城市疾走運動——跑酷

方長勇

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移動到另一點的身體運動，主要憑借人體自身的能力。簡單而言，你起跑后，在不減速的情況下，根據環境來變換動作。如果有一個障礙物擋在前方，你就想辦法越過它——可通過跳躍、攀爬或其他動作越過障礙物。這項運動具有驚人的視覺效果，因為它需要練習者具有東方武術技能，比如對環境作出靈活反應，保持心智的最佳狀態。

這一運動旨在幫助人克服在周圍環境中可能碰到的任何障礙物——從樹枝和石頭到圍欄和水泥墻——無論在農村和城市里都可以練習。跑酷已經出現在各種電視廣告和電影中，比如，很多人通過著名的動作片《十三街區》熟悉了跑酷運動。

電影《十三街區》：

精彩演繹跑酷動作

《十三街區》是2004年由皮埃爾·莫瑞爾導演、呂克·貝松制片的法國動作電影《Banlieue 13》的英文版片名。該影片因其所呈現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。跑酷運動的奠基者之一戴維·貝勒出演了該片的其中一位主角。

故事發生在2010年未來的法國。政府在被稱為“十三街區”的貧民聚居區外建起了圍墻，以把毒販、黑幫和罪犯頭目關在其中。在聚居區內，犯罪成風，但萊托(由戴維·貝勒飾演)是其中的好人之一，他積極行動來改進社區并保護他的妹妹洛拉的安全。

影片開頭，萊托剛從十三街區最令人恐懼的犯罪頭目塔哈手中偷出了幾袋海洛因。當塔哈的爪牙來痛毆他并試圖要回毒品時，萊托迅速地把毒品沖進浴缸下水道。萊托身手矯健，受過跑酷訓練，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屋頂，躍下樓梯，飛穿門窗和狹小空間，真是令人驚心動魄。他在優雅地穿越擋道的障礙物時顯得毫不費力。

該影片通過絕佳的跑酷片段激發了觀眾的想象力，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

戴維·貝勒出生并成長于法國濱海塞納省。他的祖父、父親和哥哥都是法國軍隊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的救援行動中表現突出。眾多的救援經歷、勛章和功績使他成為一位名望很高的杰出消防員，也激勵了年輕的下一代，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，戴維離開學校，去追尋他熱愛的自由和歷險，并訓練對生活有益的力量和靈敏身手。

戴維剛開始玩跑酷時的靈感主要來自他對功夫影片的熱愛，尤其是李小龍的功夫片。與此同時，他還常常想象那些以營救、逃生和追逐為主題的場景，這些至今仍是其他很多人在玩跑酷時的靈感來源。

盡管戴維起初與朋友一起發展跑酷，但他非凡的運動能力使他脫穎而出，成為這一運動的領軍者。雖然他本人不愿意成為人們關注的焦點，但他在這項運動中的地位至今仍無人可及。對跑酷運動同樣做出過貢獻的人還有塞巴斯蒂安·福岡、卡祖瑪和斯蒂芬·維格羅斯。

年復一年，隨著跑酷的練習者不斷改善技巧，他們的動作也有所發展變化。這項源自巴黎郊區的運動，開始在法國之外的地區廣泛流行。

Vocabulary

1. impediment

[Im5pedImEnt] n. 障礙物

2. martial arts: 武術(如柔道、空手道)

3. mental zen: 禪宗的定力

4. Pierre Morel: 皮埃爾·莫瑞爾，法國導演

5. Luc Besson: 呂克·貝松(1959～)，法國著名導演，兼任制片、編劇、演員、剪輯等。他的電影作品節奏快捷、風格奢華，極具商業價值。

6. stunt [stQnt] n. 驚人表演，絕技

7. futuristic [7fju:tFE5rIstIk] adj. 未來的

8. ghetto [5^etEu] n. 限制區，分離區

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:

跑酷動作和訓練

對很多練習者而言，跑酷提供了掙脫社會束縛、通往自由的途徑，他們能從社會有關應如何使用公共空間和他們身體的觀念中“解放心靈”。設在英國薩里郡的國際跑酷組織“城市自由流”的主席伊茲說：“我喜歡將其視為一種可以提供絕對自由的修煉，通過大量訓練，你能夠獲得像動物一樣流暢、迅猛和優雅地行動的能力。不過我也喜歡將其作為一種健身的方式，用其來訓練上身力量并使我的頭腦保持敏捷。”根據練習者創造力和身體素質的不同，跑酷可以靈活多變。因此，可能出現的動作形式不計其數，以下是一些基本的動作：

Cat Leap

貓跳

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.

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

跳躍落地時，練習者一邊向前運動，一邊落地并彎曲雙膝來緩沖沖力。做這個動作時，可利用前沖力做前滾翻以轉移落地時的沖擊力。將雙手放在頭部一側，盡量減少落地時對肩部產生的撞擊力，同時保護頭部。練習者借助跳躍的沖力落地、滾翻并繼續前行，最后恢復雙腳站立的跑步姿勢。所有這些動作一氣呵成。

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

練習者利用這一動作在跑步時越過前面的墻體。練習者在距離墻體還有相當一段距離的時候起跳，同時身體向墻體方向前傾，雙手牢牢按住墻頭。此時，練習者的雙腿與地面平行。隨著雙腿向身體方向靠攏，練習者利用手臂力量將身體向前方彈出。落地前，練習者應確保姿勢正確，同時確定落地后是應該滾翻(如跳躍點在較高位置)還是應該繼續奔跑(如跳躍點位置較低)。

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

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. 跑酷是一項高難度運動，需要練習者身體健康、狀態良好。如果未經事先訓練、熱身和適當指導，就貿然嘗試跑酷動作，可能導致嚴重受傷。

Vocabulary

15. pompier [5pCmpIE(r)] n. 救火員，消防員

16. dexterity [7deks5terItI] n. 靈巧，機敏

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

18. scenario [sI5nB:rIEu] n. 某一特定情節

19. traceur: 由法語英譯而來，意思是“障礙物訓練者”，也就是Parkour的練習者。

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.

盡管跑酷崇尚個人的自由之旅和克服恐懼，它在很大程度上仍是一項在特定群體中進行的a運動。

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.

跑酷團隊和群體

跑酷團體不僅有益于提高安全性，而且也有助于練習者的成長。跑酷團隊在城市中聚會，參加各種他們稱為“jams” 或 “sessions”的活動，包括不同的訓練或游戲，如跟在領頭的練習者后做相同的動作等。對跑酷而言，群體共同學習至關重要，因為這能讓非專業練習者更好地了解自己的能力。這消除了練習者做超出自己能力范圍的動作的壓力，從而使受傷的可能性降到最低。

事實上，跑酷作為新生事物，至今還沒有出現在任何正式出版物上。大部分相關信息都是世界各地的跑酷組織和團體在網上發布的。

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.

隨著跑酷通過廣告、電影和電視獲得媒體曝光，商業化在所難免。只有時間能告訴我們，跑酷的未來是什么樣子，但有一點是確定的：跑酷的未來掌握在每位練習者手中。