Urban Flow
GET THE URBAN FLOW
Image by Jessie Barry
Pay attention people! It’s spreading fast, this latest urban trend, has got to be the coolest way to get about town. So if you catch a glimpse of shady figures in baggy jeans, hoods and bandanas running lightly across our city scapes, its not always cause for alarm! Listen up…..and get the Urban Flow!
Words and Pictures by Jessie Barry jessiebphotography@hotmail.co.uk
Founded in France, Free running, or parkour, is an art form involving leaping, landing, twisting and balancing your way around urban architecture. It is an activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as quickly and efficiently as possible, using principally the abilities of the human body. It is meant to help one overcome obstacles, which can be anything around you, from branches and rocks to rails and concrete walls. It is also an established form of art, entertainment and a wicked pastime! When you see free runners performing this hybrid of break-dancing, martial arts and ballet, they make bland urban landscapes look like they were was designed solely with their fun in mind.
Don’t get it twisted, free runners are not the same brush as skateboarders, who often rush through the streets causing damaged with their boards. Free running is on another level.
At a basic level it is about training your body, while using the architecture around you to overcome obstacles and create movement. Free running is environmentally friendly and has been described by some as allied to Buddhism, to develop the inner self. Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan are commonly quoted as inspirational figures.
It has been described at a deeper level as rebellion. It is seen as a rejection of society about being free to move in a city designed to control our movement with barriers and boundaries. For the youth in society today, free running is an ideal hobby; using it to channel this rebellion into something positive.
Between certain ages, when your to cool for ‘kids stuff’ but not accepted as ‘grown ups’, groups of our youngsters take to the streets. However our society provides nothing, for young people who fall into those groups, to stimulate or entertain them. Some maybe lucky enough to have a youth club nearby, but some don’t, some individuals isolate themselves. These individuals unite creating many groups which isolate themselves and a ‘gang culture’ is created. These groups are frustrated and bored keeping themselves stimulated through causing damage, noise, drinking, using drugs and fighting. Today gang violence and knife crime is apparent everyday in our news and media. If this frustration of our young people could be channeled into a hobby, a super cool hobby, which will most defiantly up your street cred! I think free running is defiantly it!
Free running is accessible to everyone from all walks of life. You can practice on your own or with mates anywhere and everywhere you go! From your street, to the park, to your city centers! Providing young people with something other than; drink, drugs and violence to stimulate their minds. You can practice in your yard, around your town, estate or garden, even at school or after work. You can practice with mates, sharing skills and showing off your latest moves, you’d soon be impressing everyone you meet and with a hobby to be proud of too!
Free running also produces career options for those who excel. It is seen in music videos, advertising, film and documentaries everywhere. The cult sport is taking off in cities all round UK also throughout Europe and the US. Websites like urbanfreeflow.com are becoming ever popular, offering tutorials on the latest death-defying moves. Since forming at the end of 2002, Urban Freeflow have expanded rapidly from its London base to become the global centre of contact, information, fundamental teaching and performance. They have been commissioned to direct ,produce and edit for the likes of Adidas, Ecko, Nokia, Walt Disney, Casino Royal, Prada, National Geographic, Vodaphone, BBC, Redbull, and Mercedes-Benz just to name a few. Various edits have also been licensed for DVD and TV. The most recognised is with Channel Four on the Jump Britain documentary. This was amazing and a landmark for Free running, if you haven’t seen it YOU NEED TO!
Urban Freeflow is the most comprehensive Parkour/Free run site in the World, breaking down barriers and educating people through movement. It is the world’s largest organisation of this kind represented in the public eye. The efforts of the entire team at Urban Free flow have been instrumental in bringing the art of Parkour and Free run into the global consciousness.
Urban Freeflow were the first organisation worldwide to set up regular classes and after developing the Parkour Units 1 and 2 AQA accreditation systems with Westminster City Council, they have successfully delivered structured training sessions in London based schools. From there, they were also the first organisation to set up a dedicated academy to teach weekly classes. Coaching has also been delivered to the police force, the scouts; numerous youth based organisations, corporate clients and many high profile commercial organisations. As well as appearing in Daily mail, Arts London news, and many more publications throughout the UK also the likes of I – D Magazine, Time Out and The New York Times. These guys are great and their work is Amazing so don’t get left behind….keep up with the ‘urban flow’ and get involved.
Words and Pictures by Jessie Barry jessiebphotography@hotmail.co.uk
For further information and lessons contact www.urbanfreeflow.com
All business and general enquiries:
ez@urbanfreeflow.com Urban Freeflow, 6 Denton Way, Frimley, Surrey, GU16 8UQ, United Kingdom
This is an entry for the Hussy’s Beachdownwriter competition to win a ticket to the Beachdown festival www.beachdownfestival.com
Tags: Beachdownwriter
What's on your mind?
-
February 28th 2009 | 1
The Hussy says:
So they are teaching this in schools, are they also teaching cat burglary and how to run from th police??
-
stephen says:
Hi I’m a youth worker working up in the north west and we have a really big group of young people interested and taking there first faltering steps in free running how do we help them ??????????
-
The Hussy says:
I have passed your question over to the author.
-
Jessie says:
Hi Stephen, All the contact detals are at the bottom of the piece. Contact EZ @ Urban FreeFlow, find out whats going on in your area, get the kids involved in some starter sessions, or better yet get your staff enrolled on some teaching courses so you can maybe bring something to the youth in your area they otherwise couldnt access, good luck! and keep us posted!
