Parkour

Overview

Parkour, from the French parcours (course or route), can be considered a running style, to get from A to B as quickly and efficiently as possible. Overcoming all obstacles in one's path using techniques such as vaulting, jumping, climbing, and balancing. Made known and named by David Belle using a mixture of his father's teachings, which were inspired by Georges Hébert's méthode naturelle, gymnastics and martial arts. It is as much a mental discipline as it is a physical one, similar to a martial art, or self-defense.  Male parkour practitioners are recognized as traceurs and female as traceuses.

Freerunning and l'art du déplacement are aesthetic forms of movement derived from the core motions Parkour, including acrobatic flips and tricks.
 
Parkour and freerunning were introduced into the English-speaking community by the TV programmes 'Jump London' and 'Jump Britain', as well as the internet site http://www.urbanfreeflow.com/ . Urban Freeflow, or UF, have more recently been criticized of 'selling out' the true spirit of parkour by commercialising parts of it and introducing the Barclaycard World Freerun Championships.