What is Parkour?

I'm looking for an informative debate/discussion here, on what Parkour is...would prefer to avoid what it isn't. I'd also like to avoid this getting into a "Differences between Parkour and Free Running" argument. Hopefully this stays as a discussion and no one starts getting aggressive. Basically I'm posting this because it is something I think about a lot, and have arrived at what I percieve as a fairly concrete conclusion, so would like to talk about it with other Practitioners

To start discussion off:

From what I can gather, Parkour is at it's most basic, a training method. A method of getting stronger, faster, increasing endurance etc using only your body and your environment. It is my opinion that all the movements came out of this, and are primarily akin to exercises within a training method.

Agree/disagree...post your thoughts!

~Inari,

Well, I'd add that this training method has a definite goal, which is to move fast and to be able to overcome any obstacle on your route.

?! What?
I don't think you got my point right.
The thing is that the goal of parkour IS to move more efficiently, faster etc. You can't say that there "has to be" such a goal, because it is actually what parkour is made for.

Now the question may be why people do practice parkour. And there you're right, people's reasons may differ one from each other. But the original, the genuine purpose of pk is fast and efficient movement.

Actually, when you train, could it be that there is no goal you want to achieve?

Parkour is the art and mindset of overcoming obstacles in your way efficiently.

Thats it. No more, no less. Forget all that Martial arts crap, or straight line from point A to B or what not..

You train your body and mind to overcome obstacles, because you want to not be stopped by them. Thats it.

Its really that simple All the other stuff many people put it, the martial arts stuff, the religious stuff, the being a gentleman bullshit, the revolution-against-urban-prison stuff and what not.. is all the INDIVIDUAL philosophy of the individual person, but thats what they develop maybe through parkour but they develop it to themselfs, it has nothing to do with parkour as something general. Parkour is simply that - Parkour

A

some people practice just to stay fit while others honor the mindset of overcoming obstacles, overcoming yourself etc.

I agree with you, the "sport" part of pk is basically a training method.

I dont agree. Because

a) it doesnt tell you how to train, so how can it be a training method. You can train any way you want, either you can grow huge ass muscles in the gym and jump around a little, or you can not do any strength training and just do your movements and have them make you stronger, you can do any way you want. So its not right to call it a training method, because there is no method.

b) if people just jump around a little, that doesnt make it Parkour.

Imagine a House, old greek Style with the huge pillars. Parkour is a building, built on two pillars. The mental, and the physical one. The physical is overcoming obstacles. Its been done for thousands of years, and it has a name: "overcoming obstacles". The mental, is what David Belle has taken and named it the mindset of "Parkour". Parkour is a new word, describing a specific thing. Not everyone that is jumping over an obstacle is doing Parkour. But if you do the jumping over obstacles, and do it with that mindset - then you are doing Parkour. If not, well then your simply jumping over obstacles:

Agree?

I agree with Andi in the argument against the idea that pk is just a training regiment or form of house wife exercise.

Parkour has been around since humans had apposable thumbs. It is and always will be fluid and efficient movement. David Belle and the rest of the Yamakasi or physical 'scientists' just gave this form a name. These physical 'scientists' would experiment with ways of getting around things much faster and a lot more efficiently, I am using the word 'scientist' VERY loosely because none of us are really running around with lab coats or goggles.

I have grown up being taught that every physical action is a sport or some form of training for leisure activity, shit my dad tells me that a bike (which I now use for transportation) is ONLY used for leisure activity. BULL SHIT. Parkour is almost impossible to compare to other 'sports' besides gymnastics. Classic sports have actual requirements in order to engage in them: you need jump, sprint power, stamina, and an ego(I know many fat headed players ) to play Basketball, Baseball, Football, and all the other sports. Pk is not like that at all, could be sport yes, but it does not have that intention of creating a competitive sponsored arena like discipline. It is meant for the 'flight' aspect of martial arts or even just incase of emergencies. The real parkour demands for your head to be in the game, just like how Andi has illustrated, without the real mindset of advancing or even having a purpose for pk training, then you are just wasting your time and energy. Its name is meant for the mindset, and physical determination. The movement is just movement. A kid could climb a wall and take 50 years and call it pk, but when you ask him why he did and he just says 'I just felt like it you know? Felt fun..." that is not pk. If he said "I am training [I will edit this, I am on a school computer the post is not complete]