If you’re a movie enthusiast and you’ve watched films like Ong Bak, Takers, Prince of Persia, Casino Royale, the Bourne Films and District 13, then you’ve definitely seen parkour (also known as art du deplacement/freerunning). In District 13 (which arguably has the best parkour scenes of all time) creator of parkour, David Belle played a leading role. Alongside Sébastien Foucan, Belle helped to popularize parkour in the 1990’s and 2000’s. Today, parkour has become a common feature in many films since not only does it involve performing astonishing stunts, but it’s also captivating to watch. However, parkour is about much more than just performing amazing stunts. It’s not only a sport, but also an art and a lifestyle.
Parkour (derived from the French word parcours meaning route/course) primarily involves movement by running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, rolling, quadrupedal movement and various other movements depending on the situation. A male practitioner of parkour is called a traceur, with a feminine one being called a traceuse.
Sounds like monkey business, right? Despite the similarities, parkour is no joke. I experienced this firsthand when I trained with a group of Kenyan parkour practitioners at Uhuru Park (at the podium near All Saints Cathedral where Labour Day celebrations are held) last Saturday.
The training session led by Talal, one of the pioneer parkour practitioners in Kenya, began at around 10:30 am. It started with a few stretch exercises to get the group warmed up but the intensity of the exercises soon, Talal upped the tempo by instructing us to do press-ups, and later incorporated unorthodox exercises like the handstand and crane pose into the routine.
One of the training sessions involved interchanging between both legs to jump from one point to the other, similar to the popular childhood game of three sticks, but instead of twigs, we jumped from one elevated stair to the next.
After this session that lasted about half an hour, I sat down with the group comprising of seven traceurs (Talal, Nick, Adam, Charlie, John, Junior & Richard) and one traceuse (Anne-Laure) to tell me more about parkour.
Q: Your routine has put my skipping routine to shame. About how many times a week do you train?
Adam, Charlie, John & Junior: “Everyday.”
Q: How long do you train?
Adam: “An hour or two.”
Talal: “It depends on how we feel, sometimes when we’re here on a Saturday we train for even 4-5 hours.”
Q: When and where do you train?
Talal: “We train here (Uhuru Park) on Saturdays from 10:30 am
Adam: “Charlie, John, Junior and I also train at Eastleigh Section 1 at the Eastleigh Airport School Primary grounds near Moi Forces Academy almost everyday.”
Q: Approximately how many parkour practitioners are there in Kenya?
Talal: “We are about 22…it kind of varies because some people train for a bit but I’d say about 15 of us are pretty steady…but I also have kids classes and there are about 15 kids.”
Q: Where and when are these kids classes held?
Talal: “I teach on Mondays at Diamond Plaza at the Rock Climbing Gym. The kids class starts at 5:30 pm but I also have an adults class that starts at 6:30 pm. I also have a kids class on Saturday morning from 8:30 at the Karura Forest (Sigiriya side)…but I also have training sessions in between all of that…but, I’d recommend beginners start with the Saturday class here because it’s free and they can get into it without having to commit.”
Q: Around when did you start doing parkour?
Adam: “In 2010.”
Junior: “3 years ago.”
Richard: “In 2015, just one year ago.”
Q: Wow! Richard just started slightly over a year ago and watching him he’s already pretty good. Does that mean there’s hope for people like me?
Everyone: [Laughs]
Talal: “Everybody starts at a basic level, like there’s a guy who once came but he also did rock climbing. So I think everyone comes into it with something.”
Q: You all started doing parkour at varied times. But when did you eventually come together as a group?
Talal & Adam: “Sometime last year.”
Adam: “But I also trained with other people for about 5 years before I eventually moved to Mombasa for awhile. There I met Nick and he also came on board.”
Q: Some of the stunts you pull are quite risky. Have any of you suffered any serious injuries?
Charlie: I’ve fallen a lot on concrete and got hurt. But I haven’t suffered any serious injuries.”
Adam: “I once broke my shoulder.”
