free-running / la parkour: Jump London

nike presto - a nike subsite for their presto range. funny they are associating themselves w/ this brand and range since I have two pairs of these trainers.

parkour proponents leap across london - guardian story about this programme. teaches me it is actually a repeat showing I have just seen. unless the time was changed.

parkour/yamakasi/street climbing/extreme walking/poochy pushah etc classic or dud? - a sebastien chikara [my sixth favourite ILXer] thread about this...sport.

Not surprised. Lots of crap about how it helps us to rediscover/reclaim the stagnant city - cue soundbite of Will Hutton making an absolute prat of himself.

My second reaction: the purest, most perfect art? The focus on aesthetics over simple achievement is interesting.

My third reaction: they do Nike adverts? Hmm...

Also: I hope lots of kids don't kill themselves trying to copy.

Not so interested in the 'reclaiming/re-focusing use of cityscape' idea either.

it is a v. human thing to do. everyone does it. mostly in childhood. it is just an exploration of self and space and then space and self.

[crosspost x2]

I don't know about reclaim but I am w/ rediscover kind of utterly. re-examine. re-think. re-understand. if there is any basis for the last. or the rest.

I didn't see will hutton on the programme but, then again, I didn't see the pet shop boys immediately. you don't mean will alsop, do you?

cook's first reaction, also, yes. it reminds me of jumping on rocks, on lake michigan, just a couple of months ago. as well as on rocks, in the village I am from, many years ago.

Gillanders is correct: this as much about inward as outward expression. It is discovering all that you are capable of, in a way.

there is, however, no failure on alsop's part, so much, since the spaces we are discussing here are public spaces. not operating theatres.

I think there always is/should be an indefiniteness to all public spaces of these kinds [these kinds of public spaces=the outside, essentially]. open and free spaces, in general, should be just that--almost universal places that, although made very definite in the way they are viewed or passed through or paused or stopped in or none of these in a routine way as part of people's actual routines, can be redefined in countless ways--simple: routes/paths/nonpaths taken and speeds and levels travelled at and all the other things that are the same things; depending on times and on other users and occupiers--complicated: combinations of all of these and all of the rest. I do sort of dislike the phrase 'redefinition' but not so much the concept. perhaps how useful it is is related, directly, to how [im]possible it is. I have tied myself in a knot.

That made no sense, probably.

I suppose it is possible to say that every person redefines the space they occuppy at any time in an entirely different way. Hence this is simply an extreme form of such expression. Are we getting too deeply into this?

I didn't see the question mark. it was a good one. and the question, too.

yes, this is an extreme form. I definitely, now, do not think it should be seen a sport. not sport, not martial art. it is a recreation. recreating the person and the place.

yes, an extreme form of the simplest [x2] and most basic [x2] and purest [x2] recreational activity that everyone takes part in every day. I think to say, again and again, that we can learn from it [about ourselves and our places, yes, yes] is just underlining--this is how we learned in the beginning and things are always more obvious in the beginning. it is more obvious to those watching the beginners at the time and more obvious to the beginners thinking back when they no longer are.

it shouldn't be necessary to make an area the size of the building's footprint entirely offlimits--there should be care taken and generosity w/ these places. I might mean just in terms of public buildings but I don't think I do.

I think the blue nile might have had an idea of free-walking.

I'd have to think he wouldn't have been happy with there being any camera trickery or with people thinking there was.

there are a few videos on the nike site of running and jumping.

this is another way it is or should be unlike a sport: no competition. there are no 'tricks' as in skateboarding. there are better runners [in a number of ways [speed, elegance, etc.]] than others, I'm sure, and seeing these three good ones at once might have given the wrong impression but I wish it was as I imagine. concentrating on the inwardness, as I say, would re-inforce it as a study. rather than a sport.

at times their running seemed very like that of monkeys: their arms seemed longer and they were mostly low-to-the-ground. and w/ all the urbanity[uh-uh]/jungle cliches. ----------------------

memories of running like this are memories of thinking "I am barely in control because I don't know exactly what is coming after the next thing that I see but I am still balancing and moving forwards." it is like a very controlled fall.

it's not just like, athletic psychogeography

The first two minutes were OK I suppose but it was all downhill from then on in. Filler and padding for the most part, with some balderdash from the PSB thrown in for good measure. The programme’s claim that Street Running is "anarchic?" was laughable in the context presented, what with all the stunt co-ordinators, and corporate logos on show.

