Photo by Rylan Marquez

The urban sport escapes narrow definition, but invites everyone to join: all you need is a pair of sneakers and a desire to better yourself.  

Art Du Déplacement. This term was given to the rise in rapid and efficient movement through urban environments, now known worldwide as Parkour. 

Many people judge parkour as dangerous, and the people who practise it as adrenaline junkies. In recent years, the sport has gone through inconsistent representation, a decline in mainstream media coverage, and memeification: all the while being relatively new to the world. 

Parkour was initially formed in the 1990s by David Belle, who developed a new type of fitness based on a mixture of acrobatics and firefighting tactics. Later, parkour trainers have taken the sport in many different directions, like strict bodyweight discipline, rogue urban sport training, and modern acrodance fusion.

A major disadvantage of parkour is that it lacks the amount of coaching and fitness facilities that other sports use to thrive. Many communities have formed trying to solve this, including a key one in London that still runs to this day: Supa XXL.

Jack Britton, one of the key players running Supa and their weekly meetups, began training in the 2000s, around the same time Supa emerged. Through the years, many other established groups fell apart due to the changing nature of the sport, leaving Supa as one of the last major groups in the city, consistently meeting in a different spot around London every Sunday from 12pm.

Jack said Supa allows athletes of different levels to “facilitate a space where people feel comfortable to train, have fun, and socialise.” 

Competitiveness against each other is rare in parkour, as the main fight is with yourself, pushing your mind and body beyond its limitations. There is a lack of barriers to entry: all you need is a pair of shoes and comfortable clothes to go out and try something new. 

The vibe during Supa sessions matches this. It’s a very relaxed space with a tight-knit community, plenty of socialising, great music, and encouragement from fellow practitioners. 

“We want to create a very inclusive space with a variety of ages, genders, races, and religions,”  says Jack. Sessions feel welcoming, accessible, and judgement-free, which resonates extremely well with the wider parkour community itself. 

Some see parkour through an objective lens: how might they overcome a wall, scale a roof, or even descend a tall building in the safest and most efficient way – almost like solving a puzzle.

Others tend to practice for community spirit, setting challenges for themselves or others, developing a stronger sense of mind-muscle connection, or even as a way to relax and destress.

Connections between parkour and dance have also emerged, combining practices such as capoeira, breakdancing, and acrobatics to emphasise smoother movement through and around obstacles.

It’s hard to predict where the sport may go in the future. Some believe it will keep its presence and even have a resurgence in the coming years: potentially focusing on certain aspects as the forefront – be it dance, sport, or art. 

Others argue parkour may be too far gone and won’t be able to combat the rapidly changing scene of mainstream sport and art.

Wherever it goes in the future, one thing is for certain: we have all lived through the birth of parkour.