I recently received a request via the contact form to assist with a research paper on Parkour. Matt Marble wrote to us:
I am doing a research paper on Parkour for a school project and was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about this topic:
1. Who founded Parkour?
2. When was it created?
3. Why was it created?
4. Where does it exist?
5. Why is it so popular?
6. What challenges has it faced?
7. How will the problems be fixed?
Thanks for the inquiry, Matt. I’m posting my answers here for the benefit of others and any comment others might wish to contribute.
1. Who founded Parkour?
2. When was it created?
These questions are covered in some detail on our website in the “What is Parkour” section (http://www.parkourvisions.org/resources/whatisparkour.php). Take a look and see if that helps.
3. Why was it created?
This is also addressed in the link above but I’ll elaborate somewhat. Parkour’s inspiration, at least as a semi-formal discipline, likely came from George Hebert’s Methode Naturelle, as explained on the website. This was a system of fitness, to, in Hebert’s words, “be strong and useful”. While I think different Parkour pioneers throughout history may have had different uses for the Parkour technique and philosophy, I think the idea of strength and utility has always pervaded. For everyone at Parkour Visions, this concept is incredibly meaningful and serves as the foundation for most of what we do. The idea that Parkour was invented, however, is misleading.
Anyone who has done Parkour for any length of time realizes that, as a physical activity, it is simply what human beings have evolved to do. We all did “Parkour” as children, though of course we didn’t call it that or have any philosophy built around it; it was just what came naturally. So I think when we discuss the history of Parkour we have to be careful. While it’s fair to comment on the development of the mental philosophy and the idea of fitness being a means to an end (usefulness), we still must recognize that we owe most of the actual “technique development” to evolution.
4. Where does it exist?
As far as we know, Parkour exists everywhere. As a formal movement it began in France and then spread throughout Europe, with a notably large following in the UK. Today we know of major Parkour movements throughout Eastern and Western Europe, Russia, China, South Africa, Canada, South America, major cities throughout the USA, and probably everywhere else. One of our instructors, Tyson Cecka, recently traveled to Beirut Lebanon to teach it to children there.
5. Why is it so popular?
I’m not sure I’m qualified to trace Parkour’s popularity back to a single source, but I have thought about this before and I have a completely non-scientific theory. Briefly, I think Parkour’s cross-cultural appeal is that it’s free, unbound by equipment or geography, attention-grabbing (lending itself nicely to modern media like YouTube), and, if you’re willing to start simple, within reach of just about anyone.
6. What challenges has it faced?
7. How will the problems be fixed?
I suppose Parkour’s greatest challenge is that people are afraid of the unknown. At Parkour Visions, our biggest nightmares are the unsafe practice of Parkour and communities where people aren’t given a chance to experience its benefits. There are those, like you and me, who would walk by a park and see some traceurs leaping over obstacles and scaling walls and think, “I’ve got to try that” and others who would think “those crazy kids are ruining our park”, or “that’s dangerous; someone’s going to get hurt”, or worst of all, “that’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.” None of those perspectives is necessarily wrong, so someone needs to look out for the safety of the traceurs and the impact Parkour has on property and the community. While individual responsibility is the obvious answer, for many people assigning blame is often easier than using common sense.
So what are we doing about it? Well you’re looking at it – at least the beginning of it. We formed Parkour Visions to promote the safe, respectful teaching and practice of Parkour. That means, foremost, that we provide resources for beginning traceurs to learn Parkour in a way that is progressive and safe, and teaches them awareness of and use of their bodies without pushing the limits and getting hurt. Along with safety, we embed respect for the community in all that we do. This is spelled out in our Leave No Trace program page (http://parkourvisions.org/blog/leave-no-trace/) and forms the basis for our community outreach programs, such as working with city/county Parks & Rec, engaging parents and schools, and helping foster local Parkour communities. More than anybody, we don’t want to see parks ruined, people getting hurt, or lawsuits due to negligence, so we built the Parkour Visions to proactively address these issues.
