The concept of Parkour, more commonly known as ‘Freerunning’, is a sport derived from the evolution of a type of French military training. Also known as ‘The Art of Movement’, the skills were then picked up by Freerunning founder Sébastien Foucan and film choreographerDavid Belle, who combined these learnings with their knowledge of martial arts and gymnastics, resulting in the sport that’s now practiced worldwide.

Though it’s hard to determine exactly where Freerunning derives from, Belle, who is thought to be the founder of modern Parkour, picked up the basics from his father Raymond, who was raised in a military orphanage where he excelled in physical training. David then began training at the age of 11 in 1984 with friends that shared a similar passion for the art and later came to continue his training in Parkour and started to film his capabilities.

From here, the underground movement seemed to erupt near the late end of the 90’s with respective followers idolising both Belle and Foucan as the founders of their respective styles. The rise in popularity of the sport in the new millennium then lead to worldwide parkour competitions and coverage emerging online –where YouTube was a huge platform to promote its daring and particular skills.

London is one of the most popular European cities for urban Freerunning, following the release of two documentaries ‘Jump Britain’ and ‘Jump London’,first broadcast in 2003 starring Foucan. With a wealth of empty buildings, skyscrapers and plenty of green parks in between, London is the ideal location for any aspiring or seasoned free-runner. With teams of runners popping up to showcase their skills across the city, even professional academies and training programmes have sprung up to accommodate the desire to learn this coveted sport.

The UK, as a whole, is notably one of the most popular countries for Freerunning groups. Brighton, with its stunning seafront views and reasonably sized city-scape is considered one of the best cities (outside of London) to practise parkour moves in the UK. Derby, in the Midlands also has a growing population of free-running enthusiasts, who take advantage of its variety of architecture. Further north, Liverpool is considered a classic parkour spot, originally accommodating one of the largest communities for the sport in the UK. With a wealth of areas to explore and interesting buildings to make use of, Liverpool offers a unique setting to any parkour session.

We now see 2016 free-runners pushing themselves to their absolute limits, taking on more risk and adrenaline than ever before. That said, it does take years of building up physical strength to master the sport.

Fostering creativity and mental determination, Parkour is one of few discipline sports, which takes a strong minded individual and can-do attitude to master.