The Art Of Displacement - Parkour

Hello! Today we are in the Naucalli park at the north of Estado de México. Behind us they are practicing parkour... Would you like to know what is this extreme sport about? It is a few known that´s why we are here. Follow us... Xtremo México! - We are with Rodrigo Fuentes. He is the founder and one of the instructors in Monos Urbanos, that´s the name of this group of parkour. So, tell us Rodrigo What is parkour? Because when people listen that word doesn't undestand what is it about. - The most easy to explain this is saying that it is an activity, an art, a sport. Basicly is a discipline or process of phisical development. Is to learn the capacity of your body to move... all related to the displacement. So is to learn how to scrable, to jump, to have balance and to move using the four extremities, and so on... all what that has to do with movement. And as you say this is a new activity. It isn´t something that people are used to see. However, I think that in the last years this activity has grown. For the people It has became better known. Maybe not for the name, maybe the people doesn´t undestand the meaning of the word parkour but they think "they are who scrambles, who jumps.." Monos Urbanos began as a hobby. We were six or eight persons who came at Naucalli to jump on our own, just because we enjoyed doing this. Suddenly it started to grew up and people wanted classes, suddenly someone wanted to do a comercial a reportage and so on... So it starts to demand more time and dedication and now there are people who works on it. It has become a style of live. - What are they doing? Are they warming up or..? - No, they are doing some basics forms, tecniques... so they can crawl up some kind of obstacles. The objective in a group like these is that everyone has his own style. Everyone has his strengh level. In Monos Urbanos the groups are according to the age. Then, in a group of ten persons of the same age.. there will be one who is stronger, other who will be more skillful, other will be faster. That is the reason of practicing parkour. That everyone with his capacity and skillful can manage his body. If there´s someone who has more difficult to learn how to control his body or movement... by the other hand there will be another who this will be easier. It will depends of how do you want to adapt in some place according of what can you do... like them in those obstacles, everyone are scrambling in a different way. Some of them needs to put down the foot, others feel more confidence level and do a monkey... etcetera that´s why we stablish a circuit for this or the other road and everyone will do it as they can with his own techique. So the most of the times we stablish a circuit and we decide for where we have to pass and what we have to do. Then everyone will jump this as they can. - Is there any kind of safety equipment that you have to use for practice parkour? Is it safety practice? - Yes, I think that this is more security than other sports. Parkour is much safer than soccer or than american football... and it is safer than other sport trying to take away a ball, running behind it..! ...It´s he truth... I have seen more bodily injuries in that kind of sports than in parkour! also in martial arts... sometimes you finish the class with an ache! People has the idea that this is risky for what they watch on television. But we aren´t doing anything like that... People doesn´t come here and we teach them how to scramble from ceiling to ceiling or jump a car, we don´t do that... we don´t do dangerous things. We can say that the risk level of practicing parkour is about your body...you are using your own body. And you are doing things according to your capacities. If there is an obstacle you will get over it as you can. So, the level of risk will depends on the level of conciousness of the person. If you are fool you will hurt yourself many times. If you are more conciousness you willl practice safer... obviously there are body injuries but simples, like you scratch your hands, you hit on your knees... or the elbow or something like that... And the truth is that the seriously injuries are less than in other kind of activities. - Hi! we continue in the Naucalli park with the guys of parkour.. with us is..? - Andrea - Andrea, since when do you practice parkour? - It has one year and a half ago - My namesake! And how did you meet this sport? - Well, I always seen them practicing at school. I do gymnastics but I feel atraction for parkour because I thought that I could be easy because of the gymnasctics and when I started to practice I was fascinated, it is very nice.. Is to learn how to have a control on your body... the movement. To figure out how to jump the obstacles thinking in the next.. I like it and it gives you more agility. There are people who thinks that women have less capacity or agility... And of course not! I think we can be more creatives and give to the exercise a final "touch". And that´s that I like! It is very strange to see a girl doing parkour and when it happens you have a satisfaction or good feeling... that a woman dare to do this activity and I don´t find limitations for us - Do you meet a lot f girls doing this? - No, there are a few And.. we share a lot of interests... we are creatives and we are looking for new challenges and that´s better and nice! - So, do you recommend this for the girls? - Yes, so much. Because you get strength and trust - And now we are with... - Victor - Tell us, Victor, since when do you practice parkour? - I have been practicing it for two years - Do you recommended? How do you feel while doing it? - Yes of course, I recommen this because it makes you feel freedom. You learn how to have a control in your body, the movements and it opens your mind! So, come here friends to trainning at Naucalli park! join us! - Xtremo México! - And we are with the kids who are doing parkour and with the instructor..? - Diegueto - Could you tell us is it different for kids to practice? Is there any differance between children and adults while doing this? - There are a few... kids have more ability but they have less discipline. So we have to work in this so they can do better the things... because they are playing all the time and having fun. So we have to teach them with didactic games - Is it safety for them? - Sure, because it depends of themselves...in their skills and you don´t force them to do something difficult - What would you say to their parents so they feel comfortable? - That this is... a discipline... almost new... Which on web is showed as a very dangerous activity also in films, there we can see how people jump buildings.. and actually it isn´t like that. This activity is completly safe... As we saw... this activity is not up to the age. Is about everyone breaks his own limit... Would you do it? Today I can´t practice this activity because it was necesary somekind... ...of warm-up exercises... Then, we have promised Rodrigo to come back to do it. I´m Andrea Amador... Xtremo México.