You may not know it by name, but you’ve all seen and marveled at the art of Parkour. If you saw the new version of Casino Royale or Live Free or Die Hard, you’ve seen Parkour.

The main premise of Parkour is for the practitioners (called traceurs, or traceuses for women) to get from point-to-point, avoiding all obstacles with quick and efficient movements. It takes incredible athletic and gymnastic ability, stamina and daredevil attitude. Leaping over large gaps (sometimes between buildings), running up sheer walls, flipping over staircases and precise jumps through tight spaces are typical to a Parkour session.

Considered the founder of Parkour David Belle is in his prime and bringing Parkour to the masses. Groups from all over the world hold Parkour Jams which use either the natural landscape or man-made obstacles. These are not competitions, rather a gathering of talent to display their skills with the encouragement of their peers, train and introduce the sport to newcomers.

Next time you have a little time to kill on the Net look for Parkour videos and sit back and marvel. You may even want to give it a shot for yourself. If you do the research, consider a DVD or attend a Jam. Also maybe get a big bottle of Glucosamine, this sport can’t be good for your joints, even with the rolling landings.

Posted by: Lawrence