IF YOU didn’t know, parkour is a holistic training discipline focussing on using the human body for propulsion over obstacles and can include running, swinging, climbing and jumping.
In the sport of parkour, or freerunning as it is also known, Dan Edwardes is an expert. He is a founding member and director of Parkour Generations, as well as being a founding member of Parkour UK – the world’s first national governing body for the discipline.
In this candid interview Dan talks to us about his involvement in setting up Parkour Generations and shares with us some of his in-depth knowledge of the sport that has become a global phenomenon in its relatively short existence.
Be warned: Dan’s philosophy and inspiring words could get you reaching for your trainers to give freerunning a go for yourselves!
What inspired you to set up Parkour Generations and what had been your previous experience and achievements in freerunning?
I started training in parkour in around 2002, when it was known only by very few people in the world and before the days of YouTube and Casino Royale making it a global phenomenon. But my reasons for practising then are the same as now – to become as physically and mentally capable, resilient and functional as possible and, ultimately, to gain a deeper sense of self-knowledge.
We quickly realised that there was a hunger for what we did, a real interest in not only the spectacular side of parkour but also in the philosophy
Prior to establishing Parkour Generations in 2006 with my good friends and legendary parkour practitioners Stephane Vigroux and Francois ‘Forrest’ Mahop, we had become the subject of a lot of press and media attention and were working regularly in movies and other performance capacities and had also been asked to start teaching by elements of the UK government.
We quickly realised that there was a hunger for what we did, a real interest in not only the spectacular side of parkour but also in the philosophy, the way of thinking and the nature of challenge that it encompasses. We created Parkour Generations as a vehicle by which we could protect, transmit and make accessible the amazing benefits of the discipline to any and all who want to experience them.
What is the basic philosophy behind Parkour Generations and what can someone expect if they decide to sign up to classes or a course?
The essential philosophy, I think, is one of finding out just who you are and what you’ve got inside you. What can you actually do with this body and mind you’ve got? What fears and limitations do you impose upon yourself and how can you manage or overcome them? We aren’t interested in arbitrary numbers of reps of an isolated movement or how much you can lift or even how far you can jump; those notions are part of a recent trend in human history which seems to obsess over numbers, competition and measuring systems. However, it’s most likely that a significant proportion of that paradigm is unnecessary, unhelpful and distracting. True health comes from a holistic, enjoyable way of life that incorporates physical and mental challenge, which is what we at Parkour Generations strive to embody.
New people coming to train with us in class or on a course or at an event will very quickly be introduced to movement challenges that test their body and mind, no matter what starting point they are working from. Typically they quickly acquire a new level of confidence, capability and freedom of movement they have never before experienced.
What different abilities do you cater for and what advice would you give to someone of no experience who is thinking of getting involved?
We cater for every level of ability and every age group. Our family classes begin with two to six year olds who train with their parents in the same session, and our regular adult classes have people in their 80s taking part. Parkour is movement, so anyone who can move in any way whatsoever can begin to improve and refine that movement and get fitter, stronger, faster etc. We exclude no one.
You are also a founder of the world’s first governing body for parkour. How important was it to get such an organisation set up and how heavily are you now involved in its running?
It was hugely important for the recognition of parkour as a true discipline in its own right, and it took us years of work and effort to achieve
It was hugely important for the recognition of parkour as a true discipline in its own right, and it took us years of work and effort to achieve. I’m still on the board of directors and play an active role in every decision made – we think it’s vital that the parkour community itself always maintain a controlling influence over its own national governing body so that it doesn’t end up becoming just another ‘sports’ institution run by career bureaucrats! To keep the essence and philosophy at the core of everything it does require that a significant proportion of the board are parkour practitioners, which allows us to then incorporate independent directors who have skillsets that any organisation of that size needs.
What would you say your biggest achievements are in freerunning to date?
Most achievements are within our daily training, in terms of new movements and challenges to overcome, jumps mastered, strength and fitness improved, etc. Beyond that I would say we’ve achieved quite a lot in a short time in terms of raising awareness about the discipline and opening up the benefits of true movement training to hundreds of thousands of people around the world. That’s taken a lot of work over several years but I’m fairly happy with how we’ve done on that front.
You often teach abroad. What differences do you find teaching those in different countries to those in the UK?
The main difference from country to country is how permissive the laws are with regards to the use of public space. For example, in the US it seems to be very difficult for the public to utilise their open spaces for movement and disciplines such as parkour. Most land seems to be privately owned and the authorities are very hard on anything even slightly out of the ordinary. Whereas in Europe there is generally a much more open-minded and relaxed approach to the use of space by the public.
There must be plenty of risk assessments involved in freerunning. How important is experience and training in parkour and how often have you got things wrong?
Experience is hugely important. We are constantly assessing and managing risk, which is precisely why parkour is so beneficial physically and mentally. Humans should learn to manage and engage with risk and fear, as that is what builds competent, strong individuals. Trying to remove risk is a sure way to creating an incompetent, weak and full species!
But engaging with risk doesn’t mean being careless of taking undue risks. One has to progress gradually, develop the skills required for managing each situation and train very, very hard. There are no shortcuts and no magic tricks – it’s just hard, regular training.
How does the future look for parkour and do you expect the sport to continue to rapidly grow?
Parkour has only just appeared on the world stage and already it’s the fastest growing activity of its kind in the world. There are more parkour videos uploaded to YouTube every month than skateboarding and BMX videos combined, for example – and that’s happened in just ten years. We’re only scratching the surface of what parkour will bring to the world and how widespread its benefits will extend.
For example we have now introduced parkour to the global fitness industry with our new Mov’ Programme, which is exploding and restoring the missing link of true movement training to an industry that has at times forgotten that fitness should serve the purpose of enabling us to actually do things rather than becoming a goal in itself.
What are some of your own personal future goals in life and in freerunning?
My goals are very simple and at the same time very difficult to achieve: I really want to understand myself more through my training, to find out who I am and what I am capable of. Self-knowledge. Very hard to acquire! And I want to do that to be better able to be of use to others and to help in some small way, either through passing on knowledge or simply encouraging others to live fully and reach towards their potential.
My goal in parkour is just to keep training and improving, step by step, day by day, and to enjoy every moment of it with our amazing global community and those with whom I work, play and practice.
