方長(zhǎng)勇

Parkour: Walk the Unusual Way

"Parkour" comes from the French word, "parcours", meaning "impediment1) course". It's a physical activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the abilities of the human body. Basically, you just start running and adapt to your environment as you go without slowing down. If an obstacle is in your way, you find a way around it—through jumping, climbing, or other movements. It is amazing to watch because it requires martial arts2)—like reflexes and mental zen3) with your environment.

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 has appeared in various television advertisements and films. For example, many people have become familiar with Parkour movement from the famous action movie District 13.

Excellent Parkour Sequence in District 13

District 13 is the English-language release title of the 2004 French action film, Banlieue 13, directed by Pierre Morel4) and produced by Luc Besson5). The film is notable for its depiction of Parkour in a number of stunt6) sequences that were completed without the use of wires or computer generated effects. David Belle, a co-founder of Parkour, appears in the film as one of the main characters.

The story takes place in 2010 in a futuristic7) France. The government has built a wall around the ghetto8)—called District 13—to keep the drug dealers, gangs and crime lords from getting out. Inside, crime runs rampant9) but Leito (acted by David Belle) is one of the good guys who fights to improve his neighborhood and keep his sister Lola safe.

When the movie begins, Leito has just stolen several bags of heroin from the ghetto's most feared crime lord, Taha. He quickly washes the drugs down his bathtub drain just as Taha's minions10) arrive to beat the crap out of11) him and take back their dope12). But Leito's a slippery guy, schooled in Parkour, and thus begins one of the most impressive foot chases. Leito is absolutely breathtaking to watch as he jumps across rooftops, down flights of stairs, and dives through windows and small spaces without breaking his stride13). He makes it seem effortless as he gracefully avoids any obstacles in his way.

The film caught the public's imagination with its excellent Parkour sequence, and starred Parkour legend, David Belle, the founder of Parkour.

David Belle: Seek Freedom and Action

David Belle was born and raised in Seine-Maritime, France. His grandfather, father and brother have been highly skilled rescuers in the French military fire service.

His father Raymond Belle had a key role in the Parisian firefighters' first ever helicopter-borne operation. His many rescues, medals and exploits14) gave him a reputation of being an exceptional pompier15) and inspired the next young generation, especially his son David Belle.

Born in a firefighter's family, David was influenced by stories of heroism. At age 17, David left the school to seek his love of freedom, and action, and to develop his strength and dexterity16) to be useful in life.

It was David's love for martial arts films, especially the work of Bruce Lee17)—and the scenarios18) he imagined, often themed around rescue, escape and pursuit—that inspired him in the early stages of Parkour, and remains a source of inspiration for others.

Though David initially developed Parkour with friends, his exceptional athletic ability propelled him onward as the discipline's leader, eventually putting him into the spotlight where he remains today, though reluctantly. Other contributors to the development of Parkour include Sebastien Foucan, Kazuma and Stephane Vigroux.

Over the years, as dedicated traceurs19) improved their skills, their moves grew. From the Parisian suburbs, parkour became a widely practiced activity outside France.

跑酷：不走尋常路

“跑酷”這個(gè)詞源自法文“parcours”，是“障礙物課程”的意思。這是一種盡可能高效快速地從一點(diǎn)移動(dòng)到另一點(diǎn)的身體運(yùn)動(dòng)，主要憑借人體自身的能力。簡(jiǎn)單而言，你起跑后，在不減速的情況下，根據(jù)環(huán)境來(lái)變換動(dòng)作。如果有一個(gè)障礙物擋在前方，你就想辦法越過(guò)它——可通過(guò)跳躍、攀爬或其他動(dòng)作越過(guò)障礙物。這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)具有驚人的視覺(jué)效果，因?yàn)樗枰毩?xí)者具有東方武術(shù)技能，比如對(duì)環(huán)境作出靈活反應(yīng)，保持心智的最佳狀態(tài)。

