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For
moreinformation about Parkour, visit:
The SCPK group will be demonstrating their skills in Brighton
in September aspart of the Urban Playground project.
The scheme funded by Brighton and HoveArts Commission will
see traceurs from across the country making use of amobile
Parkour site – a series of platforms,stair sets and rails,
that can be set upalmost anywhere to provide a training environment.
Celebrate urban arts and sport at theThornhill Plus You Urban
Blast festival on Saturday September 23,
12pm-5pm,Hinkler Green, Thornhill.
For details, callMotiv8 Thornhill 023 8091 5812
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WATCH
LUKE AND DRUNKMONK'S SNICKERS TV COMMERCIAL
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STREET
TEAM
SNICKERS TV COMMERCIAL
Luke jets off to Mexico City for filming and hooks
up with the Monos Urbanos.
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JUMP
TO IT
By Paula Thompson
IT ALL STARTED WITH SPIDERMAN.
The lycra-clad superhero springing from wall to wall in gravity-defying
leaps and making light work of vertical buildings planted the
seeds of inspiration for Matt Weeks.
“It’s every kid’s dream to be Spider-Man isn’t
it?” said the 19- year-old, raising a pierced eyebrow and
shrugging self-consciously.
Today the nimble teenager from Totton could give his childhood
hero a run for his money. “This is one of the hotspots,”
he explained, indicating the seemingly unremarkable city centre
area where he has agreed to showcase his unusual skills. Work-tired
passers-by and weary shoppers see a typical inner city scene:
paved walkways; concrete steps; metal railings and the occasional
litter bin or bench.
But for Matt the area outside Southampton’s Spar convenience
store has endless possibilities. After a warm-up, five casually
dressed men – Matt among them – begin demonstrating
their unusual hobby.
A seemingly non-inspiring urban landscape becomes an exciting
playground, limited only by their imagination.
At first they disperse swiftly, disappearing momentarily behind
walls and concrete barriers as they each perform a deft assessment
of their environment. But suddenly in a flurry of movement they
spring out from their hiding places, performing an astonishing
kind of urban dance.
Regimented paving slabs, and concrete walkways separated by
cruel looking steps, waist-high brick walls and metal railings
take on a new meaning as each man chooses a different unbelievable
pathway across the space.
Benny Glaser, 17, executes a pirouetting spiral swing around
a lamppost, alighting on a wall and leaping off on to the concrete.
Another member of the group, Mark Rodgers, 24, bounds over a
low wall, his hands launching briefly off the brickwork as his
body glides clean over the obstacle.
Fifteen-year-old Simon Russel leaps over the same wall, feet
first, legs outstretched. The ends of his red and white bandana
stream out behind him as, on landing, he performs a fluid, judo-style
roll across the paving.
Almost absent-mindedly he grasps a lamppost and raises his body
at a controlled right-angle, flexed forearms supporting his
entire body weight.
This is Parkour, a way of getting from A to B as quickly and
efficiently as possible – regardless of the obstacles encountered
en route. And it’s become a worldwide phenomenon.
Two bored teenagers growing up in the Parisian suburb of Lisses
dreamt up the activity some 15 years ago, inspired partly by
martial arts. David Belle and Sebastian Foucan are now widely
credited with inventing the partsport, part-art form that is
Parkour.
It captured the imagination of mass British audiences in 2002
when Belle was shown leaping between buildings to get home and
watch television in the BBC trailer Rush Hour.
Interest flared again following two Channel 4 documentaries
– last year’s Jump Britain and Jump London in 2003,
showing giddying jumps from British landmarks. The UK now has
a thriving network of Parkour communities – sometimes called
‘crews’ – meeting up on a regular basis to bounce
off buildings, flip over walls and leap across bollards.
The South Coast Parkour group – established online in November
2004 – now has over 500 registered members ranging from
15 to 26 years old.
But how does a fledgling traceur learn a discipline which apparently
has no set moves and involves launching off unforgiving surfaces?
Matt Weeks has been practising Parkour for two and a half years.
Like all beginners he started with the basics – known as
precisions – including mastering jumps between two points.
Gym sessions are Gym sessions are another safe way of testing
skills before hitting the streets. “After a while you start
to see everyday spaces in a different light,” explained
Matt, a ride operator and entertainer at Paulton’s Park,
near Romsey.
“I see Parkour as a discipline and a form of expression.
You have to train yourself and push yourself and yeah, it’s
scary at first but you have to hold your nerve.” His only
accident? A bruised shin after misjudging a jump and hitting
a wall.
Safety is paramount for SCPK members, and rightly so –
a 14-year-old boy was killed last year attempting a 7ft jump
between two 35ft high buildings in Wantage, Oxfordshire. New
traceurs are invited to watch others at work and given a safety
talk.
Learning to roll to absorb the shock of landing and maintaining
the correct pressure on the wrists when vaulting over obstacles
are important basic skills.
Watching the Southampton traceurs moving gracefully around the
city’s public spaces it is easy to see how the discipline
blurs the boundaries between art and sport.
But for computer science student Chris Phillips, the discipline
defies classification. “It’s different for everyone
and I’m conscious that what it means to me is very different
for what it means to other people,” said Chris, 21, who
runs the SCPK website.
“For me it’s about the passion of one person, pushing
themselves on for personal progression. Some people call it
a sport but sport has an element of competition and this is
more an interpretation of movement. The only person you are
in competition with is yourself.”
Chris of Southampton’s Bassett Avenue is also anxious to
separate grass-roots Parkour from the fancy flips showcased
in films like District 13 –released last month – and
the new James Bond movie Casino Royale. “We’re not
about aesthetics,” he said. “Yeah, it can look good
if done well but it’s not about flashy jumps and spins
for the camera. It’s a personal experience and for me it’s
just a way of unwinding,” he said simply. “It’s
a hobby like any other that keeps you fit at the same time and
gives a little bit of escapism.” Chris is rightly proud
of the community he has helped to set up which helps combat
boredom and creates a social network for young people in Southampton.
Ultimately he would like to set up organised gym sessions to
encourage more young men and women into the Parkour scene.
During our chat a young man dressed in the ‘street’
uniform of long baggy Tshirt, trainers and baseball cap approaches
the SCPK group.
Far from the aggressive exchange I’m ashamed to say I feared,
the visiting Londoner was simply keen to watch some fellow traceurs
in action and share some Parkour experiences with another crew.
Parkour is perfectly legal but gangs of youths can be intimidating.
According to Chris, a simple explanation is usually all it takes
to reassure people.
“It’s understandable that people want to know what
we are doing. Sometimes the police ask what we are doing but
they’re usually fine once we tell them. “We have to
respect people and public property and if we get asked to move
on we will.”
One thing is obvious, those who get the Parkour bug are clearly
smitten. “It’s such a buzz,” said 20-year-old
Mark Knevett of Weston. “It’s exhilarating. You’re
only in the air for one or two seconds but it feels like a lifetime.
You get such a rush and you’re free but you’re in
control. It feels like flying. It feels better than anything
and to be a part of that is enough for me. ”After a while
you start to see everyday spaces in a different light".
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