Parkour, the dynamic sport of urban running, jumping, climbing, and vaulting, is giving rise to an entirely new streetsport culture that’s tapped into those who live in urban environments and looking for a new way to actively participate and express themselves through a physical and mental discipline. As we reported last September, (see also “Street Sport of “Parkour”--Urban Jungle Obstacle Running by “Traceurs”--Gives Rise to Growing Subcultures in Europe + North America”), Parkour, also known to the English-speaking world as Urban Freeflow, is made of dedicated people called “Traceurs,” a.k.a. “Freerunners” that take their cue by looking at a cityscape as a playground of opportunity--somewhat how skaters look at concrete curbs, stairwells, railings, and tabletops as new places to practice their craft. In a way, Urban Freeflow looks like skateboarding, but without the skateboard.

The largest parkour organization is based out of London called the Urban Freeflow (UF). They have an organized team of athletes who have tapped into creating a growing business of consulting on movies, as seen in the highly effective beginning of the latest James Bond flick “Casino Royale,” and for various commercials such as the mega electronics company SAP and their commercial in Mexico City. The organization’s corporate brand consulting biz reads like a Who’s Who of innovative Fortune 1000 brands looking to connect a new cool sport to their product, including Adidas, Nokia, Coca-Cola, the London Olympic Committee for 2012, Sony PSP, Toyota, Walt Disney, Mercedes, Boost Mobile, Miramax, Armani, MTV, Marc Ecko, and K-Swiss. The UF team’s names read like acronyms of top graffiti and street artists, which they are in a way, through an urban ballet of movement, such as Ez, Sticky, Asid, Blue, Bam, Livewire, and Spidey. Their tag, “Moving with Ruthless Percision” has captured the attention of global youth culture, and tapped into a new movement that gives people who otherwise may not be all that active in their urban environment, an opportunity to see and participate in a world viewed through a different perspective. In addition, the UF team is officially sponsored by Adidas and Nokia.

Adidas, Marc Ecko, and K-Swiss have all tapped into the Urban Freeflow, or Parkour movement, creating specific footwear and apparel products for freerunners in the urban jungle, as well as the Urban Freeflow organization itself with a new line of streetwear, including T-shirts with graphics representing the footprint of a freerunner, as well as a cool design called a “Glyph Ting” which is a cross between a Ying-Yang symbol and Asian lettering. Urban Freeflow streetwear also includes Capri-style sweatpants, tanks, messenger bags, and stickers. However the coolest graphic is on their hoodies: a green “flatline” of a person’s heartbeat that merges into skyscrapers with the words: “Parkour…with every beat of the heart,” indicating that this sport is not a trend, but intended for practitioners for life.

To get a glimpse of the sport of Urban Freeflow—the graffiti art of movement—check-it out: http://www.urbanfreeflow.com/media/media.htm

To check-out the corporate usage of the Urban Freeflow team, here’s the SAP commercial shot in Mexico City: http://www.urbanfreeflow.com/the_core_level/pages/archives/SAP/index.htm