A Name Built by Swapping One Letter
Parkour got its name on a film set. David Belle showed Hubert Koundé a video of his moves. Koundé suggested changing the c in the French word parcours to a k, because it looked stronger and more dynamic. He also said to drop the silent s. And so parkour was born.
The root word comes from parcours du combattant, the French military obstacle course. That method was shaped by Georges Hébert, a French naval officer. Hébert built a natural method of training around ten basic skills, including walking, running, jumping, climbing, balancing and swimming.
A person who does parkour was long called a traceur. The word comes from the French verb tracer. It normally means to trace, as in drawing a path. But in everyday speech it also means to hurry up, which fits rather well.
A Boy Who Trained While Others Slept
The story starts with Raymond Belle, born in Vietnam in 1939. After losing his father as a child, he was sent to a military orphanage at the age of seven. He decided to train harder and longer than everyone else.
At night, when the others slept, he ran and climbed trees. He used the military obstacle courses in secret and built his own. He later joined the Paris Fire Brigade. He called his way of training parcours.
His son David, born in 1973, grew bored of school sports. He wanted skills that would be useful in real life, not just for kicking a ball in a padded gym. Through long talks with his father, he found what he was looking for and gave up his other commitments to train. His father's advice stuck with him: if two roads open up, always take the harder one.
The Strict Rules of the Yamakasi
In the town of Lisses, David Belle and a group of friends and cousins began training together. They called themselves the Yamakasi, from a Lingala phrase meaning strong man, strong spirit. They even named Bruce Lee the unofficial president of their group.
Their rules were tough. Nobody could be late or complain. A move done once did not count. It had to be repeated at least ten times in a row without injury. If anyone got hurt, the move was a failure. If someone claimed a hard jump, they had to prove it by doing it again.
After a 1997 show, growing fame split the group. Sébastien Foucan wanted to teach more, and David Belle wanted to act. Both left and used the word parkour. Foucan later called his more artistic style freerunning, while the other seven members kept the name l'art du déplacement.
Running Home Across London's Rooftops
Many Britons first saw parkour in a 2002 BBC One trailer called Rush Hour. It showed David Belle leaping across London's rooftops to get home in time for his favourite programme. Viewers were amazed to learn it used no special effects or wires.
The 2003 documentary Jump London and its sequel were shown in more than 80 countries. Then the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale featured Sébastien Foucan in a wild chase early in the film. Along with The Bourne Ultimatum, it sparked a wave of parkour stunts in films.
Video games followed. Assassin's Creed and Mirror's Edge are built around moving over rooftops and ledges. Even armies took notice. After Casino Royale, military forces around the world looked at adding parkour to their training, bringing the practice back to where its name began.
Better Jumpers Than Gymnasts
Science backs the hype. In tests such as the standing long jump and vertical jump, parkour athletes beat gymnasts, sports teachers and power athletes. Studies also found parkour landing methods, like the parkour roll, produce lower landing forces than traditional sport techniques.
One study found something odd. Experienced traceurs take off at a lower angle than beginners, about 25.6 degrees against about 34. The ideal angle had been estimated at close to 22.6 degrees, so the experts were closer.
Competitions now test speed, skill and style. But many traceurs argue parkour is not a sport at all. When gymnastics officials tried to bring it into their world, much of the community pushed back and formed a new body, Parkour Earth, in 2017. As athlete Ryan Doyle said, asking who is best at parkour is like asking for the best song in the world.
