Urban sport makes leap in popularity

When students are late for class, they walk quickly; maybe they even run. But the fastest way to get to your destination is by utilizing your environment like in the sports Parkour and Free Running.

“Parkour is practical, it’s the idea of getting from one place to another in the most efficient way possible,” says Stephen Atkinson, a freshman at ASU and Parkour/Free Running practitioner. 

Someone who practices Parkour is known as a traceur or traceuse, if it is a woman.  These traceurs and traceuses use their surroundings to get from point A to point B.  These surroundings can be rural or urban areas.  There are many movements involved in the sport like running, jumping, vaulting and climbing. Instead of running around a building, a traceur will find a way up and over it. 

People get into the sport to test themselves.  The only competition is you against yourself, but it has been beneficial in other situations. 

For example, if you’re being chased it is unlikely that someone will follow you up and over multiple walls and buildings.  Atkinson has actually used his skills to evade pursuers. 

There’s more to it than running away from people or doing tricks.  Parkour lets your entire body work together as it should.  It improves on your strength, endurance, balance and coordination. 

Free Running is a sport like Parkour, except it used more for tricks and flips.  It can be considered a cousin to Parkour.

“Free Running is being more stylistic with your actions,” says Atkinson.  “You’ll do flips off walls and more spinning tricks.  It’s more flashy.”

According to the American Parkour website, “Free Running is defined by the activity or art of moving through your environment however you want, moving your way, following your own path.”

“I love Free Running because I am a tricker.  There are a lot of things one can do.  I personally love the black flip aspect of it,” says Atkinson.

Essentially Parkour has been around as long as humans have walked upright.  Though the sport was coined in France and there it is known as l’art du déplacement, it is practiced all over the world.  

The act and movements of Parkour have been around for decades. But it is still a mainly underground sport despite it being used in many of Hollywood’s movies.   

“It is a relatively new sport, but I like to raise awareness of it by teaching others,” says Atkinson.

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