Drum: SPORTIVE
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“I remember one day a
woman telling me, ‘ You have a
special sensitivity to teach.’”
Later on, as the media circus came to town, the
group split due to personal disagreements and
infighting. When the split came, the rest of the
group continued and made a film with Luc Besson
called Les Samouraï s des Temps Moderns, telling the
fictional tale of a group of Robin Hood types who
use their Parkour skills to evade capture, while
stealing money to fund the healthcare needs of a
child injured copying their Parkour training. In reality,
two youngsters actually died copying moves from
the film. As Foucan recalls, “With no message,
nobody to explain it was only a movie, kids can be
very impressionable. But we are not Spiderman or
Superman. This is why it is so important for me to
do documentaries like Jump London because we can
explain the discipline and tell people not to try this
at home. There is more to Parkour than spectacle.”
In practice, there are fewer predefined movements in
Parkour than say, gymnastics, martial arts, or other
extreme sports. Parkour is about fluid unlimited
movement over obstacles, and the ability to
improvise is as important as being able to replicate
previously practised moves. Despite this,
Parkouristes, as they are called, regularly practise
many ‘basic’ movements. Foucan cites the
importance of good jumping and landing
techniques.
“It’s like anything,” says Foucan. “Once you
practise, you develop step-by-step. After you’ve
reached a certain level, you can do something
bigger, stronger, it’s normal. But it’s more important
how you move than scaling great heights.”
For the British public, we first became aware of
Parkour on BBC TV’s Rush Hour, featuring David
Belle leaping across London’s rooftops from office to
home in a bid to catch his favourite TV programme.
However, the biggest international surge in interest »