PARKOUR Art of Motion

Arts are born from wrestling of human being. Most people identification, parkour as a hard and extreme sport. Parkour is not an extreme activity at all. It refers to physique drill, similar drill in military.

It started in French, stream to Japan, growing and blooming in Indonesia. Parkour or l’art du deplcement (motion art) is an activity which intends to move from one place to another quickly and efficiently, using human being body ability principle. Parkour emanate from term parcours du combatant that means hinder-barrier drill for military session. But then “C” in parcours changed by “K”, meanwhile “S” engaged to clear the philosophy of Parkour. “Parkour is philosophy about efficiency”. 

Discovered by David Belle in French ‘parkour’ aimed to practice motion efficiently to build up someone’s body and opinion so that possible to face barriers in dangerous condition. David Belle inspirited by his father Raymond Belle, a French army, then joined with sapeurs pompiers (military fireman). Born in the fireman family, make him inspirited by stories about Heroic. When he was 16 years old, he decided to leave school looking for freedom, action, and improve strength and skill that he has, so that it useful in life, as his father always advised. 

 

David Belle in Benlieu 13 

 David Belle Parkour founder

 Raymond introduced his son about hinder-barrier drill and natural method that finally famous as parkour. Since a moment, David started to play his own scenario after school, how could he escaped from difficult situation. According to David, it can be functional as self-defences in unexpected circumstance. If martial art is mentioned as a shape of fighting drill, parkour is a shape of flight drill. Practitioners of parkour are called traceur. Someone is called traceur when he/she has understood sense, basic, and philosophy of parkour. Traceur comes from term “tracer” that means quickly, speed up (to trace/to go fast).

INDONESIAN PARKOUR COMUNITY

Since 2004 parkour started being enjoyed Younger in a number of areas of Indonesia. According to quotation, up now at least there are 41 towns which have parkour community in entire Indonesia such as; Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Palembang, Padang, Kendari, Bandar Lampung, and Makasar. Even though separated each community interact each other through forums in internet. They share information and even help each other when others are sick.

Generally member of parkour community is 14-19 years old. Despite it is not permanently, they are easier known in their appearing and identification mark such wearing casual canvas shoes, spacious short and balance motion if they are walking.

In Bandung, it has achieved hundred people; each practice can be achieved by tens or hundred people. Training places are spread out some places such ITB campus and Parahyangan University. Distinction town is distinction its applied drill. In Jakarta they usually practice in building and office complex. In Malang they are using nature like trees, hills and big stones as hinder-barrier. Not as other community, parkour community has no competition between them because they actually do not have any competition. They only focus in body treat, mind and physique to run out of barrier as soon as and efficiently. There is no specific style of each Indonesia parkour community; there is only nature adaption in their own self.

In French, parkours prefer to do a jump from a building to another. Meanwhile in Japan, parkours prefer to climb. It might Japanese has base and Ninja technique. But it clearly parkour practical techniques are similarly. They are adoption from cat. That is why pameo is famous in parkours. “Cat is our teacher” because either hands or feet motion jumping and moving are following cats done. It is not startlingly, parkours should do cat walking hundreds meters for basic drill.          

 Parkour community around the world

there is no competition among them 

 PARKOUR PHILOSOPHY 

Resisting Fearful

The one who frighten to try could not be anything and will not be anybody. Every man must be through this process. You will not be life progression, when you can not resist fearful. We can ride motorbike, success businessman, win an offer or the like of it is our braveness resisting our fearful. But remember measure your fearfulness and braveness with courage meter we will act improperly, stupidly, or even got accident when we are too much courageous. Too much discourage thus will be nothing at all. So, balance fearfulness and braveness.

Freedom and Creativity  

We can creatively create motion combine with some basics motion be a new motion depended on our creativity. Similar with our life, we have to be a creativity man so that it can be useful to our life. Beside that parkour teach us freedom moving without resisting regulation.

Flexible and Fluidity    

Parkour will make flexible to your own self and spirit streams forward. Likewise in life when we are in new environment, we think to stay flexible and capable adaptation with new referred environment. Although it at firstly does not make us comfortable. While fluidity make ourselves have spirit that flows to experience life.

Contradict Competition

Some parkours are contradiction with competition and rival in parkour. Competitions are not suitable with philosophy and parkour rate moral that emphasize freedom. Competition will make somebody to subject another watched by many people or it only makes another advantage. Parkour aimed to help others so that human being has the way to think moderation (simple) and have long-life defence physique.

Not an Extreme Sport

Many common people who are watching parkour videos consider parkour is an extreme sport and classify it with skateboard, bmx, others. So that many people determine to do dangerous motion that can be affected an injury. Parkour is not only related to our courage, but it very cohesively to be related with mature mind, physique practical, and continuously technique. Motions that are done by David Belle are the result of a teens-years-old drill.