The term Parkour comes from the french phrase "parcours de combatants" coined by the man who created the obstacle course and the natural method of exercise, George Herbert.
Parkour (also called Le Parkour , PK ) is a philosophy/activity in which participants no longer see obstacles in their path as something to keep them where they are, in the world and in life. Instead they see obstacles as opportunities to progress, which they do in the most fluid and natural manner possible.
Traceurs or Parkourists are the physical expression of parkour. They express the idea of parkour through their movement.
The ultimate goal in parkour is to ‘flow' along one's path, from point A to B non-stop, like water. A principal rule of parkour is to never go backwards. Traceurs believe that there is a path through every obstacle which is achieved through forward movement.
Parkour was created over 15 years ago in Paris by a man named David Belle and his friends. David was inspired by his father, Raymond Belle, who was a highly skilled rescuer in the fire service military of the French army. Since childhood, David had a passion for movement which led him to become involved in action-orientated sports such as gymnastics, climbing, and martial arts. By the age of 15, David had developed an idea around what he thought disciplined action should be. He decided to leave school to devote himself completly to the development of his discipline. Since then, David has developed his skill into what some would call extraordinary levels, however David himself has said that there is no secrets to Parkour, just training and dedication.