Parkour, the art of moving through space, gains popularity in Taiwan

2023-11-06

Now for a spotlight on one of Taiwan’s latest urban sports: parkour. The athletic discipline is all about moving through space in an efficient way. It doesn’t require any equipment. Parkour artists, or “traceurs,” use buildings in the environment as props for their sport. The fast-growing discipline combines movement practices from martial arts, military training, and many other sources. FTV met a leading parkour coach to learn what it’s really all about.

A traceur jumps smoothly, with both feet, off a red brick wall, before spinning in midair as if his legs have springs inside. Sportswear, running shoes, incredible limb coordination, guts and know-how are all vital for parkour, the sport where a park, sports ground or empty wall can all become the stage.

Chen Kuo-chang
Parkour coach
They’re movements that have been derived from gymnastics, martial arts, and the films of Jackie Chan. It means running freely, and just jumping over any obstacle you encounter.

Parkour, a French word, appeared in the 1980s, turning urban landscapes into training grounds where somersaults, flying leaps and break dancing were combined into an extreme sport.

More and more people in Taiwan are getting into parkour. But in a sport with no rules, and no safety protections in the wide world, experts suggest that beginners should start by practicing at an indoor center to train the basic skills.

Some traceurs test their limits by showing off thrilling moves on roads or building tops, which can lead to misconceptions about what parkour is.

Chen Kuo-chang
Parkour coach
It’s not just about performing difficult stunts. That idea is harmful for you but also, I think, very harmful for the sport. People say “Oh, parkour is all about jumping off buildings, right?” That doesn’t mean anything when you’re trying to promote parkour!

However you practice, parkour moves are cool, maybe even more so when they’re safe and legal.

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跑酷秀體能協調膽識專業玩家:並非炫技冒險

2023-11-06

你聽過一種運動叫「跑酷」嗎？其實跑酷源自法國，這項運動不靠任何器材，純粹是人與環境互動，但經常需要跳躍、翻滾跟撐跳等動作，跑酷也被歸納為「極限運動」，專業教練說，多數人其實對跑酷並不了解，加上少數玩家愛玩命冒險，容易被人冠上危險運動的誤解。

跑酷玩家雙腳一蹬，輕鬆飛躍紅磚牆，還能前空翻，彷彿腿上裝彈簧。一身輕裝跑鞋，外加身體四肢協調跟過人膽識，公園運動場，或者圍牆階梯上，都可以是跑酷場。

[[跑酷教練陳國璋]]
“它是由體操跟武術，還有成龍的電影，所衍生出來的一些動作。它意思是自由地奔跑，遇到障礙物就跳過去這樣子。

跑酷其實是法語的音譯，出現在1980年代，多以城市環境為運動場域，結合翻滾、跳躍、撐跳的動作，被歸類為極限運動。

近年來，台灣越來越多人接觸跑酷運動，但自由跑酷沒有規則，加上戶外缺乏安全防護，專家建議，初學者最好從室內練習場學跑，練好基本協調。

少數跑酷玩家，為了挑戰極限，恣意到大馬路上、甚至建築物頂，危險炫技，讓跑酷運動常常被誤解。

[[跑酷教練陳國璋]]
“不是一味的說要去做很多高難度的動作，這不僅對你是傷害，我覺得對這運動也是很大傷害，人家都覺得你跑酷都跳大樓嘛，這樣對跑酷你要推廣，不是就沒有什麼意義了嗎？”

跑酷的動作，確實看起來很酷，但也得建立在合法、安全之上。

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