Images posted on internet sites and reports to the police reveal the extent of the "parkour" frenzy in which youngsters copy the exploits of extreme sports exponents.
The Australian Parkour Association estimates more than 300 Victorians practice parkour regularly - often in and around the CBD.
Videos posted on YouTube show youths leaping from high perches on buildings and balconies and climbing construction scaffolding.
Some of the videos show young teens leaping from up to 5m from the Herald Sun building at Southbank, jumping between suburban rooftops and leaping from second-floor apartment balconies.
A Victoria police spokesperson said the daredevil behaviour was "disturbing".
"We are getting reports about young people doing dangerous things, but the nature of them is fleeting," he said.
The parkour craze was begun by French extreme-sports fanatic Sebastian Foucan in the 1980s.
It's been blamed for dozens of thrill-seeker deaths in the US and Europe.
But exponents describe parkour as a "lifestyle" rather than a sport.
Australian Parkour Association senior member Chris Hayes-Kossman said the craze was just a hardcore training regiment aimed at keeping fit.
"The average practitioner will tell you they've never scaled a building because it is not worth the risk," Hayes-Kossman said.
"It's really just a few kids imitating daredevil stunts they've seen on TV that cast a bad light on thousands of innocent participants.
They are often not trained and therefore take a huge risk, because getting on a rooftop is never a joke."
- mX, Wednesday March 25, 2009
Read this article and found it to be totally off the mark. Firstly, what they are describing is definitely not parkour, but free running. Secondly, Sabestien Foucan did not popularize parkour. He is the founder of free running, which teaches a completely different concept.
I am a fan of parkour, and I believe if practiced properly, the sport can really yield tremendous results on both physical and mental conditioning of the practitioner.
I believe it should not be attempted if one is not sufficiently trained, as the consequences are often deadly or fatal.
Parkour is not about flair, that is another sport often confused with parkour - Free running.
Free running focuses on the finesse and style of getting from point to point, whereas parkour is all about the quickest route.
Parkour focuses on practising efficient movements to develop one's body and mind to be able to overcome obstacles in an emergency.
Founded NOT by Sabestien Foucan, but David Belle. Foucan is the founder and practitioner of free running, which he defines as a discipline to self improvement. It embraces elements of tricking and street stunts, which are considered by the parkour community as inefficient and not parkour.
Made famous probably by the global release of French film "Yamakasi", which sensationalized parkour, as well as free running. "Yamakasi" featured characters escaping from villians using parkour, and then enhancing the escapes by performing acts of free running.
My point being, there is a distinction between the two. And both require years of dedicated training. It is good that the paper recognized the problem - teens being too rash and performing dangerous stunts, but at the end of the day, always question what you read, because it might not be correct or accurate information.
I am a fan of parkour, and I believe if practiced properly, the sport can really yield tremendous results on both physical and mental conditioning of the practitioner.
I believe it should not be attempted if one is not sufficiently trained, as the consequences are often deadly or fatal.
Parkour is not about flair, that is another sport often confused with parkour - Free running.
Free running focuses on the finesse and style of getting from point to point, whereas parkour is all about the quickest route.
Parkour focuses on practising efficient movements to develop one's body and mind to be able to overcome obstacles in an emergency.
Founded NOT by Sabestien Foucan, but David Belle. Foucan is the founder and practitioner of free running, which he defines as a discipline to self improvement. It embraces elements of tricking and street stunts, which are considered by the parkour community as inefficient and not parkour.
Made famous probably by the global release of French film "Yamakasi", which sensationalized parkour, as well as free running. "Yamakasi" featured characters escaping from villians using parkour, and then enhancing the escapes by performing acts of free running.
My point being, there is a distinction between the two. And both require years of dedicated training. It is good that the paper recognized the problem - teens being too rash and performing dangerous stunts, but at the end of the day, always question what you read, because it might not be correct or accurate information.
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