About

Parkour

Parkour was created by David Belle of France. The name "Parkour", the name more widely used and recognized by the world today for all kinds of movements, is actually a method of training in which practitioners are meant to move from one point to another point quickly and efficiently. The discipline incorporates tough conditioning and rigorous training of movements involving running, jumping, climbing, swinging, rolling, and vaulting. There are no flashy movements; Parkour is strictly about training to become stronger in order to traverse environments better and to "be strong to be useful."

Having spread around the planet very rapidly, the term "Parkour" has come to mean many different things to many different people. Here in the United States (and many other places around the world) the name "Parkour" has been widely associated with the flips, tricks and dangerous feats you see in many internet videos or in the movies. Unfortunately, the media has had quite the bad influence on the public's idea and definition of the word, and thus the discipline has been incorrectly introduced to countless minds across the globe. Our classes aim to follow the original intentions of the discipline's creator.

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Freerunning

"Freerunning" was a name that was once just used as a means to help an English-speaking audience to connect with a name for the discipline of Parkour. The creators of a documentary titled "Jump London" (in which the name "Freerunning" was first introduced) thought that English-speaking persons would have a difficult time pronouncing the word "Parkour". In the film, one of the original practitioners of the discipline, Sébastian Foucan, actually uses the word "Parkour" if you listen to the French audio behind the English dub. Foucan has since been using the word "Freerunning" to define his own understanding of the discipline, his philosophy, and his style of training which is more expressive.

These days, the name "Freerunning" is commonly used to describe a manner of training in which the practitioner or the training is more about self-expression than efficient, A-to-B type of movements. Some will argue that Parkour and Freerunning are the same thing. Some would even say that Freerunning is more about showing off and throwing flips. These are both incorrect ideas. While Freerunning is more about self-expression and creativity, each of these three disciplines urges its practitioners to train in a way that inspires others.

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Art Du Déplacement

Art du Déplacement was created by a group of men who call themselves "Yamakasi". Yamakasi are the founders of the Art du Déplacement. To learn more about Yamakasi and ADD, watch this full-length documentary when you have the time (highly recommended, especially to our students and their parents).

ADD is about trying to improve oneself in any way possible, every day. It is a discipline, a lifestyle, and a philosophy to live by. It is about strength both in the mind and the body, and most importantly - about the spirit of helping others through every day pain and struggles, and about never giving up. It is a way to truly discover yourself, and use that knowledge of yourself to improve and to help others.

Some people believe that Parkour and ADD are the same thing, too. This is also incorrect. At the same time, Yamakasi will tell you not to worry about the names, and just worry about your training. This is a great piece of advice, as much politics have been stirring up more recently. Not one of these disciplines, no matter what name you call them by (or if you believe they are all one in the same), were meant to be a means of showing off, gaining fame & attention, or making money (including events sponsored by companies who have no reason to be involved in the disciplines). This is one of the largest misunderstandings of the discipline nowadays as it is being commercialized and the spirit is being brutally tested by the media and those who are selling it out for the aforementioned reasons.

Despite all of the commercialization and the hype surrounding this idea of Parkour as an "extreme sport" (those who feed this reputation of the disciplines are now often referred to as the "Red-Bullion" crowd, by the way), there are still a handful of us out there who know that this is false and continue to train and teach in a way that is aligned with the values of the founders.

Our mission is to help people learn the lifestyles of Art du Déplacement (ADD) and Parkour. There are many physical, mental and spiritual benefits to these disciplines and we hope to help others discover them. We do not just teach a catalogue of movements; we teach the ideas, concepts and philosophies behind the physical work. There is a strong spirit in what we do.

We also hope to correct the multitude of misconceptions and misunderstandings of ADD, Parkour, and Freerunning. As mentioned above, these disciplines are being severely distorted through the media and other groups who do not fully understand them.

Art du Déplacement Chicago and Parkour Ways will not accept sponsorships from trivial corporations that have no business associating themselves with the discipline (energy drinks, casinos, tobacco, etc.), will not knowingly subject the discipline to any sort of mis-guided media publicity, and will not knowingly participate in any event in which the values and spirit of the discipline are distorted or diminished.