Parkour is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners attempt to get from one point to another in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing feats of acrobatics. With roots in military obstacle course training and martial arts, parkour includes flipping, running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, plyometrics, rolling, and quadrupedal movement—whatever is suitable for a given situation. Parkour is an activity that can be practiced alone or with others, and is usually carried out in urban spaces, though it can be done anywhere. It involves seeing one's environment in a new way, and envisioning the potential for navigating it by movement around, across, through, over and under its features.
An athlete performing parkour
Georges Hébert (1875–1957)
David Belle is considered the founder of parkour.
A beginner takes a leap in Seattle's Freeway Park under the guidance of experienced practitioners (2012).
An obstacle course is a series of challenging physical obstacles an individual, team or animal must navigate, usually while being timed. Obstacle courses can include running, climbing, jumping, crawling, swimming, and balancing elements with the aim of testing speed, endurance and agility. Sometimes a course involves mental tests. The idea has been adapted into TV shows and video games.
At the Combat Training Center at Arta Beach
Leaders Reaction Course at Fort Cavazos, Texas
Obstacle-course training at the Royal Military College of Canada c. 1917
"Stairs" obstacle at Fort Barfoot, Virginia