Parkour: A Disciplined Alternative For The Free-Spirited Soul

By Nancy K. Crevier

They leap, climb, twist, turn, jump, crawl, and scramble. You might see a quick pounce from roof top to ground, or a head-over-heels spin as these young men make their way around a backyard, park grounds, or any other open space.

It is called parkour and free running, and what sets these youngsters apart from the antics of the average child on the playground is that they hone their skills at gyms in the area or in each other’s yards before taking the energized movement sport to the great outdoors.

Julian Lewis, Patrick Matthei, and Christopher Daly, all 14 years old and students at Newtown schools, are three parkour and free running practitioners who are regularly leap-frogging their ways about town parks this spring.

“Parkour is a more efficient, artistic, way of moving and using your body, and the things around you,” Christopher explained May 9. “Free running is kind of like skateboarding, without the board,” he added.

According to AmericanParkour.com, “Parkour is the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one’s path by adapting one’s movements to the environment.” This is done with an emphasis on physical conditioning, creativity, spatial awareness, and “looking beyond the traditional use of objects.” Practitioners of parkour discourage reckless behavior and dangerous stunts.

There is a very fine line separating free running and parkour, and the two can overlap. Free running evolved from parkour, and while it, too, emphasizes efficiency of moving through space, free runners are more apt to throw in vaults and somersaults for the sheer pleasure and artistry, rather than as a purely practical method of moving through an area. “The free run philosophy is less about choosing your own path but more about fun and creativity,” according to a statement at parkour-online.com.

Julian and Christopher said that they lean toward parkour, while Patrick defines his movement more as free running.

The three friends have been practicing the energetic alternative sport for about a year now, they said. “I used to skateboard a lot, and I’ve done martial arts for awhile, ” said Christopher, “and then I saw parkour on the Internet, and got really interested. I started practicing some basic moves and went on from there.”

Those basic moves include rolls to break a fall, and learning how to spread out the impact when jumping from heights. “It’s about learning how to use your hands and arms to get over objects,” Christopher said, “and then there are the flips that are a little more advanced.”

Julian has been skateboarding and snowboarding since he was 5 years old, and Patrick formerly played Pop Warner football. Other than that, the boys do not consider themselves particularly athletic, and none are currently involved in other organized sports at their schools. What they do have in common, and what helps, they agreed, is to be lithe.

“You can do this anywhere, so that’s kind of cool,” said Patrick. It was easy for him to join in with Christopher after he also watched some parkour videos on YouTube, Patrick said, and Julian was equally enthusiastic about getting into the somewhat edgy sport.

No special equipment or clothing is needed to take part in parkour, although Julian and Christopher have opted to purchase special parkour sneakers. Unlike running or training shoes, the parkour shoe, available online, is extremely flexible and very lightweight. The upper and side sections of the parkour shoe are made of mesh, making it breathable. “You get really hot and sweaty running around,” said Christopher, “so it’s nice to have a shoe like this.”

Julian, Patrick, and Christopher began practicing together in Christopher’s yard, and that is also the area to which they contain their more daring deeds, like jumping from rooftops. Every Thursday evening, Julian’s mother, Loreen Lewis, takes them to Elite Gymnastics Center in New Milford, where they are able to practice more advanced moves. The first Wednesday of the month, when schools let out early, the three frequently meet up at Vasi’s International Gymnastics on Peck’s Lane. The New Milford gym offers parkour programs “to hone your skills,” said Patrick, “and Vasi’s is a safe place to practice some of the harder moves.”

They are not the only ones in town getting into parkour and free running, said Christopher. “I’ve gotten about ten other kids into this, and now Vasi’s is the place where we go.”

Their parents are supportive of the activity, which does have an element of danger to it, said the young men. Anytime flips and jumps are undertaken, without protective gear, there is an opportunity for turned ankles or worse. That is why they feel it is important to practice tough moves and wall climbing skills in a gym, prior to taking them outside.

“I will admit, I was a little apprehensive initially,” said Ms Lewis, “but Julian has always loved things with a bit of danger in them. I’ve watched them, and I always think they take calculated risks. They don’t do things they aren’t prepared to do,” she said.

Overcoming the fear of leaping a gap or being up high is one of the benefits of parkour and free running, said Patrick. “It helps you overcome mental blocks, and gain confidence,” he said.

His mother, Becky Matthei, agreed. “This has absolutely increased his self-confidence, and made Patrick more social and active. He comes home exhausted, but if this has made him excited about something, and he’s doing something outdoors, I think it’s a good thing,” she said. She, too, believes the boys make an effort to be careful.

Christopher said that he loves being outside, now that the weather is good, and because parkour has no set course, they can get into it where ever they happen to be.

“There is no start or end point. We use any object in the way,” he said. “It’s great fun.”