Human movement is highly regimented.

We move in straight lines along paved roads and sidewalks. When we go hiking, we use a path. When we go running, we take to the treadmill or track.

Parkour, a fairly subversive new movement in recreation, is a rebellion against all that order in our everyday lives.

Parkour is the art of moving through your environment with optimum efficiency and speed. Those who practice parkour — called traceurs — run, jump, climb and crawl their way through the terrain as if it were an obstacle course.

Phillip Tombs, 27, has done parkour for a few years. He said parkour feels like “resetting” yourself to think like an early human, “to back when all you had was your legs to get around.”

Parkour, as a practice, has been around since the mid-1990s. David Belle, a French gymnast and martial artist, is widely considered the father of parkour. In 2003, a British documentary called “Jump London” exposed more people to parkour.

If you’re still having trouble visualizing parkour, think of it this way: You have to get from Point A to Point B, but there are obstacles in your way. Obstacles such as a playground slide, tree stumps, a fence and so on. If you were practicing parkour, you’d climb the slide, then jump the stump and crawl under the fence.

“I’m sure cavemen naturally did parkour,” Tombs said. “Kids naturally do parkour. They think they’re just playing. Grown-ups need to play again.”

Tombs runs a social-networking site for traceurs in the KC area. He estimated there are about 100 people in the local parkour community.

Daniel Handley, a brand-new traceur, said most people he knew didn’t know a thing about parkour.

“Or they think it’s just a bunch of crazy Jackie Chan shit,” Handley said.

Handley, 32, mostly practices parkour on his own.

He says amateur traceurs can start by jumping off curbs. When small jumps become second-nature, traceurs move to larger jumps, flips or even rolls.

Obviously, parkour is good exercise. But Tombs said it has added benefits.

“It builds body, mind, confidence, love of the earth,” he said. “It’s the greenest way of life, really. Don’t have a bike? You parkour. You feel so in touch with your surroundings.”

Though parkour is mostly a sport for individuals, sometimes traceurs get together to “jam” or teach each other new tricks. One popular parkour move is called the “kong.” That’s where you jump over an object, swing your legs upward, then push off said object with your hands to get some extra clearance.

Aaron Fiddelke, 17, practices parkour at least three or four times a week. He likes to tackle urban terrain and says the best spots are in parking garages and behind strip malls. His favorite spot, which he calls “The Concrete Jungle,” is located near the corner of Wornall Road and West 49th Terrace, right by the Country Club Plaza.

All that leaping and hanging and climbing can be dangerous.

“Yes, we get injured,” Fiddelke said, adding he’s had sprains, broken toes “and only one concussion.”

Once you get into parkour, it’s hard to stop.

“Parkour is a lifestyle for me,” Tombs said. “You view the world through different eyes.”

For example, Tombs said he can’t look at a stump without figuring out ways to jump it. And when he sees bridges? He’s just as inclined to go under them as he is to go over.

“It’s choice,” Tombs explained. “You don’t have to be closed in anymore. You don’t have to walk around the block. You can go through the block.”

Awesome Article Sarah. You are Awesome. Now we just have to get you and all of Ink out in the Concrete Jungle. :)

Posted 9 weeks ago by zodallmighty

Haha, yeah, I gotta start with curbs and stumps, then I'll meet you at the concrete jungle for some kongs and cat balancing :)

Posted 9 weeks ago by Sarah Benson