Parkour is not a fad

-Normally I don’t respond to what is said by my compatriot, but I have to step up and give a much better explanation of my beloved Parkour (PK) and Freerunning (FR). A brief description of the differences: PK is about getting from point A to point B with as much economy as possible. FR is more about aesthetic beauty—all of this done in the urban environment.

-I’ve been a traceur (practitioner of PK) for close to ten years.
PK/FR is wholly about reclaiming the city. Most people wander through cities either looking up at skyscrapers or looking down in hopes of avoiding the homeless and dog shit. PK/FR helps you to develop an almost 360-degree type of vision. The disciplines/movement philosophies help you to get into a particular type of zone. It is sort of like competitive athletics, in the sense that when you’re on point, you can do no wrong. All of the balls sail into the goal, you run the table when playing pool, or you’re jumping higher and running faster than ever before. This state, in PK/FR is called the flow. And once you achieve it (it is not as mystical as it sounds—all it takes is focus, confidence, and just a little athletic ability) you can experience a city in an entirely new way. Cities (especially major ones) can be so isolating, but with PK/FR you can be on some non-super powered Jack Hawksmoor shit—experiencing the city as an entity (and being apart of this entity), and not just slugging through slabs of concrete, sheets of glass, and funky miasma.
Marry the concepts of PK/FR with Guy Debord’s concept of Psychogeography and you have what could be looked at as a post-modern philosophy for the modern city dweller. But don’t take my word for it.

-For those of you who are local, contact me and we can hook up so that I can show you how to truly experience the city. It is so much more than just running, jumping, and flipping. You can only know it if you do it. B13 has nothing to do with what the disciplines are about. Once again, you can’t know it unless you do it.

Shawn