Parkour & Free-Running

Overview
Although they were once meant to refer to the same art, the Art of Displacement, today these two terms describe two separate disciplines that differ considerably, despite the fact that they may look similar to the inexperienced eye.


Parkour

Origin
At first, the term "L'Art du Déplacement" was used. Around 1998, however, Hubert Koundé, a friend of David Belle, came up with another word. It derived from Parcours du Combattant, the classic obstacle course method of military training proposed by Georges Hébert. Since the Art of Displacement was closely related to Méthode Naturelle, it seemed fitting. Koundé removed the "du Combattant" as David Belle was no longer a soldier, replaced the "c" with a "k" to suggest aggressiveness and imply hardcore training, and removed the silent "s" as it opposed Parkour's philosophy about efficiency.

Object
Parkour aims for speed and efficiency. A practitioner of Parkour (traceur for male, traceuse for female) trains to develop skills that will allow them to traverse efficiently and overcome obstacles, urban or rural. A traceur's goal is to move effectively in any situation, which means that Parkour can be readily applied to life-threatening situations.

Free-Running

Origin
The term was made up by Guillaume Pelletier, one of the people involved in the creation of Jump London, around 2003. It was originally intended as an international version of the term "Parkour", so the two terms were used interchangeably in the documentary. However, Sébastien Foucan's view of Parkour deviated from that of David Belle's. Therefore, the community started to refer to Foucan's interpretation of Parkour as "Free-Running", and used the term "Parkour" for the discipline practiced by Belle.

Object
Free-Running aims in beauty, gracefulness, and fluidity. A practitioner of Free-Running (free-runner) trains to be able to move freely and elegantly through the environment, urban or rural. A free-runner's goal is to create innovative movement through interaction with various objects and obstacles in their environment, in order to express themselves and feel a sense of freedom. In essence, for enjoyment.

Common Points
Of course, Parkour and Free-Running share quite a few similarities. For example, both arts are non-competitive, both focus on durability and improving one's capabilities, both are highly demanding from a physical standpoint, and both hide a philosophy behind them.

Conclusion
Purpose is what defines an action. So, if Parkour and Free-Running have different ultimate goals and mindsets, then they are two different things. This site, Parkour.NET, is a Parkour site. Therefore, we discuss Parkour here, not Free-Running. Please avoid speaking about flips, spins, tricks, and Free-Running philosophy here, as doing so will only add to the confusion and public misconception.