Parcouring or L'art du Déplacement

The aim of the sport is to tackle obstacles using artistic and acrobatic movements within an (urban) environment.

A bit of History:
1902: The French navy officer Georges Hébert organises the escape from a volcano eruption on the Caribbean island Martinique and saves the lifes of 700 people. That event decisively contributed to the development of the Méthode naturelle.
The Méthode naturelle, also called Hébertisme, developed by Georges Hébert is a physical and spiritual training in the nature.

1910: Hébert returns to France and starts to teach the Méthode naturelle at a university. The training takes place in the nature and on self-made obstacle courses.

The exercises consist of:

• Resistance

• Speed

• Strength

• climbing, running, jumping, balance, swimming and self-defence

1980´s: The group called Yamakasi is founded in the suburbs of Paris. They named their art of movement L'art du déplacement.
The members of the group are David Belle, Sébastien Foucan, Yann Hnautra, Charles Perrière, Malik Diouf, Guylain Boyeke, Chau Belle, Williams Belle and Laurent Piemontesen.

The aim of Parcouring is to spread the sport “crossing obstacles”
Parcouring is not bound to moral philosophical principles and characteristics. Parcouring only relates to “crossing obstacles“. "Crossing obstacles” or Parcouring offers great potential for young people to use their environment as a sports field, to get to know their own body, to get away from “uncool” sports like gymnastics, to fight the growing problem of obesity and sinking locomotion abilities.

The Parcouring World Championship is a way, not an end in itself.
Parcouring per se doesn’t have to be a competitive sport. Furthermore Parkour cannot forbid anyone to measure himself on a morally philosophical neutral platform which offers “crossing obstacles”. This has happened for decades before Parkour was even invented; every military training carries it out – sometimes in competitions. No one has complained about that yet.

Thanks Dirk!
Extracted from http://www.parcouring.com/