PARKOUR: THE HUGE SPORT/NOT SPORT
You'll see them moving like ninjas or gymnasts, not stepping aside for fences or even buildings, but leaping like Superman in seemingly impossible moves that keep them going in a straight line.
Parkour is called "the art of movement," or "displacement," and is described as moving from one place to another as quickly and efficiently as possible, going over obstacles rather than around them. Practioners, called 'traceurs' (or for women, 'traceuses') leap from building to building in cities, rather than taking elevators or stairs, summersault over parked cars, rocks and sheds instead of stepping around them, roll or jump down flights of stairs, and do it without slowing down at all. Traceurs move fast, using only their bodies, without ropes or any other kind of equipment.
But the sport (which traceurs claim is not a sport, just a way of moving) has a philosophical, rather than athletic base. The amazing moves are done merely to get from point to point, and are not supposed to be done unnecessarily just as a way of showing off how traceurs can move. It is supposed to be a way to develop both body and mind to overcome obstacles.
Parkour was started by a Frenchman named David Belle, whose father was a master of military obstacle course training. The method of moving through space became popular in the suburbs of Paris, but soon spread throughout Europe, then inexplicably became immensely popular in Beijing. Enthusiasts say that it involves many elements of Chinese kung fu; and there is general acknowledgement that those who are skilled at kung fu will find Parkour easy to learn.
For many traceurs, Parkour creates excellent survival skills. One practitioner points out that if a building fire cut off all ways of escaping, a traceur could jump out of a window five or more stories up and land safely on the ground below. Traceurs who may need to get away fast in any emergency can do so with ease, leaping impossibly high, grabbing near-invisible finger holds and using self-created momentum to swing their body to the next place to grab, and thus quickly escaping.
The technique of Parkour involves the use of momentum and quick re-distribution of body weight to create it. The seemingly magical moves require the skills of climbing, judo and acrobatics, plus the instant relaxation of muscles for absorption to allow an easy landing from absurdly great heights.
The sport/non-sport is now being featured in films, most recently in "You Don't Mess with the Zohan," and "The Incredible Hulk." "Hulk" even gave a credit to the Parkour coordinator.
Because it has become so popular in the Olympic city of Beijing, and its freestyle technique is such a contrast to the strict rules of Olympic competition, Parkour will probably be featured on the evening news frequently during the Games.
If you see tapes of people leaping and somersaulting swiftly, without stopping for anything, you will know they are not ninjas, but Parkour traceurs just moving along as they normally do.