這一運(yùn)動(dòng)旨在幫助人克服在周圍環(huán)境中可能碰到的任何障礙物——從樹(shù)枝和石頭到圍欄和水泥墻——無(wú)論在農(nóng)村和城市里都可以練習(xí)。跑酷已經(jīng)出現(xiàn)在各種電視廣告和電影中，比如，很多人通過(guò)著名的動(dòng)作片《十三街區(qū)》熟悉了跑酷運(yùn)動(dòng)。

電影《十三街區(qū)》：

精彩演繹跑酷動(dòng)作

《十三街區(qū)》是2004年由皮埃爾·莫瑞爾導(dǎo)演、呂克·貝松制片的法國(guó)動(dòng)作電影《Banlieue 13》的英文版片名。該影片因其所呈現(xiàn)的驚人跑酷片段而聞名，這些鏡頭是在未使用鋼絲或電腦特效的情況下完成的。跑酷運(yùn)動(dòng)的奠基者之一戴維·貝勒出演了該片的其中一位主角。

故事發(fā)生在2010年未來(lái)的法國(guó)。政府在被稱為“十三街區(qū)”的貧民聚居區(qū)外建起了圍墻，以把毒販、黑幫和罪犯頭目關(guān)在其中。在聚居區(qū)內(nèi)，犯罪成風(fēng)，但萊托(由戴維·貝勒飾演)是其中的好人之一，他積極行動(dòng)來(lái)改進(jìn)社區(qū)并保護(hù)他的妹妹洛拉的安全。

影片開(kāi)頭，萊托剛從十三街區(qū)最令人恐懼的犯罪頭目塔哈手中偷出了幾袋海洛因。當(dāng)塔哈的爪牙來(lái)痛毆他并試圖要回毒品時(shí)，萊托迅速地把毒品沖進(jìn)浴缸下水道。萊托身手矯健，受過(guò)跑酷訓(xùn)練，于是就上演了一段精彩炫目的徒步追趕。看著萊托馬不停蹄地跳過(guò)屋頂，躍下樓梯，飛穿門窗和狹小空間，真是令人驚心動(dòng)魄。他在優(yōu)雅地穿越擋道的障礙物時(shí)顯得毫不費(fèi)力。

該影片通過(guò)絕佳的跑酷片段激發(fā)了觀眾的想象力，并使得跑酷奠基者、傳奇人物戴維·貝勒成了電影明星。

戴維·貝勒：

追尋自由和歷險(xiǎn)

戴維·貝勒出生并成長(zhǎng)于法國(guó)濱海塞納省。他的祖父、父親和哥哥都是法國(guó)軍隊(duì)消防部門技藝高超的救援人員。

他的父親雷蒙·貝勒在巴黎消防員第一次搭乘直升機(jī)的救援行動(dòng)中表現(xiàn)突出。眾多的救援經(jīng)歷、勛章和功績(jī)使他成為一位名望很高的杰出消防員，也激勵(lì)了年輕的下一代，尤其是他的兒子戴維·貝勒。

出生于消防員世家的戴維深受英雄主義故事的影響。17歲時(shí)，戴維離開(kāi)學(xué)校，去追尋他熱愛(ài)的自由和歷險(xiǎn)，并訓(xùn)練對(duì)生活有益的力量和靈敏身手。

戴維剛開(kāi)始玩跑酷時(shí)的靈感主要來(lái)自他對(duì)功夫影片的熱愛(ài)，尤其是李小龍的功夫片。與此同時(shí)，他還常常想象那些以營(yíng)救、逃生和追逐為主題的場(chǎng)景，這些至今仍是其他很多人在玩跑酷時(shí)的靈感來(lái)源。

