NEWTOWN’S Max Bell first came across the sport of parkour on YouTube.
Parkour people get from one place to another as quickly as possible by adapting their movements to overcome any obstacle within their way.
“It spread so fast online, before long it was in all in movies,” he says.
The sport came into the mainstream after featuring in James Bond’s Casino Royale and video games such as Prince of Persia and Tomb Raider.
It’s a physical activity and Bell admits he was out of shape before he got involved. Not any more.
“I like the philosophy of being strong; it has helped me to get fit.”
Bell says the capital – especially along Oriental Parade and Queen’s Wharf - is a good place to practice parkour manoeuvres.
“There are lots of structures we can practice jumps.”
Parkour is noncompetitive and participants can train to reach a level that they feel comfortable with.
“I hadn’t done any sports before parkour. It’s unique as there are no competitive grades or competitions. However to be able to last and to keep taking impact, you need to have strong legs and build up your resistance.”
A ‘gap jump’ is the most difficult parkour move, Bell says. It’s when someone takes a running jump from one place to another across a gap – as in movies when a character jumps between rooftops.
“People need to train for years to get to that level. For all those big jumps the actor has done a thousand little jumps in preparation. Audiences don’t realise that.”
Some say that in Casino Royale neither Sébastien Foucan the villain, nor Daniel Craig, who played Bond, did their own stunts because of a high injury risk. But Bell doesn’t believe that parkour is an overly dangerous activity.
“It can be a risky if people attempt it and don’t know the training methods behind it. The people who get hurt usually don’t know their limits and attempt something they can’t land.”
Bell helped establish the New Zealand Parkour Association to promote the sport and improve training facilities.
“People in Wellington who are passionate about parkour are behind the organisation. We are trying to bring anyone who is interested together.”
Peter Moloney