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Team Pseudoflux practicing at the beach.

Parkour

It's like break-dancing without the music and it can drive you up the wall! Bournemouth's Team PseudoFlux have been practicing Parkour, a form of Freerunning.

Parkour is soon becoming the biggest extreme sports movement in Dorset since skateboarding.

Even in the busy centre of Bournemouth鈥檚 shopping district you can spot the Parkour group, Team Pseudoflux (which means fake-movements), as the figures vaulting over bins being eyed by somewhat shocked passers-by.

Acrobatics are essential to Parkour

Parkour is a hugely physical sport that originated in France and involves running in a straight line in the quickest possible way, using acrobatics to move quickly over any obstacles.

To people involved in this underground free-running culture, railings, flights of steps and walls have become obstacles to practice high-risk moves on.

Crowds began to gather to watch the six-man-team defy gravity and camera phones snapped pictures of the group haring through Bournemouth Gardens somersaulting over railings, rivers and walls.

Michael Warner is the oldest member of Team Pseudoflux at the age of 20 and he admits that his reasons for practicing Parkour have changed:

"It started off as something to take my mind off of various stresses that where in my life at the time such as college. Now though its purely for the exercise I鈥檓 about the only 20 year old I know that can front flip."

"We鈥檙e going to back-flip"

Parkour does not boast the comfort of crash mats or sprung floors, just concrete, grass and sand to land on, which can be very painful.

Team PsuedoFlux practicing Parkour on the beach

Parkour can be practiced anywhere

As I stood at the summit of the huge wall looking down at Bournemouth beach below, it seemed a bad idea to jump off. When I queried if the members of Team Pseudoflux were sound of mind, I got the response "don鈥檛 worry we鈥檙e not going to jump, we鈥檙e going to back-flip."

Though they all made it look so easy this time, most of the Dorset team have suffered serious injury on more than one occasion.

Steven Nation-Grainger of Team Pseudoflux turned up on crutches after a
fall:

"Recently I broke my ankle attempting a back-flip off of a four foot wall, this resulted in five nights in hospital and at least three months on crutches."

How To Start

Parkour is a great art-form to learn because all you need is a pair of shoes to begin, and it is good exercise but Mike Warner, or MiniMike as the team know him, advised:

Catleap

"Sign up to a locally hosted website dedicated to the sport. It鈥檚 definitely the best way to meet other traceurs [people who practice Parkour] in your area to train with."

Starting with small jumps between kerbs and small walls would probably be a good idea before moving onto the more extreme moves, but remember that safety is always the priority when training.

Most of the six members of Dorset based Team Pseudoflux have been practicing the art-form for around a year, but already see running up walls and back-flips as an everyday occurrence.

last updated: 06/11/2008 at 10:23
created: 26/07/2006

Have Your Say

Is this art, or a ticket to hospital?

DH Jenny
I'm 45yrs old and so jealous parkour is out of my reach physically! ...Is it?

stopz3@hotmail.com
hey who knows were i can do it legaly ??like a place to do it?

Jack.L
I think if you take risks and your not sure about something then yes but if you practise and you become confident then no its an art like martial arts.

sambola
PARKOUR IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dawsey
Parkour is amazing!! =Dx

michael H.
PARKOUR ROCKS!

mike
parkour is awesome

jay
im tllin you: its art!that sports is like a drug to me! I love drenalin.people, dont kick ass....kick walls!!

JJ
Is it to old to start Doing Pakour when you are 15 yrs ?? >> pandayaza@hotmail.comDo you know where they teach you to do Parkour in Dorset ?

gj
i think parkour is the greatest. i do it my self and it is good exercise.parkour is my life.advise to all berginners be safe.i have been in hospital once but listern out practise and you can achive any thin.people out there be safe.

gj
i think parkour is the greatest. i do it my self and it is good exercise.

chris
i would like to learn how to backflip

Rob Hopps
.... art, ticket to hospital, but mostly just a load of fun. i'd love to be able to backflip thats why im dong it :D

ADZ
Its an art not a tickit to hospital and diddy u dont ave a clue try it 4 a month then comment!.

Lydia Tarrant
my 7 year old is desperate to learn this sport he already runs up the poles on swings and jumping off walls its an ART big time

marnie
i'm currently studying parkour for my french AS level oral exam, and although yeah it's dangerous, it's the same risk in any other other sport. People can't just jump in and expect to be of a high level immediately, it takes practise and also modesty. As long as people take it seriously as a sport and not a reason to show off, then no-one should end up in hosptal.

kid
this is definately an art, to defy gravity? and moving in fluid movements to get from point a to b? it is definately an art lookin into this sport right away

Char
Fantastic,i admire the bravery he has shown!!!uve got my vote

Jon Daly
I have watching many of david belle videos and i have taken an a interest in the sport but due to injurys i have lost faith in my abality but being able to train with a team would be great hopefully regain my faith.So if there are certain days u meet up it would be great to see parkour preformed for real.One other thing could u reccomened any local gymnastic classes in the dorset area as this would improve all areas that is needed to preform parkour.

