Le Parkour, Martial art?

[wuqigong]

I don't know if anyone is known with the art of Le Parkour here, but in my eyes it is also to be a martial art.

It is the art of escaping. It helps you to get out of a dangerous situation as fast as possible. So if you have an opponent in front of you that is to strong for you or who you don't want to fight, you can get away safely.

Instead of normal running you use your surroundings to escape. That means you will use your fastest and most efficient way to get out of there. You can overcome obstacle's like fences, walls, sometimes even buildings. That way your oponnent won't be able to keep up with you and thus you are safe.

I find this to be a martial art since you are using the ultimate defense, no fight at all. Furhter you also happen to improve mentally and phisically. You might feel safer, you increas your movability, you feel more one with this world, your resistance ( health ) improves.

Most chinese don't see a different in offering resistance against attacks from someone or against deseases. It is the same thing. At least that's what I learn in taiji. So with le parkour you also offer resistance since your mental and physical levels wil improve.

I hope the true form of le parkour ( no freerunning with the flips and stuff ) will stay underground and will be praticed by more people. It brightens up your life and will open you up for alot more same as with martial arts.

If you want to know more from this art don't believe everything you read about it, much websites give the wrong information because they think parkour and freerunning are the same. Freerunning is just different, it is more street stunting. Le parkour is the real escape technique and thus uses no flips since they would only slow you down and take much energy while escaping.

Some trustable websites:

English:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkour#History
http://www.pawa.fr/Welcome/welcome.html
http://parkour.net/modules/articles/item.php?itemid=2

Very good dutch forum:
www.dutchpk.nl

[paradoxbox]

If you're interested in escape techniques like you see in parkour, try checking out genbukan or jinenkan ninpou taijutsu. ninjutsu is all about escaping and almost all the stuff you see in parkour can be found in ninpou as well. bujinkan is also ninpo but the quality of instruction is random.

In japanese, running up walls, trees or other objects is called 'shoten no jutsu'. Parkour rolls and breakfalls are called 'ukemi'. Jumps are called tobi. Parkour is a good way to train these techniques at a fluid pace.

[QuaiJohnCain]

There is NOBODY in any of the ninja orgs that can do anything like the Parkour crews can.

And taijutsu is just aiki-jujitsu, with much deleted.

[Kristoffer]

If you're interested in escape techniques like you see in parkour, try checking out genbukan or jinenkan ninpou taijutsu.

hate to break it to ya but..
parkour isn't ''escape techniques'', and nimpo sucks :)

[paradoxbox]

hate to break it to ya but..
parkour isn't ''escape techniques'', and nimpo sucks :)

I'll take your bet, name a time and place ;) I'll put money on it that you suck :)

What exactly could you call jumping over extremely large gaps between buildings, running up vertical surfaces to places that most people could not reach or rolling to avoid injury? Why do you think movements like these came to exist? It wasn't for looking cool on TV.

They most certainly are escape techniques. :)

And by the way- you obviously do not know anything of taijutsu, as taijutsu has almost nothing in common with aikijutsu. Leads me to wonder if you don't know anything about aikijutsu either. Even a beginner can spot the differences instantly.

There are more than a few ninpo instructors capable of the stuff you see in parkour demonstrations. Including jumping over high things, running up / across walls or trees, swinging on fences/bars gymnastics style, etc. Search on the net for shoten demonstrations, and next time don't jump to conclusions without knowing what you're talking about first, (or say another art sucks) dummie :)

[Chief Fox]

I don't know if anyone is known with the art of "sitting on your couch" here, but in my eyes it is also to be a martial art.

It is the art of avoiding dangerous situations. It helps you to avoid a dangerous situation by not actually being there. So lets say there is a dangerous situation going on somewhere other than your couch. You are safely seated on your couch so you have in a nutshell "difused" the situation.

Instead of confronting or running from your potential attacker, you avoid your attacker all together. You are using the fastest and best way to get out of there by not being there in the first place.

I find this to be a martial art since you are using the ultimate defense, no fight, no confrontation and no potential injury. Unless you happen to fall asleep and roll off your couch. Further you also happen to improve mentally and phisically. Look at all of the great TV shows that teach you about history, fitness and countless other things. :D

[QuaiJohnCain]

I'll take your bet, name a time and place ;) I'll put money on it that you suck :)
Ah, the classic Virtual Tough-Guy bluff. YAWN.

