Gallery: From Bikes to Blades, the Craziest Parkour Tricks
01parkour
Parkour, the French-created sport based on jumping through urban and suburban spaces by any means necessary, has traditionally been an activity done solely with one's own two feet. But as parkour has gained global, mainstream popularity over the past 10 years, the practice has evolved, courtesy of the extreme-sports community. Now, anyone with a bicycle, rollerblades or skateboard can practice next-gen parkour. The result has been some of the most amazing — and cringe-inducing — shaky handheld footage you might ever see. Here's a look at some of the more unique applications of parkour. __Above:__ A Sport Still Young, But Growing -------------------------------- The term *parkour* was coined only 12 years ago by Hubert Koundé. The sport itself was developed by David Belle, a friend who went on to found the [Parkour Worldwide Association](http://www.pkcali.com/pawa/) in 2005. Originally a skill perfected by the French army, parkour groups and meet-ups can now be found everywhere from [Miami](http://www.miapk.com/) to [Moscow](http://themoscownews.com/news/20100920/188055353.html). *Image: Flickr/[rosa](http://www.flickr.com/photos/josa/124836531/)*
02davidbelle
The Maestro ----------- Most credit [David Belle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Belle), a 37-year-old former French soldier, with inventing parkour as we know it today. Taking a glance at this highlight reel, it's easy to see why he's the inspiration for so many thousands of parkour enthusiasts around the world. *Editor's note: If you can watch him make those insane leaps from one building rooftop to another and not feel the least bit nauseous, you've got a stomach of 100 percent steel, my friend.* *Thumbnail image: Flickr/[citizengotham](http://www.flickr.com/photos/citizengotham/1528678005/)*
03dannymacaskill
A Ride-Along Like No Other -------------------------- What starts as [Danny MacAskill](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_MacAskill) riding on top of a fence quickly turns into urban mayhem, with this professional street-trial biker from Scotland turning everything around him — buildings, railings, public plazas — into his own personal parkour paradise. And if someone could please explain how MacAskill pulls off that move where, at full speed, he hops off the back of the sidewalk bench, hops the iron fence railing, and bounds into the park at full speed, that'd be fantastic.
04mathieuledoux
The Next Wave ------------- If anyone can make rollerblading cool again, it might be Mathieu Ledoux. This Montreal native, long a fan of both extreme rollerblading and parkour, has finally figured a way to combine his two passions. The result is some seriously impressive maneuvers that might just inspire you to dust off that old pair of blades laying on the floor of your hall closet.
05parkourskateboard
The Great Skate Debate ---------------------- Parkour is usually pretty easy to identify out in the wild, except when it comes to the integration of skateboards. The problem is, much of modern-day skateboarding relies on doing tricks, jumping off the board, and landing again while in motion. Since those criteria are already the foundation of parkour, it can make for a fuzzy combo whenever the two meet. However, making use of buildings, walls, and typical urban obstacles can certainly turn commonplace 'boarding into parkourial bliss.
06sebastienfoucan
A Successful Spinoff -------------------- One popular offshoot that has grown out of parkour is [free running](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_running ), popularized by [Sébastien Foucan](http://www.foucan.com/?page_id=15), who's also credited as a parkour co-creator. Free running tends to concentrate more on moving *through* structures and can often be more acrobatic than traditional parkour. In this clip, Foucan bounds through [Millennium Stadium](http://www.millenniumstadium.com/home.php) in Cardiff, Wales. Seems innocent enough until he, well, just watch what he does. *Heart-stopping* is certainly one word for it, as well as a few other unpublishables. *Thumbnail image: Courtesy of foucan.com*
