The Evolution and History of Parkour: From Military Training to Global Movement
Parkour, the art of efficient, agile movement through one’s environment, has a fascinating history rooted in military training and indigenous practices. From its origins as a niche practice for navigating obstacles in both natural and urban landscapes, parkour has grown into a global phenomenon that combines athleticism with philosophy. This article explores the rich history of parkour including pivotal moments and the key figures who shaped it into what it is today.
Origins: The Birth of Obstacle Training
The story of parkour begins in the early 20th century at a time when physical training was primarily focused on organized sports and military drills. However, one man’s vision transformed this notion by emphasizing movement based on practicality and adaptability.
1902: Georges Hébert, a French naval officer, observed the indigenous peoples of Africa moving naturally, efficiently, and fluidly across rugged terrain. Inspired by their ease of movement and physical abilities, he realized that strength and agility could be cultivated through practical, adaptable movement skills rather than through traditional sports.
The Natural Method: Upon returning to France, Hébert developed a revolutionary physical training system known as “La Méthode Naturelle” or “The Natural Method.” His system emphasized developing strength, adaptability, and agility through movements that mimicked natural human actions: running, climbing, crawling, balancing, and jumping. These movements were meant not only to cultivate physical fitness but also to develop one’s character, resilience, and practicality, encapsulated in his motto: “Être fort pour être utile” or “Be strong to be useful.”
World War I: Hébert’s methods gained widespread attention when the French military incorporated aspects of the Natural Method into its training. Soldiers were trained to develop versatile movement skills that would aid them in diverse and unpredictable environments. This adaptation in military training planted the seeds for what would eventually become the foundation of modern parkour.
The Belle Legacy and Parkour’s Foundation
David Belle
Several decades after Hébert’s contributions, his philosophy of practical movement and resilience found a new life through the Belle family, specifically Raymond Belle and his son David.
Raymond Belle’s Experience: Raymond Belle, a soldier born in Vietnam and later raised in France, refined his physical skills using Hébert’s Natural Method. His experience in the Vietnam War taught him that strength and agility were not just physical attributes but survival skills. After the war, Raymond returned to France and joined the fire service, where his focus on disciplined, efficient movement became the hallmark of his career. His approach to physical training was deeply influenced by practicality, and he passed these teachings on to his son, David Belle.
David Belle’s Vision: Inspired by his father’s teachings, David began to experiment with these techniques as a teenager in the 1980s, adapting them to the urban landscape of Lisses, France. David and his friends would jump, climb, and vault over urban obstacles exploring new ways to move with precision, speed, and fluidity. This experimentation formed the foundation of what would become known as “parkour” — a practice built on overcoming physical and mental obstacles.
Formation of the Yamakasi and Early Popularization
In the 1990s, David Belle and his friends formalized their unique training into a shared practice, and the first true parkour community began to form.
1997 – The Yamakasi Group: David Belle, along with friends such as Sébastien Foucan, Laurent Piemontesi, and others, created a group called Yamakasi. The name, derived from the Lingala language, means “strong in spirit.” The Yamakasi group shared Hébert’s emphasis on practical movement but took it further, making it a discipline of mental and physical resilience. They saw parkour not only as a form of movement but as a lifestyle philosophy, a way to become stronger and more resilient by facing and overcoming challenges.
2001 – Yamakasi Film: French filmmaker Luc Besson produced "Yamakasi: Les Samouraïs des Temps Modernes," a film that documented the Yamakasi group’s parkour skills. The movie was pivotal in bringing parkour to the attention of a mainstream audience. Its depiction of the Yamakasi members scaling walls and leaping across rooftops inspired people worldwide and catalyzed the creation of parkour communities.
Sébastien Foucan’s Freerunning: Around this time, Sébastien Foucan, a founding member of the Yamakasi, began to diverge from the efficiency-based techniques of traditional parkour. He introduced an acrobatic style called freerunning, which emphasized creativity and self-expression. Unlike parkour, which focused on efficient and practical movement, freerunning allowed for flips, spins, and other acrobatic moves. This style variation helped popularize parkour further, giving rise to two distinct approaches: parkour as a disciplined movement art, and freerunning as a more expressive, acrobatic version.