And does someone want to tell me what exactly was so impressive about *gasp* running across Foster's dodgy Millennium bridge? I think the best bit was the excited boss of Shakespeare’s Globe, his eyebrows bristling at the thought of some exciting, cewl and credible youth-orientated PR.

I suppose I am not thinking of it as an awakening so much as a reawakening or, better, a reminder. a way of telling yourself 'I can cope and continue to' over and over.

I agree about the whole Jump London final run part. it started and it didn't seem like it was a conclusion. when it finished, either.

[crosspost x2]

we were proposing what they might 'do' w/ the millennium bridge. we were surprised.

absolutely, these were my thoughts whilst watching it last night. I was hoping for an 'elephant'-style sucession of moving images. The attempt (or at least the way it was approached) to provide some sort of narrative and backstory undermined the whole film, abetted by the terrible soundtrack and voiceover.

Keiller's next film project, by the way, is based on early 20th-C film of London, and is partly about how people treated the space (mostly unchanged since) differently: a lot more performance, he suspects.

...could actually have done without all the talking heads and rehearsals & just shown them doing it; pure abstraction but with better filming...

I'm not sure about this. Have you seen Winged Migration Marcello?

as for the whole philosophy underlying it,i suppose any attempt to frame something like that philosophically is bound to end up sounding a bit silly,and the matrix name drop didn't exactly diminish my cynicism,but i suppose the basic idea was that you may as well have a laugh in whatever way you can,and if you can reclaim/reinvent public space,all the better,which i completely agree with
the talking heads aspect was quite odd at times (pet shop boys and robert pires,randomly)but i quite liked seeing the (seemingly genuine)enthusiasm people had for the idea...
the quasi-matrix soundtrack was appalling
where the fuck does that style of half arsed electronic shite come from?
i can't think of anyone who makes it,there must just be one guy who gets commissioned by channell four all the time or something...

london did look great
i enjoyed it overall,and i like the idea(of the activity),its just a shame the whole thing wasn't better executed

the talking heads were annoying (all those PR ppl latching on to this 'radical' 'refreshing' thing) but this prog was showing something I hadn't seen so it had lots going for it. I'm not sure whether it could have been 'better filmed' as I don't know abt that stuff but the best bit was the 10 min sequence of these ppl doing jumps and running around all day.

Check out the cambridge parkour site aswell http://jump.to/tct

Casper

You have to understand this before you make any more conclusions about Jump London. Le Parkour is the "Art of Movement" and therefore it conceives WHY traceurs ("freerunners") do parkour. To some of us it's a way of life, there's no way I can explain it to anyone.. you just have to trust me... either that or experience it yourself (yeah that's it, go outside and try it before you talk about it please!).

The idea is to react with your surroundings in the way you feel fit. So, if one person sees a wall they may wall run it but another person might ignore it entirely or maybe wallflip it or something of the sort. It's all up to the individual.

Ok, the Jump London reactions I thought were rather annoying.. since I didn't see one person that actually has tried to understand parkour reply. I guarantee you if any one person were to walk outside and just do a bit of pk for maybe an hour just to have fun with it, they would NEVER stop. Why, because that feeling of freedom is almost impossible to find anywhere else, again, it's a feeling that no one can describe because it exists so little in todays world. SO, the show was to show everyone what parkour was about... and still everyone takes out their confusion on the editing!?! Oh and one more thing, YES Sebastien made that jump off the ship which was around.. oh.. 23 feet.

And finally.. Urbanfreeflow.com... I'm a part of this website and I will tell anyone and everyone I meet that this is the GREATEST place on the net. Why? UF has a well moderated forum and everyone is very cool on there. You can ask for help, share stories, or just have fun with other LIKE MINDED people. The UFKREW does nothing but promote the name of parkour in a good light (and train furiously to do so) and finally, they are an awesome bunch of guys that devote their lives to the art and to other traceurs. So... again, as we're all entitled to our opinions, there's mine.
Sov

are you religious?

I didn't say you had to, I just said why do people do that?! It just makes you look a whole lot better and your reply doesn't seem extremely stupid to people who actually understand what the program was about. It's up to you though.

yet, you didn't really explain anything about it and, in fact, most of what you did type had already been typed, in one way or another.

do you think it is more valuable to discuss something you have only just discovered and, perhaps, learn about it (even if from your wild misconceptions) or to just try to forget about it until someone who has the inside track lets you in on its secrets?