Luke
Flips are not parkour. i have been doing parkour or freerunning a few months now, and it is great for your health and i know lots of adults who think this urban sport should be brang in to schools. I think parkour is the best urban sport and only a trip to hospital if you try something you are not ready for. i have been tracuer for 3 months and cominjg on in leaps and bounsds.

????
ART, So where is the gym located in middlesbrough ??

kirstyyyy
wowee amazing stuff :D

matthew tickner
i do parkour me self and find it agreat way to learn new stuff that i woulndnt of doner before. but now me and bro and cous work together to improve on pk. we are learning backflips and new volts. parkour is a risk but as long as u dont go out of your limit then youre fine. i live in bournemouth.

mike
the message sent by "diddy" is the words of a person who knows nothing of this sport, parkour, or free running, has specific moves similar to those practised in break dancing or gymnastics. This is an incredibly fun way of spending your time, what would you prefer, kids running and staying fit, or kids doing drugs and mugging people? Dont comment on things like this unless you know a bit about the sport.

retroherb (team pseudoflux)
parkour is more benefitial to everyday life then it may look. the youth of today are always looking for something that makes them stand out, and parkour/free-running/street stunts/tricking all do that. its a great way to keep fit, and practising with mates will tie a bond with them better then any football or rugby team. parkour teaches trust in each other. if i didnt trust minimike, then i would never have let him wallspin over me whilst i did the same under him. if me and the_midget didnt trust each other, would we have been seriously thinking about doing a backflip/wallflip combo with each other. you dont get that from any other sport. ive personally been training parkour for 2 years now and ive become healthier, fitter and more confident in all aspects of my life, not just the sport. parkour is something that has always been around. its ther oldest sport in the world. long before bikes, balls, skateboards, even chess boards were invented, people were jumping over a rock rather then going round it. parkour has always, and will always be here. if you want to start, its going to be a good idea to find an area that has a rail or a wall or something and familiarize yourself with the basics. and always do it with friends. otherwise, should you fall, who is going to call the ambulance. final word - this is art of the most beautiful kind. the body can move in ways you never thought possible, and once you learn to unlock those movements, you will reach a place in your life you never believed possible

Faye
I think it is a good way to get active!

James
Where can I find you guys? I'm interested in doing this for myself.

Ayo
I agree with Josh it's pretty cool, but if you are not not careful, you could go to the hospital, obviously.

liam
parkour is a dedicationa a way of life if u will it is not some simple sport u can pick up and dropp off free runners need to fully focused and at there peak of phsical fitness

Chris
Definately and art, the art of getting from a to b in new and different ways that are unconvensional to the public

Max 'Without Wings' Howells
having worked with the PseudoFlux a while back to help with some of the photography and filming, its simply an obbcession to test the bodys physical limits and endurance. Parkour is Freedom...

kingo
parkour is not flips and tricking, that is free-running. It is an art form, sport and an way of life. And above all parkour is not about being the best but trying your best.

Ozzy
I've wanted to do this 4 ages without doing gymnastics. its wkd

danny muir
it is art because it is amazing

philip mc auley
its a way of life

Chris Neale
It's a ticket to hospital. But not in a bad way..

Josh
This is art, i have been doing parkour since this newyears and love it, if it wasn't for Mike i wouldn't have tryed if for real. It is only "a ticket to hospital" if you try stuff you are not ready for. I have hurt my self many times and have learnt from it, but im always back a week later trying it again.

John Paul O'Neill
I believe its a bit of both, its art which is danger too.

Diddy
What is the point? Wouldn't it be far better for the youth of today to have more structure to their activitites. They generally have enough freedom as it is, without this "free-running" fad. It would be better for youths to have an interest in a sport that has the ability to keep them active, while giving them a bit of direction. Team sports such as rugby and football would much more benefical to the youth, rather than running around leap frogging bins.

wiggy
my groups based in teesside around middlesbrough and weve just managaed to get hold of a gym which hould help us learn the more advanced tricks before we can go out and do them on concrete. but this article is in some places incorrect acrobatics is no a part of parkour but it can be used, its all in teh creativity of the traceur. lets have none of this no flips and tricks arguments u get on myspace groups

kai
hi im kaii practise parkour at westbay and bridport, iv'e been doing parkour since 10/1/2006 love it great excorcise keep strong,fit and healthy and if your able to give it a go

alex
were based in weymouth and we practise the art it isnt hard to do but is hard to keep practising

Rhys Hiscock
Being a traceur myself i see parkour as an art-form when practiced safely and with caution otherwise you can end up in hospital easily. Although i am not as good as minimike and the team i practice parkour with them regularly and i dont find it embarasing to say "no way, that is to big for me" because i know my limits - making parkour safe for me. thats about all i can think to say, thanks x

Andy
this is pure art...amazing stuff

Katy Dimech
I know many of the team members, including MiniMike. I know how dedicated they are to this art form. I think they should be given much credit for their strength and determination. Well Done Guys, Keep It Up!

welshy
psuedoflux rock. parkour is art in the purest, most un-restrictrictive sense and i can say that it is someting anyone can enjoy to watch or take part in.

phil allison
It's a fantastic new sport and should be encouraged. All sport carries a risk of injury and it's superb to see youngsters getting involved in excercise...well done to them!!

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Have Your Say

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