Parkour-Freerunning Definitional Evolution
When parkour erupted on YouTube in the late 2000s, it grew beyond the control of its founders, David Belle, and the Yamakasi, morphing through a community-driven lens. Without strict guidance, practitioners redefined parkour, intermixing it with acrobatics, climbing, dance, tricking, extreme sports, and urbex, crafting unique styles as individual as the practitioners themselves. With no central authority, the sport thrived as an open-ended, collective experiment — each upload expanding its definition, each leap shifting its boundaries.
Global Reach and Media Influence (2000s–Present)
With increased media exposure, parkour began to captivate audiences worldwide, expanding from a subculture in France to a global movement.
2003 – Jump London Documentary: The British documentary "Jump London," featuring Sébastien Foucan, showcased freerunning across London’s landmarks. This documentary marked a breakthrough moment, presenting parkour and freerunning to an international audience. The exposure attracted enthusiasts across Europe and inspired the formation of parkour communities around the world.
2004–2005 – Jump Britain Documentary: The success of Jump London led to a follow-up documentary, "Jump Britain," which highlighted the practice of parkour in the United Kingdom. The documentary’s impact cemented parkour as a popular and accessible discipline, showcasing its versatility across a range of urban environments.
2006 – Parkour in Casino Royale: Parkour made a major leap into mainstream cinema with the release of "Casino Royale," in which Foucan performed a dramatic chase sequence. His skillful moves over walls, cranes, and scaffolding captivated audiences, bringing parkour to mainstream cinema. This action-packed scene introduced millions of viewers to the athleticism and precision that defined parkour.
2008 – Red Bull Art of Motion: The first Red Bull Art of Motion competition was held in Vienna, Austria. The event blended parkour and freerunning, challenging participants to combine agility, creativity, and athleticism on a world stage. Red Bull’s competition series helped elevate parkour to a recognized sport, attracting elite athletes from around the globe and inspiring countless fans and practitioners.
Red Bull Art of Motion
Early Community and Organizational Development
Dan Edwardes, Parkour Generations, and the Drive for Global Certification
2005 - In the early 2000s, Dan Edwardes co-founded Parkour Generations alongside members of the Yamakasi, marking a pivotal step in establishing formal parkour training methodologies. They aimed to create a structured, global certification system for practitioners and instructors, laying the groundwork for professionalizing parkour instruction before other organizations like the WFPF and others emerged. By setting high standards and collaborating directly with the Yamakasi founders, Parkour Generations was instrumental in creating an accessible, cohesive framework for parkour training that has since become the industry standard worldwide.
2006-2012 – APK (American Parkour) and the Rise of Online Parkour Communities
APK became a major online hub, where practitioners shared techniques, training tips, and experiences. Their community-driven forums fostered an unprecedented exchange of knowledge and inspiration among global parkour enthusiasts, helping bridge geographic divides and nurturing the rapid spread of parkour across the United States.
The Rise of Parkour Gyms Worldwide
In the late 2000s and early 2010s, dedicated parkour gyms began cropping up in major cities around the world. By 2020, it is estimated that there were over 300 parkour-specific gyms globally, with the U.S. alone accounting for around 100. These gyms provided a safe space for practitioners to train year-round, offering equipment designed for beginners and advanced athletes alike. These facilities contributed to mainstream appeal as a fitness option. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced several gyms to close amidst lockdown and social-distancing measures.
Parkour’s Recognition as a Sport
As parkour continued to evolve, calls grew to formalize and recognize it as a legitimate sport, especially in light of its global popularity.
2010 - Parkour Lexical Recognition: In 2010, “parkour” was officially added to several major dictionaries, including the Oxford English Dictionary, solidifying its place in modern language. This inclusion reflected parkour’s global cultural impact and its acceptance as a recognized practice beyond its subcultural origins.