As for the actual show, yes Jump London wasn't put together very well, but personally I preferd most of the practice part to the actual 'Jump London' part of it. If you understand that Parkour is different things to different people, for me I don't care how high up I am... it doesn't take a large part of my philosophy, but other people love being high up. That is the beauty of Parkour, you can do as you please.

Ermm.. I said like 3 times that it's impossible to explain. You have to try it yourself to understand where I'm coming from. I'm truly sorry if you are incapable of actually trying this artform, but if you can, get out there. This isn't an art kept to the teenagers, they just happen to be the people who actually don't mind having fun and not being smart.

PK4LIFE! haha!

He wasnt implying that. It that was true, then sov wouldn't have been able to begin parkour in the first place. Initially he had to think about it before doing it. He's saying that people are drawing definite conclusions about parkour with out knowing much about it.

Pakour is not a widley know about sport/art and JL only gave a glimpse of it. Not much is known publicly about what pakour entails, unlike football where it is a firm tradition. When the main enjoyment and satisfaction from parkour comes from actually participating in it, as shown on JL, why do people close their minds to what could be, and dont bother to investigate further, instead just dwell on the bad points because that's all they can find to debate about.

www.urbanfreeflow.com
www.screwgravity.com

The reason that Sov and other Traceurs are getting slightly pissed off is because you see our way of life as some sort of rebellious skateboarding throw off sport, which it isn't. Its not that you cannot discuss Parkour without having done it, you can discuss things like philosophies and stuff like that, but you have to realise that it is very different from what it seems when you do actually go out and try it to be able to fully appreciate it.

"Jesus, invasion of the prancing about evangelists."

There was a link to this discussion in an urbanfreeflow.com forum thread. So alot of people decided to give you some more info about Parkour, can't really complain can you? Considering that this discussion IS about Parkour. Possibly you don't like your point of view being challenged by people who know what they are talking about?

Chill, matey. How do you know how hundreds of people feel about your lifestyle? Most of the above discussion seems to me to be about the inadequacies of a chosen TV programme format to show the skills involved in the Parkour whatchamacallit. There's really no need to get defensive, because that does make you seem like a whining sk8tr tosspot.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with you, the BBC didn't put as much emphasis on the philosophy of Parkour rather on the "OMG LOOK HOW HIGH THEY ARE!!!" effect, which is not really what the Traceur community wanted tbh.

Merely because I went on the defensive doesn't make me look like a "sk8r tosspot", debates have to be two sided. You provide one side and I provide the other side. Would you rather that us Traceurs just left everyone thinking that we are cheap skateboarders?

This thread seems to be about the Jump London programme specifically, with the option of providing an intro to something that could be interesting for some people to think about, watch and/or take part in. I'm a little miffed that you guys seem to be excluding the possibility of people's aesthetic appreciation of Parkour.

Information is generally appreciated, but it kind of gets backs up around here when errr its offered by jumping in headfirst with a not particularly sophisticated chant of 'nar nar you don't know anything'. We get a lot of random googlers.

Haha RJG. DUDE!

He was la parkour boy/
he said....

That's where I'm stuck.

Help!!

I'm not. Skateboarding is completely overcommercialised, something that I'm hoping Parkour can avoid.

"Information is generally appreciated, but it kind of gets backs up around here when errr its offered by jumping in headfirst with a not particularly sophisticated chant of 'nar nar you don't know anything'. We get a lot of random googlers."

I think that Sov was maybe slightly too over-zealous in his approach, but he didn't mean "You know nothing so stfu". It just gets annoying after the tenth time you have to battle various discussion boards to take Parkour seriously.

"He was la parkour boy/
he said....

That's where I'm stuck.

Help!!"

You know, I think they give out prizes for people as hilarious as you. Or maybe not.

"I'm a little miffed that you guys seem to be excluding the possibility of people's aesthetic appreciation of Parkour. "

We are not saying that you cannot enjoy the aesthetics of Parkour, completely the opposite in fact, but to properly understand Parkour and the philosophies you have to try it. I mean trying can just be going out for an hour vaulting some rails and having a nice run.

"I certainly wouldn't dream of listening to any young people's rock music without being in a bitchin' band myself"

I disagree, it's more a case of " I wouldn't dream of discussing a genre of music without having heard it first."

