VietNamNet Bridge – Jumping from one roof to another, wall-climbing, hurdle-jumping, etc., was part of a drill for a group of youngsters practicing parkour.

VietNamNet Bridge – Jumping from one roof to another, wall-climbing, hurdle-jumping, etc., was part of a drill for a group of youngsters practicing parkour.

Founded by David Belle in France in 2000, Parkour or the art of movement, was imported in Vietnam in 2008. It has developed strongly in some big cities in Vietnam like Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang and HCM City.

Parkour is an activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible, using the abilities of the human body. It is meant to help one overcome obstacles, which can be anything in the surrounding environment, from branches and rocks to rails and concrete walls, and can be practiced in both rural and urban areas. Parkour focuses on practicing efficient movements to develop one’s body and mind to be able to overcome obstacles in an emergency.

It was recognized as an X-game in 2005. Though it is a new sports, parkour has a carefully-compiled training curriculum with major acts including: monkey, landing, wall spins, wall hop, lazy, dash and rolling. Practitioners have to drill each act for several months before practicing the next one.

Do Hoang Chien, 25, a stuntman, chief of a parkour group based at Nguyen Tri Phuong Sports Centre in District 10, HCM City, said that parkour practitioners don’t use safety tools. While practicing this sports, they must be very careful and practice together to remind and help each other.

Several years ago, Chien met a French stuntman named Alex Cas, who instructed him how to play parkour and gave him a curriculum. After that, Cas has sent more video clips and the latest curricular to Chien.

Chien has practiced parkour with a great passion. He has been invited to perform parkour in India, Thailand, Tibet, Malaysia and Australia. In HCM City, he is the only parkour practitioner who can jump from a roof of one building to another that is 4-5m away or jump from one story to another.

His team currently has over 40 members, aging from 14 to 28. Most of them are students.

Source: Tuoi Tre