And by the way- you obviously do not know anything of taijutsu, as taijutsu has almost nothing in common with aikijutsu. Leads me to wonder if you don't know anything about aikijutsu either. Even a beginner can spot the differences instantly.
Take aiki-jujutsu, add some limb strikes and drama, and voila, you have ninpo taijutsu. Never mind the "origin" arguement. Takamatsu was a big fat liar. Hatsumi took the lies to a new level, got really popular, and has all you genbukan/jinenkan guys scurrying to get a place on the stage. The 80's ended 16 years ago, and since that time people have learned to see "Ninpo" for what it really is- a game for the gullible.

There are more than a few ninpo instructors capable of the stuff you see in parkour demonstrations. Including jumping over high things, running up / across walls or trees, swinging on fences/bars gymnastics style, etc. Search on the net for shoten demonstrations, and next time don't jump to conclusions without knowing what you're talking about first, (or say another art sucks) dummie :)
Bull-scheit. Nobody's seen it done, and there are no demos on the net. The fact that most of the "high level" people in ninpo are over 50 may present a clue as to why. Oh wait, Ninja's don't show off :rolleyes:. You're a rube.

[paradoxbox]

:)

I bow to your superior level of stupidity, you truely are a master. Can't find something on the net, mustn't exist then? Dimwit. You're straight from bullshido aren't you.

It's a good thing this board has an ignore button. You'll be my first addition to the list. I'm sure you're pretty familiar with people ignoring you, you're quite an obnoxious child. Grow up ya little twat. This site would be a hell of a lot better without trash like you undermining people trying to be helpful and informative. Bullshido will appreciate you a lot more than this place will.

[QuaiJohnCain]

......yawn

This site would be a hell of a lot better without trash like you undermining people trying to be helpful and informative.

Or liars like yourself.

[Chief Fox]

You guys prove my point.

All the trash talking and adreniline pumping of a typical altercation but you guys are home safely sitting on your couches.

Another noch in the belt of "SittingOnMyCouchDo".

By the way, I have declared myself 10th dan in SittingOnMyCouchDo and am selling black belts for $99. PM me if you're interested. :D

[QuaiJohnCain]

There is nothing I say here I wouldn't say to ANYONE. I stand by what I said.


Ninpo is just Shingon/Mikkyo Buddhism. Ninjas have no special claim to it.

Taijutsu is Aiki-Jujutsu with some salt and pepper added.

Takamatsu was a liar.

There is not a single ninja alive that can do what David Belle can.

And paradoxbox is still a rube.

[Mortal1]

$99. For a black belt? Wow I would be intrested! Your serious right? Your not just ****ing with me? Now I could get all the hot chicks! :p

[GreenCloudCLF]

Ninjitsu is also the art of secrecy and deception...maybe they ALL can do it (even the white belts) but are so good they deceive you into thinking they cannot....

[SevenStar]

parkour is not a martial art. Can it be used for martial purposes? sure it can.

[green_willow]

At some stage you gotta make a decision whether it is safer to stand and fight versus jumping across roof tops of buildings.

Personally, I carry a series of compressed gas powered grappling hooks made of carbon nanotubes woven with steel - very tough. That way I can zoom up buildings and swing myway across buildings. I'm thinking of having ninja stars but shaped like errrr bats because it strikes fear into the hearts of criminals. I shall call myself The Green Willow.

[Kristoffer]

Parkour was never an ''escaping art''. Never. Sure you could use it for that today, but it was never intended as that from the beginning.

Nimpo does suck. And if you have videos of your famous masters doing anything even close to parkour I'll give you a cookie :)
All I see is some dopes riding the nuts of the true talents and hope anyone will be dumb enough to beleive the ninja crowd has a clue.

Oh and if u were serious, I'll be in Switzerland in march, the UK in may and probably China at the end of the year. Other than that you can find me in Stockholm.

[SevenStar]

Personally, I carry a series of compressed gas powered grappling hooks made of carbon nanotubes woven with steel - very tough. That way I can zoom up buildings and swing myway across buildings.

