Demi Jackson - Parkour

Please visit our website, www.garethstevens.com. For a free color catalog of all our high-quality books, call toll free 1-800-542-2595 or fax 1-877-542-2596.Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jackson, Demi. Parkour / by Demi Jackson. p. cm. (Daredevil sports) Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-4824-2993-0 (pbk.) ISBN 978-1-4824-2996-1 (6 pack) ISBN 978-1-4824-2994-7 (library binding) 1. Extreme sports Juvenile literature. 2. Parkour Juvenile literature. I. II. Title. Title.

GV749.7 J34 2016 796.046d23 First Edition Published in 2016 by Gareth Stevens Publishing 111 East 14th Street, Suite 349 New York, NY 10003 Copyright 2016 Gareth Stevens Publishing Designer: Samantha DeMartin Editor: Kristen Rajczak Photo credits: Cover, p. 1 iStockphoto.com/Thomas_EyeDesign; pp. 5, 7 Lars Baron/ Bongarts/Getty Images; p. 9 Sean Gallup/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images; p. 11 David S. 13 Dan Kitwood/Getty Images News/Getty Images; p. 15 Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images; p. 17 Paul Gilham/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images; p. 19 Quinn Rooney/Getty Images Sport/ Getty Images; pp. 21, 27 PYMCA/Universal Images Group/Getty Images; p. 23 Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty Images; p. 25 Cameron Spencer/Getty Images Sport/ Getty Images; p. 29 Thomas_EyeDesign/E+/Getty Images. 29 Thomas_EyeDesign/E+/Getty Images.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer. Printed in the United States of America CPSIA compliance information: Batch # CS15GS: For further information contact Gareth Stevens, New York, New York at 1-800-542-2595. Contents OVER, UNDER, AND THROUGH When most runners see a low wall or other obstacle in their way, they simply go around it. But some run up the wall and jump over without stopping at all! This thrilling way of moving is called parkour (pahr-KOOR). RISK FACTOR A man who practices parkour is called a traceur (truh-SUHR).

A woman who practices parkour is called a traceuse (truh-SUHS). Parkour doesnt have a set of rules. One traceur might describe it differently than another. But generally, parkour is a way of moving from one point to another in the most efficient way possible. That includes going over and through obstacles! RISK FACTOR The word parkour comes from the French word parcours, which means the way through or the path. A NEW SPORT David Belle, a French actor and stuntman, invented parkour during the 1980s and 1990s.

His father had been an acrobat and a fireman, and he inspired Belles movement style. Parkour became known when people began to see videos made by Belle and his friends. RISK FACTOR Parkour was also inspired by a style of military training used in France called parcours di combattant. Parkour didnt catch on in the United States until around 2000. Belle and his traceurs were more interested in getting better at parkour than spreading the word. Even today, parkour is much more popular in Europe than in the United States. RISK FACTOR Mark Toorock, founder of the American Parkour website, was one of the first to bring parkour to daredevils in the United States.

FREERUNNING Sometimes parkour is called freerunning. Traceur Sebastien Foucan first created the word to describe parkour to people who speak English. Freerunners also run, jump, and climb through their neighborhoods. But over time, freerunning has become separate from parkour. RISK FACTOR Foucan was the freerunner featured in the beginning of the James Bond movie Casino Royale! Freerunning and parkour have a key difference. Freerunning more often includes flips and other gymnastics moves than parkour.

Freerunners value creativity above all, while Belle has said that parkour should have a use other than doing things to look good. RISK FACTOR Daredevil athletes often try parkour because its not just hard on the body, its mentally difficult, too. CAN YOU DO IT? In the past, most people learned how to do parkour by watching videos on the Internet. Today, you can find classes teaching parkour to all ages! Kids as young as 3 can go to gyms set up specifically for doing parkour. RISK FACTOR The World Freerunning & Parkour Federation is one group thats working to bring parkour and freerunning to more people around the world. If you sign up for a parkour class, you wont be running up walls the first day! A lot of classes teach the ideas behind parkour first.

They try to inspire new traceurs to see the whole world as a playground to move through. RISK FACTOR The only gear you need for parkour is a pair of sneakers with good grip on the bottomthough kneepads are a good idea for beginners! START SMALL You can learn jumps and other common parkour moves in a parkour class. However, its important for beginner traceurs to start small. For example, youll try to jump off a curb before a wall of any kind! RISK FACTOR You can wear what you want when doing parkour! Loose-fitting clothing is often recommended. The best traceurs need to be very fit to complete their movements well. They need full-body strength as well as flexibility, or the ability to bend well.

Many traceurs have a background in martial arts or gymnastics. RISK FACTOR Parkour takes a lot of practice. Dont try the moves you see in online videos without training well first. TRUE DAREDEVIL As the inventor of parkour, David Belle is known for his incredible parkour moves. He has videos of himself jumping over cars, landing on thin railings when leaping over stairs, and more. Belle even jumps between buildings many stories tall! RISK FACTOR Big moves can lead to big injuries such as broken bones and bad bruises.

PARKOUR PARKS You can try to do parkour anywhere! Some cities are building special parks especially for the daredevils who want to practice it. The largest outdoor parkour park in the world is in London, England. Copenhagen, Denmark, has at least five parks created for public parkour practice!