盡管戴維起初與朋友一起發(fā)展跑酷，但他非凡的運(yùn)動(dòng)能力使他脫穎而出，成為這一運(yùn)動(dòng)的領(lǐng)軍者。雖然他本人不愿意成為人們關(guān)注的焦點(diǎn)，但他在這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)中的地位至今仍無(wú)人可及。對(duì)跑酷運(yùn)動(dòng)同樣做出過(guò)貢獻(xiàn)的人還有塞巴斯蒂安·福岡、卡祖瑪和斯蒂芬·維格羅斯。

年復(fù)一年，隨著跑酷的練習(xí)者不斷改善技巧，他們的動(dòng)作也有所發(fā)展變化。這項(xiàng)源自巴黎郊區(qū)的運(yùn)動(dòng)，開(kāi)始在法國(guó)之外的地區(qū)廣泛流行。

Vocabulary

1. impediment

[Im5pedImEnt] n. 障礙物

2. martial arts: 武術(shù)(如柔道、空手道)

3. mental zen: 禪宗的定力

4. Pierre Morel: 皮埃爾·莫瑞爾，法國(guó)導(dǎo)演

5. Luc Besson: 呂克·貝松(1959～)，法國(guó)著名導(dǎo)演，兼任制片、編劇、演員、剪輯等。他的電影作品節(jié)奏快捷、風(fēng)格奢華，極具商業(yè)價(jià)值。

6. stunt [stQnt] n. 驚人表演，絕技

7. futuristic [7fju:tFE5rIstIk] adj. 未來(lái)的

8. ghetto [5^etEu] n. 限制區(qū)，分離區(qū)

9. rampant [5rAmpEnt] adj. 猖獗的，蔓生的

10. minion [5mInjEn] n. 奴才

11. the crap out of: 徹底地，痛快地

12. dope [dEup] n. 毒品

13. stride [straId] n. 步幅

14. exploit [5eksplCIt] n. 英勇的行為

Parkour Moves and Training

For many traceurs, Parkour is a gateway to freedom from social constraints as they "free their minds" from society's messages of how public spaces and their body are to be used. Ez, the director of Urban Freeflow, an international Parkour organization based in Surrey, England, says, "I like to view it as a discipline that provides absolute freedom, and something that, through lots of practice, can put you in a position of being able to move in a way that is animal like, fluid, explosive and graceful. But I also like to use it as a means to keep fit, to build upper body strength and to keep my mind sharp." Parkour is as moldable as a traceur's creativity and physical capabilities allow. With that said, the number of possible movements is endless, but here are the basics:

跑酷動(dòng)作和訓(xùn)練

對(duì)很多練習(xí)者而言，跑酷提供了掙脫社會(huì)束縛、通往自由的途徑，他們能從社會(huì)有關(guān)應(yīng)如何使用公共空間和他們身體的觀念中“解放心靈”。設(shè)在英國(guó)薩里郡的國(guó)際跑酷組織“城市自由流”的主席伊茲說(shuō)：“我喜歡將其視為一種可以提供絕對(duì)自由的修煉，通過(guò)大量訓(xùn)練，你能夠獲得像動(dòng)物一樣流暢、迅猛和優(yōu)雅地行動(dòng)的能力。不過(guò)我也喜歡將其作為一種健身的方式，用其來(lái)訓(xùn)練上身力量并使我的頭腦保持敏捷?！备鶕?jù)練習(xí)者創(chuàng)造力和身體素質(zhì)的不同，跑酷可以靈活多變。因此，可能出現(xiàn)的動(dòng)作形式不計(jì)其數(shù)，以下是一些基本的動(dòng)作：

Cat Leap

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This move consists of running and leaping from a take-off point. Before leaping, the traceur spots where his hands will grab hold of the wall. He launches from the take-off point at a 45-degree angle. As he approaches, he moves his body into landing position that appears as if he's almost sitting in mid air. With legs bent to absorb shock, the traceur makes impact and grabs hold of the ledge while his feet grip the wall. From there, the traceur bends his knees for the power to push up and climb over the ledge.

