Given its birth on France, parkour is now a magnet for many willpowered enthusiasts making its way on a grown popularity. It is such a new mix for negotiating with obstacles—a blend of adopted gymnastics, athletics, free climbing and accelerated tai-chi movements executed on the move.
Parkour is the flight in the fight-or-flight response; it is an enhancement scheme for achieving self-confidence, critical thinking skills keen spatial awareness, leadership adeptness, energetic or virile senses and moral attitude. This is the perfect sport where winning splendid, flexible, nimble, skillful, enduring and resistant body are given emphasis.
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The term Parkour was coined by David Belle with his friend Hubert Kounde from the classical obstacle course method of military training proposed by Georges Herbert—the parcours de combatant. They also come-up with the term “Traceurs” as a term for Parkour enthusiasts which was originally from a slang French verb “tracer” meaning “to go fast.”
According to the American Parkour Community Definition, parkour is not just quite a sport; it requires physical discipline in order to be geared with efficiency and speed. Parkour requires consistent, disciplined training more on functional strength, physical conditioning, balance, creativity, fluidity, precision and looking beyond the traditional use of objects. Traceur’s training focuses on safety, longetivity, personal responsibility and self-improvement. It discourages reckless behavior, showing-off and dangerous stunts.
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While they also value community, humility, positive collaboration, knowledge sharing and the importance of play in human life, they also demonstrate respect for all people, places and spaces.
Parkour imparts sheer athleticism and ideal sportsmanship. An effective traceur redistributes body weight and uses momentum to perform seemingly difficult or impossible maneuvers at great speed. But more than this, physical and mental elements are the real appeal of parkour to every traceurs.
