Free running
I watched a fascinating programme a couple of days ago about the sport1 of free running. Like many people, I only became aware of free running when the BBC and Nike produced adverts featuring the sport. Free running (or le parkour) originated in a quiet suburb in France, when some bored kids developed a game they played to a very advanced level.
It’s hard to describe free running to someone who hasn’t seen it, but very easy to understand as soon as you see it. Participants move around cities—-often at roof level—-travelling over and through obstacles in an elegant and gymnastic way. They jump gaps between buildings, swing around posts, do handstands on ledges, and run up walls. In the programme, three parkouristes travelled across London, on top of many of the major landmarks. One of the parkouristes tried to explain the ethos. He pointed out that, when we are children, we look at the landscape as a playground, and see things like concrete bollards as objects to balance on top of, leap-frog over and so on. Once we have grown up, we lose this ability and urban landscapes start to contain and channel us along stereotyped routes. Walls and street furniture become obstacles rather than opportunities for play. He said that le parkour was a way of reclaiming the city and becoming free.