Talal: “It depends. Statistically there are less injuries in parkour than in other sports. Like when I played rugby, I broke my shoulder, toe and I even had friends who broke their ribs, arms and other body parts. But in parkour, I’ve seen people get injuries but they aren’t major. Because in parkour, you train up from a low level, so you start small before you start doing bigger and more complex moves.”
Q: Talal mentioned he played rugby. What other sports were you into before you got into parkour?
Nick: “I played basketball and rugby.”
Adam: “Karate and jiu-jitsu.”
John: “I used to play football a long time ago.”
Richard: “Capoeira.”
Anne-Laure: “Some running and lots of other different things.”
Talal: “I skateboard too… and I think most people come into it after being involved in other movement arts.”
Q: I clearly didn’t prepare well for this session.How should one prepare for a session?
Richard: “It’s important to hydrate.”
Talal: “Also if you ever feel uneasy during a session, take a break and let the teacher know…the important thing is to listen to your body because that’s how parkour works. It’s about listening to your body.”
Q: Is there any special diet you adhere to as a parkour practitioner?
Anne-Laure: “We are good movers and so it’s recommended you don’t come to training hangover and this means cutting down on your alcohol consumption. Also, avoid eating a heavy meal before training that will prevent you from being able to move freely. As long as you have the energy to move, a specific diet doesn’t really matter as long as it’s healthy.”
Q: Has any random member of the public ever joined your training sessions?
Talal: “Yeah, like almost every week somebody new joins us…sometimes it’s even people who have never heard of parkour. They don’t know what parkour is or anything…it’s pretty cool. People here are quite open to trying something new…parkour and movement is for everybody. Everybody should be moving. You have two arms and two legs. You have this body that can do amazing things so why not use it? Because we are definitely not made for sitting in a chair, car or on a train.
Q: Parting shots
Nick: “Parkour keeps me fit. I’ve met new people due to it and we’ve shared a lot of different things.”
John: “Parkour is a way of keeping myself physically fit and healthy. It also keeps me busy and it gives me the chance to have fun with my friends.”
Junior: “Parkour has changed my life and the way I think. And when I’m sick and not doing it I feel like something is missing. People usually see me and think some of the stunts I do are crazy and they think I’m mad but I love parkour and won’t stop doing it.”
Richard: “Parkour is about getting back to the way you are supposed to move. When we were kids we’d run around, jump over walls, climb things, do flips and all sorts of things. But then as we got older we started to slow down. And so I think parkour helps us rebuild the confidence to do the things we weren’t afraid to do when we were kids.”
Adam: “Parkour is just a way of life. It’s got for your health and as long as you are doing it you won’t age fast.”
Charlie: “Parkour is the art of motion.”
Talal: “Parkour is amazing since it’s a community. You can travel anywhere in the world and you’ll meet people who are doing the same thing as you and you’ll become instantly friends…there’s a community that’s all over the world and you can travel and stay with other people who do parkour and they’ll accommodate you. The parkour community is really amazing but it’s also cool since it’s such a personal experience as well because it’s only you fighting obstacles and not anyone else. So it’s a very individual thing but we also train together and help each other out.”
Anne-Laure: “Parkour is a lifestyle. Because like in life, parkour is about surpassing yourself. You always surprise yourself doing it and it builds your confidence when you discover you can do something you thought you couldn’t. You fail, you stand up, you do it again…thus parkour becomes a lifestyle because similar to things in life, you have to work at it to get good…when you think you are failing or things are hard it’s discipline that puts you back on track and the urge to surpass yourself…in parkour you are growing through your practise since they’ll always be a higher wall or a bigger jump and it’s only through individual effort that you get better. Parkour is holistic.
Overall, parkour is great for the mind and body since not only will it build your fitness and strength, but it will also improve your mental skills by enhancing your coordination and boosting your quick thinking skills. Plus parkour will challenge you to better yourself because there will always be a bigger obstacle in the way and only through persistent practice will you eventually be able to overcome it thus it will foster discipline in you too. Besides, it would be cool to be able to do the stunts you see in movies, wouldn’t it?
For more information about parkour in Kenya and awesome videos of parkour practitioners doing amazing stunts, join the Kenya Parkour/Freerunning/Art Du Deplacement group on Facebook.
