Breakdancing, the Natural Method and Running

What do you get when you combine breakdancing, the Natural Method of training and running? Parkour of course.

Everyone knows about breakdancing. I’m sure you’ve seen it at the clubs, in movies, music videos and online. It can be tame and not very involved but it can be also very intense and exciting. There are people that train day in and day out to be better and master the next move. It all comes down to coordination, momentum and practice.

The natural method of training is something that’s been around for a long time. It has it’s roots in having the strength and coordination to rise to the occasion and defend yourself or save others in a time of need. It also includes anything you’d need to do to survive in the wilderness or get away from predators. Quickly moving from one place to another, smoothly, without losing any momentum and having the strength to get to places most people can’t are important ideas behind the Natural Method.

Running is, well, running. Everyone has done it, everyone can do it but it seems that few do it for fun any more. It’s lost it’s entertainment value that it had when we were little. Kids run for the fun of it. Adults run to race, lose weight or to de-stress.

Parkour is running for the fun of it, using your natural surroundings to create the most interesting and entertaining path through your surroundings. There are definitely elements of breakdancing as well. “Moves” are practiced and practiced until they are engrained and don’t require conscious thought. It’s hard to explain since there are so many differnt moves you can do and is only limited by your surroundings and, ultimately, your imagination.

Check out this awesome list of Parkour videos on NGA http://ngadventure.typepad.com/blog/2009/05/the-adventure-top-10-aweinspiring-parkour-videos.html