Those are standard issue. Who doesn't carry those these days?

[abobo]

While there are parallels, common sense says that it is not a martial art.

@ Escape - in parkour you must move effectively on the path you choose. It is not necessarily 'training to escape,' but to move on that path with the urgency of an emergency situation would be the most effective.

@Jumping across rooftops - this is in fact rare and is in no way the essence of parkour.

Anyway wuqigong, it sounds like you have the right spirit. More training, less useless debates.

[unkokusai]

I'll take your bet, name a time and place ;) I'll put money on it that you suck :)

What exactly could you call jumping over extremely large gaps between buildings, running up vertical surfaces to places that most people could not reach or rolling to avoid injury? Why do you think movements like these came to exist? It wasn't for looking cool on TV.)


..............it never ends.....:rolleyes:

[wuqigong]

Anyway wuqigong, it sounds like you have the right spirit. More training, less useless debates.

Thank you. I'm very focused on being pure and simple..Pure people are the best. I'm pretty convcinced you're pure too.

And nice stuff posted here. Not a martial art, but useful for martial purposes.

And nononono parkour started as an escape technique and changed into a form of freerunning and all that flashy stuff because of free people. Only for some it still is real it still is pure it still is parkour. For others it's no parkour, it's free, it's also pure, but it's freerunning or tricking. If you think I'm wrong, prove me. Search the history of parkour. Teach me why.

[Kristoffer]

Fine, it's escaping techniques. I don't care anymore :D

[paradoxbox]

Lot of smack talkers here. Bullshido.com's mirror site? I wasn't joking about name your time and place. Throwdowns happen all the time. I go to them when they're in my area. I enjoy a good fight and if anyone wants to give it a go, put your money where your mouth is and sign up for the next one too.

I happen to be a freerunner, and I also study ninpo. As I said in my original post, parkour is a good way to practice moves you learn in ninpo in a fluid manner, normally they aren't done fluidly (running accross roofs then hanging off of ledges). Maybe I'll put a video together some time.

If you want videos of tricks from ninpo go search edonkey or google for shoten no jutsu. Name a trick in parkour and I bet you 50 bucks I can find the same move in a Japanese martial arts manual more than a hundred years old.

For a kung fu site, a lot of you have really narrow minds, it's surprising. Especially considering most of you probably have literally no knowledge at all of Japanese arts or language. I could just as easily say "kong foo is crap for x reason" (spelled incorrectly, just for you) even without knowing much about it (though I'm certain I know more about kung fu than you know about ninpo). Stupidity. If you can correctly tell me what ninpo means I'll give you a cookie. You'll have to learn to spell it right too. Otherwise knock it off with the smack talk, this is supposed to be a helpful forum, not a playground for dimwitted children to lash out at others.

No, ninpo does not suck, if you think so you are not a martial artist, you are simply a childish smack talker. You ought to crawl back into the cave you came, there are enough trolls on this board already. Could it be that most of the people here that have the highest post count have the least martial skill and knowledge on this board? Probably too busy bull****ting instead of training.

By the way, if you think Ashida Kim is ninpo, this only proves your ignorance on the issue. Ashida Kim is not related to ninpo in any way, Ashida Kim teaches kung fu (badly) and things he has made up in his own head.

Real ninpo is a collection of empty hand arts similar to jujutsu and battlefield arts with weapons. The fighting techniques are completely sound, the strategies are still used to this day including by soldiers and security contractors in Iraq. The philosophy is realistic and something that would do anyone good to live by.

[green_willow]

paradoxbox

I happen to take a look at the free runner website. I thought you're not supposed to be into violence or fighting. wat's this ninpo stuff about? fighting, iraq - security contract? quite opposit to free runner philosophy don't you think?

what will your crew thing if they find out you have all this angst? Not the hippy peace boy they all thought you were. LOL

and don't get angry with what I said - anger is not your philosophy. you're a free runner right, free willy, free runner wat everrrrrr.

