Hey Matt

Hiya Matt , i tried looking for you with Dave and Jen at the presentation , but unfortunately we had problems finding you before the night ended , just thought i would give you and everyone else my understanding of Free Running , as i actually practice it.

Free Running is derived from Parkour , Parkour originally started out from France with David Belle, the basic teaching of Parkour is part martial arts part movement. Parkour is about getting from point A to point B using the least possible energy , and the most fluid movement possible , Parkour contradictory to many peoples opinions does not include flips as they use up way too much energy.

Free Running is Parkours child in a sense , it uses more energy in the moves , and the teaching of Free Running is that when your doing it , you are putting on a show , showing yourself what you can do , and showing the world how you do it , so it uses more style moves and vaults.

As for the theme Free Running has always been classed as a rough anti establishment kinda thing , but its not really , at its core its about over coming your fears , the fears of , Failiure , Unknown , Limitations , and Yourself , the main fear for everyone that does Free Running or Parkour is their self , because your mind constantly tells you not to do certain things because they could result in something bad , like a bail or a broken bone , so its really about the power you need mentally to over come your own mind.

The only other thing about free running is , most people think its reckless but , its actually not , most runners i know including myself actually plan out their moves first , and look at their limits and see how to break them safely before trying them anywhere else , when you do Free Running , its all about how you plan your route , A-B , and what you choose to do along that route to keep yourself entertained , IE moves.

Normally flips are only used in Free Running to show off the runners ability to break their mind limit and do something like a flip , somewhere dangerous like off a wall onto a pavement or something from 4 feet up.

Hope its given you all abit more insight into Free Running.

-Dave Ball