeming less invasive.

but that doesnt change the fact that we look like were doing something bad and they dont. i mean look i wanta believe u i mean really who wants my well my favorite thing t be made illegal but thats all i can do.
 

to bman11ean i never said shoot just freeze and the reason i said that is cause paul bischoff was because he said how could cops catch you.i agree with you, but all propety belongs to someone,unelse you get permission from the owner(but I doubt anyone does,inculding me).And if they banned it,they would have to remove all play grounds(kids jumping and running)

all said: i dont support this,and if it ever does well then f#ck'em

Well all we can do is get the message out about what we are doing and why. Remain respectful, and let people  know why you run and maybe it wont seem so wrong after all. The more people know, the less fearful they are.

And if you get kicked off someone's building, dont worry about it. Theres plenty of spots out there. Just try not to get violent and make the rest of us seem like a bad crowd.

Everything you guys are talking about, has been discussed for as long as I can remember.
Truly and honestly, Parkour was not started as a philosophical "spirit search." It was simply a way to move faster and more efficiently. That's the true meaning of parkour.

I'm all for the philosophical side of parkour, but it doesn't matter how we look at it. Parkour will go mainstream. Parkour will have an era of bad PR. And frankly, parkour will die. It will be overtaken by its sister Free Running, and so will philosophical parkour. All because the media wants flashy movements and "tricks." So in essence, parkour is gonna become much like martial arts. Where lots of people will participate and only a few will ever actually grasp the full meaning of it.

To push parkour in the right direction as best we can, we need to be the best people that we can. Plain and simple. It's like a religion: in everything you do, you represent parkour. So stop screwing around with your life, get it in line, and parkour will "get in line" with the media as best as possible. (No offense to anybody.)

yeah i totaly agree. im just in denial about it (also ive got nothing aginst free running) i mean i dont want it to happen thats all im really tyin ta say. :P

I have to disagree about Parkour dying.

Parkour will survive, if only because it has proven highly applicable to life in general.  I could easily see Parkour being adopted as a training program by police, the military, or anyone else who has a professional interest in developing physical capabilities.  As long as there is someone to teach, there will always be someone interested in learning Parkour.

I don't doubt that the media will pick up on free running and run with it, but Parkour will survive because it is so utilitarian in nature.  Who cares what the media do anyway?  Let them talk up Free Running.  Free Running is just an extension of Parkour anyway, and shares many of the core skills.  What's good for Free Running is good for Parkour.

As for Parkour being outlawed, I doubt it.  Some politician will probably try, but even if they do, it'd be unenforceable.  How do you stop someone from doing something with their own two feet?  Anyone can do Parkour at any time, anywhere.  No one can force you to stop.

About the negative PR, well, that's up to us.  Why does skateboarding have such a bad rap?  Because skaters are a bunch of lowlife, pot-smoking losers.  Is that a gross, unfair generalization?  Sure, but it's true often enough that it holds.  The bottom line is, if YOU do your part to uphold Parkour's reputation, and make sure those around you do the same, then there's no reason we should get a bad rap.  Of course, there are always those who love to look down their noses at young kids no matter what they're doing, but screw them.  There's nothing you can do about that anyway.

Parkour is going to be around for a long, long time.

I think your wrong here Poet. We all will still remember what parkour is about. The first generation of traceurs and traceuses will keep true parkour alive. Sure the media can ignore it and focus on free running and shut parkour out, but just because the media ignores it doesn't mean others will. If it gets close to dieing we can spread it to the world again as we are doing now. It can't die. I agree it will get bad pr and a negative era but that won't kill it.

I dont think Parkour could ever really die out per sae.

When people ask me what I do I describe it in this way:

1) Have you seen Casino Royale?
2) If I have my Zune maybe show them a video
3) Using your body to move quickly and efficiently throughout your enviroment
4) Urban Obstacle Negotiation
5) Urban Gymnastics (but without flips) bead example but it helps
6) Re-Evolving your body to its natural abilities since man was made***

By die, I don't mean a completely forgotten art. I mean a more...mental death.