That being said, I'm not saying you can't discuss PK without ever having done it, but actually trying is by far the best way to find out what it's all about, as the saying goes:

"Actions speak louder than words."

http://pub77.ezboard.com/furbanfreeflowfrm11.showMessage?topicID=3320.topic

Gibsnag, I don't see any evidence of you "having to fight for your life" agains "us guys", and nor do I see any evidence that we "really do want to hate" you traceurs.

(aka "I saw parkour 17th on the bill at the Auld Bollocks in Staines and own all their coloured vinyl 7 inches")

But about this debate. I can so clearly see this situation now as two sides dug deep into their bunkers here. You regulars here were just doing your stuff, talking about JL as someone had seen it. Can't blaim you for it bringing thoughts into mind. But then someone (Sov:) stepped on your toes. From that moment on both sides have twisted other's sayings as they want to hear in their hurt ears. So nothing much have been gotten out of the whole debate.

And just to warn anyone from here going on the urbanfreeflow site, despite them claiming to be 'attitude free' you'll prolly be as shot down there just as we here if you go in there saying things with the wrong attitude. And at least I read the UF forum as everyone there was joking until proven otherwise :)

it just seemed pretty ridiculous for someone to be in the position of being a kind of ambassador for parkour decided to arrive here and chide our worthless (he seemed to think) discussion of it rather than encourage thoughtful (I seem to think) discussion. haha, and that along with continuing a thread, back home, in which he said that we wanted to hate him and his kind? or that he was having a big fight? I think he needs to learn about discussion more than anyone needs to learn about parkour.

: )

You, clearly, are 0WN3D.

if I knew enough to know what than means, exactly.

:'''' (

Meh, there aren't any ambassadors for parkour, even the guys who created it won't take the credit of it being theres. At the moment Parkour is still in it's ripening stage, so we who are living it are going to esp. anal about protecting it's look. Actually, I could really care less about how you look at parkour, but it's your loss not mine.

Someone wanted a traceur to try and explain what it feels like on here.. sorry don't remember who.

Imagine this... there you are, 12 feet above the air falling toward the ground. Because of the adrenaline, it feels like you're not even moving, just floating there. A billion things are going through your mind at once, you're thinking about your technique and about how much FUN you're having. All you can hear is the wind going past your ears, everything else become a ballivion. Politics, Economics, Life's problems, they're all non existent, it's just you, the atmosphere, and your freedom.

...I know I know, you don't believe me. Go try it a few times, you'll understand what I mean.

RJG... Have you even tried parkour? From the looks of your posts you haven't even gotten out of your chair yet...

Try it b4 u start touching the keybored again and writing stupid stuff which makes u look like an idiot ! ok

thank u 4 your time, but your wasteing mine when i could be outside doing parkour.

I posted almost entirely positive and interested things about le parkour, until all these people appeared and wanted to argue about nothing. perhaps no-one actually read the thread.

RJG... Have you even tried parkour? From the looks of your posts you haven't even gotten out of your chair yet...

well, I am able to run and jump and swing and balance and, if I feel like it, I do. one of the things I said, in the original discussion, was that these are things all children do/should do when they are beginning to explore their surroundings and space. so, yes, I used to be a champion at this kind of stuff.

Try it b4 u start touching the keybored again and writing stupid stuff which makes u look like an idiot ! ok

I'm not sure there is anything I need add to that.

That's great to hear RJG, but...why did you stop?

The Parkeurs/ Traceurs / Poseurs (arf!) or whatever are showing exactly the kind of defensive subcultural attitude that has made the British left such a success. I'm still not clear how these traceurs don't hurt themselves if they're falling 12 ft. You could do yourself a damage/

I also got intrigued by this comment:

Politics, Economics, Life's problems, they're all non existent, it's just you, the atmosphere, and your freedom.

Called me a po-faced commie bastard if you like, but I prefer engaging with politics, economics and life's problems. People with that kind of tuned-out vibe eventually tire of being trusty no-marks and become solid middle-class citizens working for Daddy's company and living in Surbiton. Yesterday's Hippies = tomorrow's Reagan voters. Excessive individualism is the problem, krazy kidz.