Landing from a jump, when the traceur is traveling forward, he lands and bends his knees to absorb the impact. As he does this, he uses the forward momentum20) to go into a roll over his shoulder to transfer the shock of the landing. He places his hands on one side of his head to ensure minimal impact between his shoulder and the ground and, in the meantime, protects his head. The momentum of the jump enables him to land, roll and continue moving so that he is back on his feet and in a running position. He does all of this in one fluid movement.

The traceur balances on the edge of a wall, rail or roof, and spots his landing point. After sizing up the distance, he leans toward his landing point while bending the knees. As he jumps, his arms go up and he straightens his body. As the traceurapproaches the landing point, he brings his legs forward to make contact while his descending arms provide necessary counterbalance. Upon landing, he bends his knees to slow down and makes a precise jump from point to point.

Traceurs use this move to propel themselves over a wall when running toward it. The traceur jumps with a good amount of space between him and the wall, and stretches toward it, planting his hands. By this time, he has made his legs parallel21) to the ground. As his legs catch up with the rest of his body, he uses his arms to catapult22) him forward. Before landing, the traceur makes sure his posture is correct and spots where he'll finish the move with either a roll (if executing from height) or will carry on running (if the move is executed at a low level).

This move allows traceurs to launch over a wall without compromising speed. As the traceur approaches the wall, he lays one hand down and leans sideways as he jumps. His hand briefly touches the wall to keep himself stable. He completes the jump and continues running without any break in momentum.

這一動(dòng)作包括奔跑和從起跳點(diǎn)跳躍兩部分。在起跳前，練習(xí)者應(yīng)確定雙手抓墻的位置。然后以45度的角度從起跳點(diǎn)跳起。快接近墻體時(shí)，將身體調(diào)整為落地姿勢(shì)，看上去像坐在半空中一樣。接觸墻體時(shí)，練習(xí)者彎曲雙腿以緩解沖擊力，同時(shí)雙手抓墻沿，雙腳蹬墻體。接著，練習(xí)者需彎曲雙膝，利用墻的反作用力翻越墻體。

跳躍落地時(shí)，練習(xí)者一邊向前運(yùn)動(dòng)，一邊落地并彎曲雙膝來(lái)緩沖沖力。做這個(gè)動(dòng)作時(shí)，可利用前沖力做前滾翻以轉(zhuǎn)移落地時(shí)的沖擊力。將雙手放在頭部一側(cè)，盡量減少落地時(shí)對(duì)肩部產(chǎn)生的撞擊力，同時(shí)保護(hù)頭部。練習(xí)者借助跳躍的沖力落地、滾翻并繼續(xù)前行，最后恢復(fù)雙腳站立的跑步姿勢(shì)。所有這些動(dòng)作一氣呵成。

練習(xí)者在墻頭、欄桿或屋頂保持平衡，確定他的落地點(diǎn)。目測(cè)跳躍距離后，他朝落地點(diǎn)前傾，彎曲雙膝。跳起后，他的手臂上揚(yáng)，身體保持直立。接近落地點(diǎn)時(shí)，練習(xí)者雙腿前伸觸地，下擺的雙手則用于保持身體平衡。落地時(shí)，練習(xí)者彎曲雙膝以減速，然后完成從一點(diǎn)到另一點(diǎn)的精確跳。

練習(xí)者利用這一動(dòng)作在跑步時(shí)越過(guò)前面的墻體。練習(xí)者在距離墻體還有相當(dāng)一段距離的時(shí)候起跳，同時(shí)身體向墻體方向前傾，雙手牢牢按住墻頭。此時(shí)，練習(xí)者的雙腿與地面平行。隨著雙腿向身體方向靠攏，練習(xí)者利用手臂力量將身體向前方彈出。落地前，練習(xí)者應(yīng)確保姿勢(shì)正確，同時(shí)確定落地后是應(yīng)該滾翻(如跳躍點(diǎn)在較高位置)還是應(yīng)該繼續(xù)奔跑(如跳躍點(diǎn)位置較低)。

