Both have been the birthplace of new sports that combine strength and ability with style and grace. The cities of Greece were the birthplace of gymnastics, one of the original Olympic sports, and one that is still on show in the modern Games.

The second sport is called ‘Parkour’, and it is simply street gymnastics. It requires all of the courage and strength of gymnastics, but instead of taking place in gyms and in front of judges, the arena for this sport is all around us; on walls and pavements, on the street.

The aim of Parkour is to move between point A and point B as smoothly, efficiently, and quickly as possible. Although this sounds simple, it makes for an exhilarating show, with the participants (called traceurs) throwing themselves over ledges and often jumping between buildings. Parkour is less rigid than gymnastics, and does not have a list of pre-approved ‘moves’. Because of the nature of the urban environment, each obstacle offers a unique challenge to the traceur, and they require quick thinking to select an appropriate technique. The use of momentum and energy is very important in parkour, both to maintain speed, and prevent injury, as spraining your ankle can be troublesome if you find yourself on top of a building with no way of getting down!

Parkour first leaped into the public eye in Britain in 2003, under the name ‘free running’ when a show called ‘Jump London’ was first aired. Jump London followed three traceurs, including Sebastian Foucan, one of the sports co-founders as they practiced their art on and around some of London’s most famous landmarks.

Many traceurs do consider parkour an art form, not a sport, and for the most devoted it is even a philosophy, centred around controlling the mind as well as the body.

Since 2003, another TV show (Jump Britain), as well as some notable appearance in feature films have seen the profile of parkour rise even further. It appears in the exciting opening to recent James Bond film Quantam of Solace, with the spy chasing a target across rooftops, and even onto a crane. There’s even been a video game called Mirror’s edge that incorporates elements of free running. Set in a futuristic utopia, the character has to jump, run and roll across rooftops to deliver a message. Shoe company K-Swiss have even developed a special line of shoes for the sport, with the help of co-founder Foucan.

With all this media attention, maybe it won’t be too long before the unique brand of street gymnastics on show in parkour takes its place alongside traditional gymnastics at the Olympics. 

Turn the page to learn more about the similarities between formal gymnastics and street parkour.

ACROBATIC EXAMPLES