A sport for the free-spirited

If you dream to fly with your two feet, try Parkour, which according to BOSHIKA GUPTA is not for weak hearted but can surely bring some adventure in our lives

R unning quickly, jumping over buildings and hurdles in short, swift movements and looking like a superhero while doing it all. Nothing is out of reach and everything the traceur sees is a challenge waiting to be confronted. Welcome to the world of Parkour and free running that celebrates embracing a natural obstacle in all its glory.

What is it

Parkour, inspired from military-style training, is a much-loved sport that is quickly becoming popular all across the globe. Its practitioners are called traceurs and it originally began sometime in the 1980s.

From the streets of Paris to the roads of wartorn Syria, it has managed to find takers in the most unexpected places. In January 2017, the UK became the first country in the world to officially call it a sport.

“Parkour can only be described so well in words,” Cyrus Khan, the co-founder of Mumbai Parkour explains. It’s part literal, part metaphorical and the goal is to recognise a hurdle and think of ways to overcome it in that moment. It is, essentially, a leap away from any kind of comfort zone into the unknown, using one’s body and strength to navigate across terrain.

Prerequisites for success

The art of free running isn’t restrictive or strict towards its practitioners. A person doesn’t need to be of a certain size or body type to begin training. Khan says that his group has trained people who couldn’t confidently climb a few flights of stairs in the past without facing difficulties. And now? Post training and conditioning their bodies while being diligent, they can try scary-looking jumps with ease.

Patience is essential though, and this isn’t a place to go to for quick results. “You need not compete with your friend who has years of training, compete with yourself. Make sure you are more skilled today than yesterday and you will succeed,” Nirmit Gire, a Dubai-based traceur and digital marketing professional,

explains.

Sealing the deal

Khan was always a sports enthusiast in school and Parkour felt like a natural progression to him. He even experimented with breakdancing before finally discovering free running in a YouTube video and realising that he’d fallen in love. It took him many years and a lot of discipline to become good enough to teach other enthusiasts.

He cannot imagine being without it and he says that for him, it is now a way of life. Parkour also serves as a source of inspiration for Khan in dealing with all kinds of challenges. For example, he was a Physics student and the discipline Parkour taught him to follow helped him with his exams.

For Gire, it all began with a video David Belle (leading pioneer of the sport and Parkour God for many) put up online. He was looking at inspiration for a college project and was so impressed with what he saw that he decided to rely on online tutorials to pick it up. He went on to form a group called Free Souls Parkour with others who shared his love for it.

The world’s a playground

Khan says they look for all kinds of spots in the city while training outdoors. Bonus points for tracking down a location with interesting architecture that allows the practitioner to practise manoeuvring and testing his skills.

Carter Road in Bandra is a popular haunt, thanks to the plenty of opportunities it offers for practising Parkour techniques. Gire conceded that he liked jamming in Bandra himself, and also used to frequent Veer Savarkar Udyan in Borivali. He added that there are many places for traceurs in the city and there is no dearth of space for someone who really wants to get out there and run.

No one said it’s easy

If a person decides to seriously pursue Parkour, he must know that there may be injuries and occasional roadblocks. But that shouldn’t be a deal breaker at all and an injury is yet another hurdle to cross, according to Khan. A person gets time and space to get creative with how he can continue to navigate more effectively.

There are other, less obvious challenges such as curious and concerned onlookers suggesting that it’s best to not do this, asking questions like isn’t it dangerous? “That happens every time. The people who do not understand Parkour will always question your training. Also, they will be the one to tell you that you will fall and to not continue. But then there are people who are nice and friendly will always cheer for you. That is a good feeling,” Gire says. Khan and his team have even managed to befriend outgoing traffic cops.

Dedication

Both Khan and Gire love what they do and wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world. While Khan explains that he wouldn’t know how to stop at this point, Gire says that Parkour takes him back to a simpler time. “I am most comfortable when I do parkour. Everyone used to monkey around as a kid. Doing that as an adult, with discipline, takes away all the hard years and throws you back to being the innocent kid that you were. It lasts only till you do parkour and that I am not willing to give up,” he says.

YOU NEED NOT COMPETE WITH YOUR FRIEND WHO HAS YEARS OF TRAINING, COMPETE WITH YOURSELF. MAKE SURE YOU ARE MORE SKILLED TODAY THAN YESTERDAY AND YOU WILL SUCCEED. —NIRMIT GIRE, TRACEUR & DIGITAL MARKETING PROFESSIONAL