BY: SHAY ANSARI
Hidden by a grey hoodie in the shadow of skyscrapers, a lone man races across cement roof tops clearing the gaps between buildings without a twitch of hesitation. He is a free runner, a type of underground athlete using cityscapes as an obstacle course. Free Running, also known as Parkour is a sport that uses movements of the body as a form of expression within the confines of an urban landscape. There is only one rule–keep moving forward. The sport first originated with the incorporation of obstacle courses in military training. It began with Raymond Belle after he was separated from his parents during the First Indochina War and sent to a military orphanage. He began using the military obstacle course when everyone else was asleep in an attempt to raise his physical and mental strength so that he may overcome his past. Years later his son David Belle became consumed with his father’s exploits and a training style he had come to call “parcours”. David Belle quite literally took the idea and ran with it, and he has become the father of what is known today as Free Running or “Parkour”.
#TBT to one of the first photo shoots with #TMPST X @chadbonanno Check out this gnarly double kong by Victor “Showtime” Lopez in #DTLA! A photo posted by Tempest Freerunning (@tempestfreerunning) on
Finally a nice day at the beach! Perfect weather to ditch your shoes, grab a ladder, and go skydiving! @gabrielnunez1 by @dickmackenzieproject #livefreerunwild A photo posted by Tempest Freerunning (@tempestfreerunning) on
The boys are back in town. @demeyers88 and @jesselaflair have just arrived in Greece and made themselves right at home. by @ediphotoeye #livefreerunwild A photo posted by Tempest Freerunning (@tempestfreerunning) on
