How Competition Dilutes Free Running (Not Just Parkour!)

This following article was recently posted on the boards of Parkour North America by kaos (Chris Levesque), who had the chance to speak with Sebastien Foucan on the recent issue of competition. I am not surprised at the way Sebastien has responded and I am quite relieved that it was finally explicitly spoken. However, though I respect Sebastien's mindset and commend him for looking past all the crap that has gone on/is going on, I feel he is taking too laisez-fair of an attitude. I believe that you shouldn't care what others do as it does not affect your personal training, but there is no way of saying that it will never affect you in another way (may it be emotionally or even still physically in a different sense).

Personally, I cannot stand to see people hurting themselves under such pretenses. It's dangerous ignorance and it should not happen. I couldn't care less about whether or not people understand the concepts... that's not the reason. The reason is the danger that misunderstanding, in this specific case, brings. Watching some of the footage from a previous UF competition where the video had been labeled something like "WOW HAHA HILLAIRIUS BAILZ LMAO JUMPER" and involved one of the athletes falling and receiving no immediate reaction from any onlooker to aid him is just disgusting. It was quite obvious from the footage that he had received a concussion from that fall. That is why people should not put themselves at such risk for praise. That is why I care to promote Parkour (and any other form of movement) as they truly are.

Enough of my rant. Here's the article written by kaos. It gives you a much clearer view into the mind of Sebastien, who unfortunately hasn't given much opinion out publicly in recent times:



"There has been plenty of discussion on the message boards about the recent Urban FreeFlow (UF) hosted competition labeled as Freerunning (some might say ‘mislabeled’). Traceurs and Freerunners alike are talking about it, because most of them understand that, due to certain websites and the media pushing their assimilation, what happens to one discipline affects the other. While most of the discussion is centered around how this event affects Parkour, few people are mentioning the effects on Freerunning. Maybe this is because so many traceurs like to pretend it doesn’t exist. The fact of the matter is that it does exist, and who better to comment on the current state of its existence than the founder himself: Sebastien Foucan.

I took a moment to consider what Sebastien thinks of these competitions and how they affect his discipline, and put together some questions for him. Foucan recognizes the clear differences between Parkour and Freerunning. With many of the other original and high-profile traceurs (Yamakasi & Parkour Generations) now supporting competition, Foucan may be one of the few left still keeping it real. Parkour and Freerunning have always shared a certain similarity in their foundation; no competitions. This is something that Belle and Foucan agree upon. But forget about how the founders defined the disciplines…there is money to be made! (sarcasm)

I asked Sebastien what his general thoughts were about the event hosted by UF, and he felt that it had added to the confusion about his art. He said, “The main problem is that their explanation of what they are doing is not clear knowing what Freerunning is about and it will bring more confusion” It seems Sebastien feels that UF is presenting a watered-down version of Freerunning that can be easily molded into a competition. Many people forget that Freerunning was also founded as non-competitive discipline, and companies like UF, APK, and Generations are taking advantage of that.

Attempting to get to the heart of the matter, I asked Sebastien what he thought about the direction these companies were taking the art. His response was very honest, “It makes my work harder to make people understand Freerunning which was already difficult with the confusion with Parkour. But no one can take the art, its impossible!” Foucan takes his role as an ambassador seriously. He wants people to understand Freerunning, and he recognizes that these competitions are taking it in the wrong direction and confusing people. It’s nice to hear his optimism, essentially saying that the art is stronger than the intentions of these companies. In his responses to my questions, he kept repeating the concept of the path, “They choose their path, and I will not take part with arguing.” It seems he plans to continue spreading Freerunning in its true form regardless of what others say or do.

Foucan knows he has his work cut out for him. He recognizes that information in the media can be hit or miss, but what is more concerning to him are the misunderstandings among practitioners. He feels that most practitioners today do not “understand that the movement is consistently moving, and there is interaction between all those movements.” According to him, this ‘one move at a time’ mentality has affected parkour, as well. He admits that while beauty has always been an aspect of Freerunning, it is not the goal. One’s expression and connection to their surroundings are paramount. In an effort to explain his discipline better, Foucan will be releasing a book soon titled, “Freerunning: Find Your Way.” It should be an interesting read from a man who admits that he likes to be vague at times. While this approach can be a double edged sword, Foucan prefers not to be tied down by overly specific definitions.

Just for fun, I thought I’d ask Sebastien if he considered competing in the event. As you can imagine, his answer was an emphatic, “NO.” He did not care to comment about the showmanship displayed, “Nothing to say about it!” He explains that “competition is not the way of Freerunning.” So if this competition is not Freerunning…then what is it? Foucan admits that the movements shown at the event are encompassed in the art, but the event has failed to capture “the essence of Freerunning.” Ultimately, it comes down to money. This event is not Freerunning and it is certainly not Parkour. It is a chance for a few people to get a tiny amount of fame, but more importantly, it is a chance for companies to slap a popular label on their event and make some money off of our community.

Foucan repeatedly emphasized the senselessness of arguing. He would much prefer everyone to follow their own path and not criticize each other. It is an interesting philosophy that many could learn from. No one has to conform to someone else’s way, but at the same time, they don’t have to make others conform to their way. However, this leaves the door wide open for the competition-profit complex to march on. Foucan admits that the major problem facing the global Freerun community is being “absorbed by the competition new path of it.” In the future, he hopes that people will still able to “receive the original messages of Freerunning.” He keeps a very positive outlook while staying away from any negativity. After all, as he said, “Life goes fast my friend.” “It's an art and you have to enjoy it!”

by Chris Levesque (kaos - Parkour North America)"



-KShap