這一動(dòng)作可以讓練習(xí)者在不減速的情況下翻越墻體。當(dāng)練習(xí)者接近墻體時(shí)，他將一只手放下，然后在跳躍的同時(shí)，身體向一側(cè)傾斜。練習(xí)者的手在身體翻越的同時(shí)輕觸墻頭，以保持平衡，接著完成跳躍動(dòng)作并繼續(xù)奔跑，中間沒(méi)有任何停頓。

A Note on Safety

安全提示

Parkour is a highly demanding activity that requires the entire body to be in good health and well-conditioned. Trying any of the Parkour moves without prior training, conditioning and proper instruction can result in serious injury. 跑酷是一項(xiàng)高難度運(yùn)動(dòng)，需要練習(xí)者身體健康、狀態(tài)良好。如果未經(jīng)事先訓(xùn)練、熱身和適當(dāng)指導(dǎo)，就貿(mào)然嘗試跑酷動(dòng)作，可能導(dǎo)致嚴(yán)重受傷。

Vocabulary

15. pompier [5pCmpIE(r)] n. 救火員，消防員

16. dexterity [7deks5terItI] n. 靈巧，機(jī)敏

17. Bruce Lee: 李小龍(1940～1973)，偉大的武術(shù)技擊家，世界武功片電影表演家，截拳道的創(chuàng)始人。

18. scenario [sI5nB:rIEu] n. 某一特定情節(jié)

19. traceur: 由法語(yǔ)英譯而來(lái)，意思是“障礙物訓(xùn)練者”，也就是Parkour的練習(xí)者。

20. momentum

[mEu5mentEm] n. 沖力

While parkour celebrates the individual's journey toward freedom and overcoming fear, it still remains largely an activity practiced in community.

盡管跑酷崇尚個(gè)人的自由之旅和克服恐懼，它在很大程度上仍是一項(xiàng)在特定群體中進(jìn)行的a運(yùn)動(dòng)。

Parkour Crews & Community

The Parkour community not only provides safety but is instrumental in a traceur's growth. Parkour crews hit the city together and participate in what they call "jams" or "sessions", which consist of different drills or games like follow the leader, where each traceur does the same move as the one before. Community learning is vital to Parkour because it provides an appropriate context for the ability of non-professional traceur. This takes away the pressure to Perform movements outside of one's abilities and minimizes the possibility of injury.

As it stands, Parkour is still too new to have any literature printed in book form. Most information is hosted online by Parkour organizations and crews around the world.

跑酷團(tuán)隊(duì)和群體

跑酷團(tuán)體不僅有益于提高安全性，而且也有助于練習(xí)者的成長(zhǎng)。跑酷團(tuán)隊(duì)在城市中聚會(huì)，參加各種他們稱為“jams” 或 “sessions”的活動(dòng)，包括不同的訓(xùn)練或游戲，如跟在領(lǐng)頭的練習(xí)者后做相同的動(dòng)作等。對(duì)跑酷而言，群體共同學(xué)習(xí)至關(guān)重要，因?yàn)檫@能讓非專業(yè)練習(xí)者更好地了解自己的能力。這消除了練習(xí)者做超出自己能力范圍的動(dòng)作的壓力，從而使受傷的可能性降到最低。

事實(shí)上，跑酷作為新生事物，至今還沒(méi)有出現(xiàn)在任何正式出版物上。大部分相關(guān)信息都是世界各地的跑酷組織和團(tuán)體在網(wǎng)上發(fā)布的。

As Parkour gains media exposure through advertising, films and television, commercialization is inevitable. Only time will tell what the future holds for it, but one thing's for sure: Parkour will always be what you make of it.

隨著跑酷通過(guò)廣告、電影和電視獲得媒體曝光，商業(yè)化在所難免。只有時(shí)間能告訴我們，跑酷的未來(lái)是什么樣子，但有一點(diǎn)是確定的：跑酷的未來(lái)掌握在每位練習(xí)者手中。