Parkour is a training method founded by David Belle in the suburbs of Paris, France in the late 1980’s. The method is practiced by overcoming obstacles in the natural and urban environments through natural movements and various techniques such as jumping, vaulting, balancing, and by doing parcours. The principle idea is to become strong physically and mentally, with the goal of being useful. According to Belle, Parkour can be called an art, a sport, or a discipline depending on how you train. Says Belle about Parkour:
“I cannot talk about Parkour without first talking about my father [Raymond Belle]. He is the one who inspired me and told me to always follow my dreams. Without him I would have never found Parkour. Parkour is a method of training which allows us to overcome obstacles, both in the urban and natural environments.”
“It’s a weapon in disguise. We train and when one day we encounter a problem we know that we are able to use it. It can be the art of flight, of the chase, of helping someone with a problem, or something ordinary.”
“Parkour is firstly about the useful side, to teach people how to trust themselves, to learn to be careful. The philosophy is always to advance, never to stop. If some time you have problems, like in life, if you have an obstacle you must always continue forward.”
Since Parkour’s foundation more than three decades ago, the discipline has spread around the world and now has communities, delegations, and committed practitioners in every country.
*David Belle is not associated or affiliated with Parkour.com.