Posted on April 6, 2010

Parkour
by Jet Feller

Parkour is a recreational activity that involves running, jumping, and climbing. The purpose of the activity is to move forward without letting obstacles get in the way. Males who practice parkour are traceurs, and females who practice parkour are traceuses. Traceurs and traceuses train so that they can jump without injuring themselves. They learn basic moves such as climbing up walls, vaulting over obstacles, jumping, landing, and rolling. Then, each person uses the moves to progress through the environment in an efficient, creative way.
David Belle of France is recognized as one of the main founders of parkour. David was influenced by his father Raymond Belle. Raymond was a military firefighter in Paris. Raymond went through the “natural method” of training while he was in the French military. A military commander named Georges Herbert developed the “natural method.” This method uses physical obstacles to help people overcome fears, solve problems, and gain strength. Raymond introduced his son David to the “natural method.”
David Belle was also inspired by martial arts. He paid special attention to Bruce Lee. He admired the way that Lee combined the traditional martial arts movements with free form. With encouragement from his father and help from some of his close friends, Belle began to develop a discipline of movement that can be used to overcome obstacles in the environment. In the late 1980s, David and his friends formed a group called Yamakasi and began practicing what is now known as parkour.
Freerunning is a recreational activity that is very similar to parkour. Like traceurs and traceuses, free runners use movements to overcome obstacles in their environment. The main difference between freerunning and parkour is that free runners do flips and other movements that are for show. Traceurs and traceuses focus on using the most efficient ways to move forward.
4
Select the correct answer.
Which of the following is an accurate paraphrase of ideas from the Web article?

A.
Free runners do flips and cool moves, and traceurs and traceuses just run (Feller 2010).
B.
Freerunning is only for overcoming obstacles, but parkour is for show (Feller 2010).
C.
Freerunning includes some movements that are less efficient than the ones in parkour (Feller 2010).
D.
Free runners like to do stunts that are risky, and traceurs and traceuses never do anything dangerous (Feller 2010).