2017 - UK Sport Recognition: The United Kingdom became the first country to recognize parkour as an official sport, granting it legitimacy in the competitive and recreational sports sphere. This recognition not only helped secure funding for parkour facilities but also encouraged the establishment of standardized training programs and certifications for coaches. The inclusion of parkour in educational and community programs reinforced its standing as a respected discipline with physical and mental benefits.
2017 - FIG/USAP's Olympic Proposal and International Backlash: USA Parkour proposed categorizing parkour under gymnastics for Olympic inclusion, sparking widespread opposition within the international parkour community. Many saw this move as an attempt to co-opt parkour for profit into a community that did not create it. This constrained framework (defined under gymnastics) contradicted parkour’s core values. Organizations like Parkour Earth led the charge to oppose this categorization, rallying parkour communities globally to assert parkour’s identity and autonomy as an independent sport.
The Emergence of National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and International Organizations
As parkour’s popularity soared, numerous national and international organizations emerged to establish frameworks and protect the sport’s core values:
2008 - World Freerunning and Parkour Federation (WFPF): Introduced certification programs and competitions, and publicized the discipline to a wider audience from a gymnastics entity.
2014 - International Parkour Federation (IPF): Established as a voice for parkour globally, IPF provided advocacy and resources for athletes and trainers alike from a gymnastics entity.
2017 - Parkour Earth: Formed by the global parkour community to counter outside influences like gymnastics federations, Parkour Earth represented parkour’s unique identity and worked to preserve its philosophy and independence from the parkour community.
2018 - United States Parkour Association (USPK): Founded to represent the interests of American practitioners, USPK lobbied for recognition and worked to support U.S. communities from the parkour community.
These organizations shaped the sport by instituting certification standards and advocating for autonomy, distinguishing parkour as a discipline distinct from traditional sports.
2016-Present
The Popularization of World Chase Tag
Founded in 2012, World Chase Tag (WCT) began televised competitions in the UK in 2016 and later in 2020 broadcasted internationally - causing it to explode in popularity. WCT merges parkour techniques with competitive tag in an arena-style setting. Their televised events draw large audiences and showcase parkour’s speed and agility in an exciting, viewer-friendly format.
Core Values/Philosophies in Parkour
Despite its growth and evolving styles, parkour remains grounded in values that prioritize practical movement and mental resilience:
Efficiency and Utility: Parkour is based on efficient, practical movement. Practitioners aim to navigate obstacles with as little wasted motion as possible, staying true to Hébert’s principle of usefulness.
Be strong to be useful: This foundational motto reminds practitioners to develop skills that are not only physically demanding but also applicable in real-life situations. Parkour’s ethos emphasizes the idea of building strength for a purpose, whether to navigate an obstacle or help others.
Mental Resilience and Adaptability: Parkour is as much a mental discipline as it is a physical one. Practitioners are encouraged to cultivate courage, adaptability, and problem-solving skills as they confront both physical and psychological challenges.
Parkour Today: A Global Movement
Parkour has grown into a worldwide movement with thousands of practitioners, official organizations, and a flourishing community. It is taught in dedicated gyms and training centers, with classes available in schools and recreational programs. Many view parkour not only as a sport but as a powerful way to connect with one’s environment and foster personal growth.
Though debates continue over whether parkour should remain non-competitive or embrace elements of sport, its philosophy remains rooted in Hébert’s vision: training not just to become stronger or more agile but to cultivate self-discipline and resilience. Today, parkour stands as both an art form and a means of personal development, a practice that bridges physical and mental fortitude, and a powerful reminder of the potential of human movement.
NEPK, USPK, and Parkour Earth
Nebraska Parkour supports the grassroots community of parkour as a national member of the United States Parkour Association which is a global member of Parkour Earth. By supporting the communities who created parkour, NEPK supports access to parkour, diversity and inclusive practices, transparency and accountability, regional and national circuits, and the spirit to advance the growth and development of parkour in the state of Nebraska.