Ethan Marcotte now blogs at Unstoppable Robot Ninja.

Weblog entry:

Parkour

Okay. Since I’m finally reconciled to the fact that my Last Starfighter-esque dreams of suddenly getting recruited into the Jedi are probably, well, less than realistic, I’ve decided to upgrade to this:

Parkour or "le parkour" is an extreme street-sport created primarily by Frenchman David Belle….Belle describes the sport as a way of using the obstacles found in one’s path to perform jumps and acrobatics… everything must combine speed, fluidity, aesthetics and originality. Others see parkour as more than just as sport, embracing the freedom realised by the activity as part of a wider lifestyle and philosophy.

Define it however you want, parkour looks goddamn incredible. Later for tai ji, for kendo, or for basically any of those namby-pamby "martial arts" that’re so hot with the kids today. A deliriously balletic mix of cross-country running, rock climbing, and acrobatics, I don’t think it’s an accident that half of the parkour videos I’ve watched have been dubbed over with The Matrix soundtrack. These guys scurry over urban landscapes, vaulting over cement walls and rooftops as though they weren’t there.

I’ve only been searching for an hour or so, but here’s what little I’ve come up with so far:

Since this desk job I have isn’t exactly Jenny Craig, I am so buying running shoes tomorrow.

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