P is for Parkour

Many of you have heard me reference Parkour....and a select few have even witnessed me doing Parkour. What is Parkour you ask?

Wikipedia defines it as

"an activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the abilities of the human body. It is meant to help one overcome obstacles, which can be anything in the surrounding environment—from branches and rocks to rails and concrete walls—and can be practiced in both rural and urban areas. Parkour practitioners are referred to as traceurs, or traceuses for females.

Founded by David Belle and a group of friends in France, parkour focuses on practicing efficient movements to develop one's body and mind to be able to overcome obstacles in an emergency."

Why do I bring up Parkour today? Well for two reasons.

(1) I'm just intrigued by it. I learned about Parkour last summer after watching an episode of Extreme Home Makeover where a child from one of the made over homes practiced Parkour. And, as I usually do with odd things, I took to it. I tried it...in the safety, comfort, and humility of my own living room. Last August in Montana I even demonstrated it to Ashley and Alicia who can both vouch for my skills. Here's a video (thankfully not of me) demonstration of parkour.

(2) I feel as if I was cheated out of some points in a mean game of Scattegories on Saturday night. The Category (or Scategory if you will) was Sports and the letter was "P"....and I was denied....downright cheated out of any points. It was questioned whether or not Parkour is a true "sport." Oh, but ping pong is?!?!?! Puh-leeeeze! So yeah, I'm bitter.

But back to reason #1....just being intrigued by it. In my extensive research this afternoon I was pleased to find a list of "approved movements" for Parkour. Here are just a few

Tic tac: To step off a wall in order to overcome another obstacle or gain height to grab something.

Cat pass/jump, (king) kong vault, or monkey vault: The saut de chat involves diving forward over an obstacle so that the body becomes horizontal, pushing off with the hands and tucking the legs, such that the body is brought back to a vertical position, ready to land.

Reverse vault: A vault involving a 360° rotation such that the traceur's back faces forward as they pass the obstacle. The purpose of the rotation is ease of technique in the case of otherwise awkward body position or loss of momentum prior to the vault.

And what does one where while practicing parkour?

In case you want to practice yourself it is recommended that you wear....and I quote...

- Light upper body garment - such as T-Shirt, sleeveless shirt or crop top

- Light lower body garment - such as light trousers or light shorts

So my friends, let's put on those crop tops and hit the streets. And for more on Parkour visit the official website.