COURTESY OZZI QUINTERO OF HAWAI'I PK
Ozzi Quintero demonstrates a turn vault, which is mostly used to get on the other side of an obstacle with a large drop on the opposite side, then climb down minimizing forces of impact.Run, jump, fleeVertical ChallengeAdherents of the Parkour philosophy practice more than daredevil movesBy Carlie Partridge
Special to the Star-Bulletin
With martial arts the emphasis is on the fight. With Parkour the emphasis is on the flight. Participants - or "traceurs" - train to flee, to run freely and safely through obstacle-filled spaces as they would in an emergency, stopping at nothing.
As Parkour gains popularity internationally (it has been featured in several high-profile television advertisements, including a McDonald's commercial featuring traceurs performing their gravity-defying feats), local communities are forming. In Hawaii, traceur Ozzi Quintero has founded Hawai'i PK (a standard abbreviation for Parkour) for all levels of participants.
"Hawai'i PK is a resource to guide anyone interested in learning training methods or getting started," says Quintero. "We work hard to continue to spread this new art form throughout our islands and gather a community of traceurs."
Explaining the essence of Parkour, Quintero explains, "We express our mental strength, physical strength and freedom through unlimited body movements."
COURTESY OZZI QUINTERO OF HAWAI'I PK
Quintero demonstrates cat balance, a technique used for balancing exercises.True to the spirit of Parkour, Quintero sees obstacles as allies or possibilities.
Another foundation of Parkour is a connection to the primal. "If civilization had not evolved the way it did, it would only be normal for us to move this way. Therefore we are just letting out primordial instinctive self be free, as an animal creation of Mother Nature," says Quintero.
He sees Parkour as an antidote to stagnant mind-sets and lifestyles.
Through Hawai'i PK, aka HIPK, Quintero offers training courses and connects traceurs with resources. Part of the group's mission is to preserve the inherent values of Parkour as well as to teach its ever-evolving inventory of movements.
Quintero is quick to emphasize that Parkour is not, as it might look to the observer, a helter-skelter patchwork of fly-by-the-minute moves. An underlying set of movements informs and inspires Parkour, and the traceur must be able to choose among them at any given moment as well as develop a basic athletic aptitude that includes arm strength, core strength, balance and flexibility.
As for the dramatic feats of flight that some Parkour enthusiasts attempt? These require a streamlined, fluid approach to movement based on the idea of covering as much ground as possible in the most efficient way, as if escaping or chasing an adversary. Traceurs also specialize in minimizing impact forces on the legs and spine, allowing them to scale ever-taller heights.
While "don't try this at home" would be appropriate advice here, there are several ways to begin your own Parkour practice. One is to simply become more aware of everyday movements. How do you hold your body when you walk up or down stairs? When do you feel sure-footed, and when do you feel off balance?
"Since the beginnings of mankind, humans have had the need to hunt and escape," Quintero says. "It is or was part of our instinctive nature, but slowly and through generations, due to the programming of society and the comforts of modern-day life, we have lost the actual need to move efficiently as a method of survival."
COURTESY OZZI QUINTERO OF HAWAI'I PK
Adam McLellan in a sequence that shows the full precision jump form.Vertical challenge» Bringing Parkour to HawaiiBy Carlie Partridge
Special to the Star-Bulletin
Perhaps you have been in a park and were surprised to see a surpassingly agile individual maneuvering over obstacles as though performing a Hollywood stunt. This individual might have been running, jumping or scaling walls like Spider-Man and seeking out vertical surfaces to conquer.
Your eyes do not betray you. You've probably spotted one of a growing community of island "traceurs" - individuals who practice the art of Parkour, which is often mistakenly identified as an extreme sport or a daredevil activity but is, in fact, a movement philosophy.
Parkour is built around the goal of moving in the fastest, most direct and efficient way possible between Point A and Point B. The stairs, walls, poles and balconies of the urban landscape - as well as trees, rocks and anything else that might be in the way - are obstacles. But in Parkour, obstacles are allies.
Traceurs learn methods of jumping, turning and climbing that provide the highest degree of maneuverability. They share secrets, tricks of the trade and seek out urban areas to practice their art.
Parkour was founded by David Belle, a French military veteran who combined his experience with dangerous rescue missions and his athletic prowess to create an art that would serve as a practical movement method. "Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people understand what it is to move," Belle told BBC News in 2002 as Parkour was gaining popularity in the streets and parks of Paris, London and other European cities.
Known also as the "art of displacement," Parkour takes its name from the French "parcours du combattant," a classic obstacle course method of military training. Rather than practicing only techniques, traceurs seek to free instinctive human ways of moving. They aim for a higher sense of spatial awareness, along with the physical and mental benefits that come with the act of overcoming what seems, at first, impossible.
Devotees are known to say, "I live Parkour," as opposed to, "I do Parkour," emphasizing the influence of the art on their lives.
"Parkour has given me more than a pastime," says traceur Fiona Menendez, of Seattle, who is visiting Oahu for the summer. "It's given me strength, confidence and a humility that comes from relearning how to move the body.
"It's also noncompetitive. It's not a sport; it's a state of mind that leads to a way of moving. I do it everywhere I go, and I use it in other aspects of my life. Life is obstacles, and life is the art of approaching and transcending those obstacles."
PARKOUR PRIMER
» Monthly jams: Hawai'i PK meets on the last Sunday of each month, with times and locations posted at www.hawaiipk.com. Those passionate about Parkour can convene and expand their movement vocabularies.
» Seminar: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 19 at Aiea District Park. Features introductions to the physical and mental components of Parkour, including jumping techniques, hurdles and vaults, and discussions about the origins and psychology of the lifestyle. Cost is $20.
» Information: Call 858-337-2965 or visit www.hawaiipk.com.