[QuaiJohnCain]

If you can correctly tell me what ninpo means I'll give you a cookie. You'll have to learn to spell it right too. Otherwise knock it off with the smack talk, this is supposed to be a helpful forum, not a playground for dimwitted children to lash out at others.
Hey, BS is BS. If you want to refer to those of us who refuse to be spoon-fed Hatsumi's fantasies as "smack talkers", fine. But it does not change the fact that YOU are fooling YOURSELF by blindy accepting what your "Shidoshi" tells you. Keep the BS to the same. This is a KUNG FU board, and you are clearly trying to "compete" by bringing up Ninpo. A passive-aggressive manner of- talking smack. You hypocrite.

No, ninpo does not suck, if you think so you are not a martial artist, you are simply a childish smack talker.
Just because YOU don't like the FACTS does not make it mere smack talking.

Could it be that most of the people here that have the highest post count have the least martial skill and knowledge on this board? Probably too busy bull****ting instead of training.
Nope, just calling out the people who train BS, whom, consequently are the real BS'ers around here....
The fighting techniques are completely sound, the strategies are still used to this day including by soldiers and security contractors in Iraq.
Umm, no, contractors and soldiers use guns, not hand to hand. And if standing out in the open risking getting shot or blown up is a Ninpo tactic, well then....

[paradoxbox]

paradoxbox

I happen to take a look at the free runner website. I thought you're not supposed to be into violence or fighting. wat's this ninpo stuff about? fighting, iraq - security contract? quite opposit to free runner philosophy don't you think?

what will your crew thing if they find out you have all this angst? Not the hippy peace boy they all thought you were. LOL

and don't get angry with what I said - anger is not your philosophy. you're a free runner right, free willy, free runner wat everrrrrr.

I don't even know what you're on about in this post, but anyway freerunner is just what someone who does parkour is called. Another term is traceur.

[QuaiJohnCain]

Green Willow-

Paradox box is a troll acting as an agent for ninjas. Parkour is mentioned, he says check out ninjas, with an insinuation that they do things better. Yet he presents no proof and uses the "do your own homework" cop-out to cover himself on it.

Notice that he's so confident in his knowledge, that he has to ignore some of us so he can concentrate on self-deceit.

Weak.

[QuaiJohnCain]

Hey folks, some info relevant to this thread-

Since I am under doctor's orders to rest today, I took the liberty of running searches on "shoten no jutsu" on Google and Yahoo, and used the video searches in addition.

This (http://www.bujin-kan.com/taihen_vid/run.WMV) was the only clip that was provided by a ninja, and it's gone.

Here (http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-03,GGLD:en&q=%22shoten+no+jutsu%22+video) is the most relevant google search. The only thing to be found are ninjas on forums referring people to- clips of parkour.

Let's see a clip of Hatsumi, Tanemura, or any of thier disciples do anything close to what the Parkour crews do....

The burden of proof rests on paradoxbox, who conveniently cops-out and ignores the facts (and those of us whom present them).

[Chief Fox]

Notice how all of you are safely sitting at home while all of this smack talk is going on. Thus proving my point that "SittingOnMyCouchDo" is the ultimate martial art.

You all owe me $99 each and I will send you your black belts. :D

[QuaiJohnCain]

"SittingOnMyCouchDo" is hardly martial.

I still (as always) stand by what I say. I'd say it to all in the face, too. My info is quite public, I can be found (and have been before) to do so.

Notice how all of you are safely sitting at home while all of this smack talk is going on. Thus proving my point that "SittingOnMyCouchDo" is the ultimate martial art.

You all owe me $99 each and I will send you your black belts. :D

[Kristoffer]

"SittingOnMyCouchDo" is hardly martial.



Well, I think it's actually the art of escaping.

[green_willow]

I don't even know what you're on about in this post, but anyway freerunner is just what someone who does parkour is called. Another term is traceur.

You mean like running away from the law - bonnie & clyde style? Do you like running or do you prefer jogging. I myself prefer to ride a bike. Have you tried ridding a bike?

[Kristoffer]

I myself prefer to ride a bike. Have you tried ridding a bike?

Riding a bike is actually a Ninja art. All the famous masters could do big air tricks and railings and whatnot. Oh and if you don't beleive me I have seen many videoclips on the internet of famous masters doing this. I'm also sure I could find an acient training manual on the subject if I wanted to.


..but it's not like I wanna post it here or anything