Parkour

Parkour or Le Parkour is a popular adventure sport of French origin which has born out of man's eternal desire of moving forward overcoming the obstacles . The sport is also known as Free running in English. The main object of the participants is to move from one point to another as fast and as efficiently as possible. The main skill to be made use of in the sport is the physical abilities of the human body. The obstacles put in the way are anything from the surrounding ranging from branches and rocks to concrete walls. Parkour is basically a form of physical exercise but people are divided on the view of whether to regard it as an extreme sport or not. The main aim of the participants is not only to cover a distance in the lowest time possible but also do that with a minimum loss of energy.

The ‘ National Method of Physical Culture ' was the main inspiration behind the birth of the sport of Parkour. The sport was developed by George Herbert in the early twentieth century and then transformed by the French soldiers in Vietnam. They revamped the sport with new dimensions and gave it a new name- parcours du combatant -from which the common English name Parkour was conceived. The obstacle course, introduced by David Belle , is a variation in the game. The knowledge of several other physical activities like martial arts or gymnastics is always welcome for a Parkour participant.

Parkour has been successful in making its name among the popular adventure sports of this age. It has also been featured in several films and television programs and the sport is also fast achieving worldwide popularity.