(am I the only one who sniggers at the phrase "I am a traceur"? Darling, of course you are, mwah!)

andy

" I'm still not clear how these traceurs don't hurt themselves if they're falling 12 ft. You could do yourself a damage/"

Well firstly its best to roll out of a moving drop, but after a while your legs to get strong enough to withstand such drops straight down, now I don't mean after a few weeks, or even a year but after quite some time doing Parkour.

"Called me a po-faced commie bastard if you like, but I prefer engaging with politics, economics and life's problems. People with that kind of tuned-out vibe eventually tire of being trusty no-marks and become solid middle-class citizens working for Daddy's company and living in Surbiton. Yesterday's Hippies = tomorrow's Reagan voters. Excessive individualism is the problem, krazy kidz."

Well its all a matter of opinion isn't it? I personally think that its nice to have a release from all the troubles that you normally have to think about, if only for a few hours. Its not a complete cop out of society, just a release for a few hours. I don't think that many Traceurs think of themselves as hippies, but then I don't know all Traceurs.

I hope you get arthritis!!!!

Patience, mon amis! One day, you will all be able to go in pubs and discover that there are more way to skin this cat.

Hey no need for that... I'm not elitist.

"Patience, mon amis! One day, you will all be able to go in pubs and discover that there are more way to skin this cat."

Yes, well Parkour has the added benefit of keeping you fit and not destroying your brain cells in the process.

I think RJG was joshing you about the elitism. But maybe not.

THEY LIED TO ME!

does anyone know of any techniques that could give you faith in other people?

Training course ice-breakers I have known and hated. It has brought a clammy sweat as I think of throwing tennis balls and flopsing around like a subbeteo player.

Has Traceur Hand posted on this thread yet?

Well, I don't know about you, but when I go out and play golf when I'm having a bad day, I have a bad game. I find it as more of a way to help my spirits rather than get away from reality, and you're not exactly feeling free with 40 pounds of iron/steel on your back either. Like I said a few times before, it's damn near impossible to explain you really just have to do it yourself... that's just the feeling after a single jump... I haven't even gotten into a lifetime of this.

Matt - Technically you don't really need to run to start out. As you get better you actually go on what we call "runs" in which you do a series of moves that are all linked together. A lot of guys like myself also like to add flips into runs, so really it's very open. Do what you can, there aren't any limits.

RJG... sorry dude you keep confusing me.

Thought the idea of someone doing this krazy jumping stuff wearing pringles and plus fours and that golfy sock pattern is making me chuckle; sort of Payne Stewart goes rad

This is the type of thing that we hate, we're people just like you that have decided to venture forth and find our own physical and mental limits. Is that so crazy? Or is it just something that you wouldn't dare try because you like living in a confined state built by people that you admire. All I'd like to know is why exactly do you discriminate people like ourselves... All I'm asking is for everyone to give it a go... what's so wrong with that...

And the only thing I have to say about swimming nude is... it's not for me lol.

Has anyone actually gone out and tried it yet?

I think it sounds fun. Mind you, I did a 134m bungee jump once and it was a bit of an anticlimax.

in my day we called it wogglehopping...

i mean i guess it beats having arguing over the sudentenland or whatever but can't you all come up w/ constructive things to do??

also badminton is fun, shut up

A+

My 9-year-old son has started watching Parkour & Freerunning clips on youtube. Yesterday my wife had to give him an earful for vaulting over one of those shopping centre kiddie rides and scaring the wee toddler sitting in it. He told her he'd never be the best Freerunner in the world if she kept shouting at him for practising. Maybe in a few years he'll pop up here as a randomer and tell RJG to get out of his chair and just try it man.

i've become the grumpy old man on the block because i keep flying out the door to shout at kids 'free' running through my garden.

xpost or he'd start writing awesome poetry on youtube about it (i can't believe i haven't posted this on ILX before)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrdSBvtYn2M

You have!

there's apparently the freerun championship in london btw in trafalgar sq this evening (i thought that's why this thread got revived)

F-, "man up" and get a skateboard.

favo(u)rite of the big four do-it-on-yer-own sports

xxxpost haha really??? i guess this is a sign that i really does too belong to this place, that's why afterall i've left marks you can still see my trace.

oh yeah!

totally misjudged my audience?

I only revived this thread as it was linked to from LJ's wank sports thread and it made me laugh I'd just had a parkour childcare incident.

totally misjudged my audience?

I have nothing but respect for the ILX community

pic.twitter.com/sqvfnSbWTu

— ... (@FLICTERIA) March 23, 2019