I agree with what you guys are saying, and I see where you're coming from, but I'm just quite pessimistic.  :)

they usally dont say some thing cause your doing something wrong,usally they dont want to get sued. example: easy monkey vault-thinks i got this no problem-boom clips feet bam lands on face,bust his nose,lip,or something. they just dont want to deal with it,but sometimes they are just assholes.i can see parkour growning increible,with a spnsor like k-swiss that supports us.

hey, even if they do ban parkour. what are they going to do? arrest us? Parkour is learning the most efficient path to get somewhere, we can out run the cops anyways. I really wouldn't be too worried about it until someone does try to ban it.

uuuuuuuuumm yeah

Um.....need I actually mention that running from cops is a REALLY stupid idea?! parkour or no parkour they'll catch you ::) And they wouldn't have the right to literally "ban" parkour, it's a "sport" involving your own body, they can't control that (yet) this is still America, sure they could put up "no parkour" signs but since you can do it even in the woods it wouldn't really matter, so even if they "ban" it people don't really have anything to worry about they can't really ban you from some woods :D

Yes, but after a while, I would think that you would miss rails, and tired of leaves, twigs, and sometimes insects, getting everyhere, every time you roll.

^ 'tis true :P I'd just prefer to look at it from the bright point of view, but your are right I would definatly miss my favorite haunts

yeah but just to go against protocol and ask how does everyone feel about parkour getting so popular bad effects or not

well it originated in europe so i guess not alot of people have heard about it hear
and its a relativley new sport compared to other sports.

It does get some attention in europe, i mean david belle was on a french news channel and theres a movie...im not sure if this is the exact title but i think its called yamakasi or something

OK I know we have sort of moved slightly from THIS part of the discussion... but i have heard this used several times in this type of conversation. The "average" person (someone who does not practice the art) will only frown upon the sport merely because they are afraid. They don't like to see what they can't comprehend. "The fear of the unknown."

I am a huge fan of physics and a lot of this "Trying to understand the hugely vast universe or the minuscule particle" has some scientists worried. Because MAYBE past theories or ideas will be disproved... what would this do? This would change the way we think about the world around us. Some people just refuse to accept change.

Now replace physics with Parkour. a witness to the sport doesn't understand what we are doing... the way they think is "stay on the side walk or use the stairs". When that person FINALLY realizes that what they have been doing is conforming to what we call "normal" they will finally understand that what we are doing is not so odd... yet its creative and just a new way to look at your surroundings. this "unknown" becomes exciting and interesting to someone who has never experienced it before. Or the few that will NEVER realize that this creative way to live or move is a good thing and a great lifestyle to enjoy.

such as the scientists who discover new things and disprove the theories... we will be the ones that laugh when everyone else comes to realize THEY have been wrong about their "world" or the way they move in this case.

P.S. Vista's spell checker doesn't know Parkour.... sad. o and I know there wasn't a direct connection between physics and Parkour but you get the idea.

well said greg davis  :).

ive recently given up on explaining and decided to show them vids on my phone
lol
there all like thats soo cool, im like yea u bet it is...now if only i could do half those thing lol hahaha :)

What me and my friends do is we have a camcorder that one of us carries around filming us trying new things etc. so we can put them on youtube, and when people ask us what were doing well explain a bit and show them a few videos....

that was kinda off topic, but I think parkour will never die out.  It will get bad PR, but thats what happens to any new sport.  It will probably make people want to become a traceur less.  But then it will hopefully have more people become a traceurs after a few years once every1 forgets about the bad PR.  Though in a way parkour might die out.  I mean that because I go to my school and near my school there are a few good places to train and people from school see and training and they are like "Hey Matthew!  I didn't Know you did freerunning!"  i'll say something like "I don't....It's called Parkor."  and their like "wtf is parkour"  So if parkour dies out it is because more and more people keep getting parkour confused with freerunning..... :'(