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For Jehan Martinez, 19, climbing walls and jumping into trees are only part of keeping his body agile enough for the art form Parkour.
Parkour is something Martinez doesn’t take lightly. Conditioning for the art form takes place on Sunday afternoons at Bill Schupp Park in McAllen as well as at the remains of Super Splash Waterpark in Edinburg.
According to American Parkour.com, the activity is an art of movement that requires the unison of body and mind to overcome obstacles in the participant’s environment. It includes jumping, tumbling and anything that gets the person swiftly and precisely to where they are aiming to go.
Parkour and Free Running as it is also known, stem from the same seed. Behind the movement is a 36-year-old man from France named David Belle. Belle learned the technique from his father, who was a part of the French military fire service. Firefighters would use these techniques to be more agile in saving victims from buildings.
Belle still teaches Parkour to firefighters in France, and has also made a career as an actor and a stunt coordinator. Belle perfected the skills he learned and set Parkour into motion in the late ‘90s, though originally it was called l'art du deplacement. Hubert Kounde a fellow actor known for his role in “The Constant Gardener,” helped create a better name for Belle’s idea. In 1998, the name of the philosophy was changed to Parkour.
Parkour is practiced worldwide, in the United States there are sites dedicated to different groups in every state. There are many sites that include AmericanParkour.com, Parkour.us, and Parkour.tv that can assist in learning and watching the heights this sport can really take.
Practicing Parkour means knowing limits, as proponents caution not to create a barrier by setting sights too high at first. For example, one shouldn’t attempt jumping rooftops at the first go, but rather train and build up to goals that can be attained.
“If you manage to pass over the fence elegantly—that's beautiful, rather than just passing over it without any flow or technique saying 'I jumped the fence,’ Martinez joked, “What's the point in that?”
Martinez started out as a young boy climbing trees and jumping fences like the average kid, but now uses his youthful curiosity to feed his Parkour goals.
“Our minds want to look around and see every possibility.” Martinez added, “The only difference now for me is I have a better understanding of what I am doing and why I am doing it.”
Martinez’s main goals in Parkour are to increase his strength, speed, power, cardiovascular endurance, and muscular flexibility. All of these are needed when jumping off rails, benches, trees and buildings. Buildings? Though Parkour does not seem like a very safe game, the activity is legal to perform as long there is no trespassing. However, law enforcement officials may cut the activity short.
“There was one time where I got caught and two police officers stopped me,” Martinez recalled. “Man, I thought I should’ve just ‘Parkoured’ my way out of there and they’d never catch me.
Martinez has since joined with friends in a Parkour group. The group of eight is looking for more participants. A newcomer to the group, Ridge Vista, a 20-year-old rehabilitation services major, explained what sparked his interest in Parkour.
“I've actually learned about this activity from movies and watching videos online, as I saw this, it looked very interesting, which led me to read more about it,” the McAllen native explained.
Movies that contain Parkour are some that Belle acted in and choreographed himself. Some of these films include "Transporter 2", "Babylon A.D"., and "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time". Parkour seems flashy and dangerous, but underneath the exterior those who practice must have a focused mind in sync with the body. Trying to clear obstacles in the environment is much like dealing with problems in real life.
Another member of the group is Christopher Ponce, a 27-year-old Edinburg local who believes the problem-solving aspect is the basis of Parkour’s appeal.
“In Parkour we clear obstacles all the time: walls, fences, cars, etc… In life you deal with the same type of obstacles either physical or mental,” he said. “Parkour helps overcome those daily problems also, and that's what I enjoy.”
The Parkour group learns from each other and they all have big goals for the future in the art form. Martinez explains that he sees Parkour in his future: this isn’t just a fling. “It’s a lifelong journey for me,” he stressed. “But this is only the beginning and the destination will be great.”
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