What is Parkour?
Most notably features in the beginning of Casino Royale, Parkour is quickly growing as a discipline both in the United States, but also in Europe where it originated. Parkour is the art of movement - the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path by adapting one's movements to the environment. It is a non-competitive physical discipline of French origin in which the participants run along a route, attempting to navigate obstacles in the most efficient way possible.
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Skills such as jumping and climbing, or the more specific Parkour moves are employed. The object of Parkous is to get from one place to another using only the human body and the objects in the environment. The obstacles can be anything in one's environment, but Parkour is often seen practiced in urban areas because of the many suitable public structures available; such as buildings and rails.
Parkour or FreeRunning?
The term 'free running' is sometimes used interchangeably with Parkour. While free running is more to do with expressing yourself withing your environment, by adding flair through flips and tricks, Parkour is aimed at getting from point A to point B most efficiently. However, there is some controversy over the exact definitions of the two terms. Though disputed, many 'parkour purists' say the biggest difference has to do with theatrics. Free running involves a lot of trick moves, particularly aerial rotations and spins. Because these moves are merely showy, not economical, and do not actually help the participant to get from place to place, they are considered contrary to the nature of Parkour. A free Runner may also move backwards in order to make a move as showy as possible.