Navigating the world through the discipline of Parkour can be a liberating experience, writes Balqis Lim.
IF “play” is missing in your life, it’s time to bring it back. And Parkour does simply that. It unleashes the child in you as you use unconventional methods to navigate through an obstacle-filled terrain — running, climbing, vaulting and leaping instead of going around them as how a toddler would view obstacles.
You view the city as a playground for exploration and experience the sheer joy of movement because Parkour calls for you to go over walls instead of around them. It urges you to use the stair rails instead of taking the stairs.
For 25-year-old Abudi Alsagoff, somersaulting and diving between buildings, platforms or terrain is more of a self-expression. “Some say it’s a sport, but passionate members of the Parkour community would describe it as more of a lifestyle,” he says.
In July 2015, Malaysian-born Abudi took the world by storm when he climbed 200 flights of stairs to the top of the world’s tallest residential building, the 101 Marina building in Dubai, and performed the human flag by clinging horizontally to the scaffolding with just his hands.
DISCIPLINE OF PARKOUR
“It was actually not planned. My friends and I initially only wanted a view of the city but when we arrived at the top, I decided to do it after checking that the surrounding and structure were stable.
“I wanted to prove that the hours I put into training could show results,” explains Abudi.
He had certainly trained hard for this. Parkour tests one’s physical and mental limits.
Originally called Art du Deplacement, Parkour was founded in France in the 1980s by nine young men — David Belle, Yann Hnautra, Chau Belle, Laurent Piemontesi, Sebastian Foucan, Guylain N’Guba Boyeke, Charles Perrier, Malik Diouf and Williams Belle.
Eventually Belle renamed it Parkour, the word derived from the French “Parcours“ meaning route or course.
Parkour is a non-competitive physical discipline of training to move freely in any route using whatever movement the human body is capable of, including running, jumping, climbing and leaping.
Training helps develop the fundamental attributes required for such a discipline, including strength, fitness, balance, agility, coordination and the most important of all — creative vision.
The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) graduate started to practise the discipline after watching a video on YouTube 10 years ago.
“It instantly blew my mind because I never thought it possible for the human body to be able to move like that,” he says.
RUNNING WITH PARKOUR
Abudi hasn’t looked back since. After moving to Dubai to work as gym instructor, he was soon head-hunted by Red Bull, the energy drink label.
“They signed me up as one of their full-time (branded) athletes. Since then, I have worked on various programmes with them,” says the now professional Red Bull freerunning athlete.
Parkour has since evolved into a sport of freerunning, which combines the aesthetics of flips, spins and twists.
“Freerunning” was the term used by Guillaume Pelletier, a French practitioner in a documentary Jump London back in 2003 in a bid to communicate this-then new sport to an English-speaking audience.
Freerunning also places more emphasis on self-expression and movements, combining gymnastics and aerobatics with the traditional Parkour movements.
“What attracted me most was that this sport doesn’t have any rules or regulations. It’s totally up to each person’s creativity and there’s no equipment needed,” explains Abudi with a grin.
As in any sport, there is, of course, the risk of injury. “I have definitely gotten a few injuries from it. A sprained ankle and shoulders are quite common. Recently I’ve also had a meniscus tear in my knee and almost tore off my anterior cruciate ligament,“ he shares.
His advice to beginners? “Wear comfortable attire and shoes. Make sure you train in a safe environment and always have proper guidance.”
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MOVING AHEAD WITH PARKOUR
Abudi now runs his own Parkour business, Alpha Movements, which he founded in 2012. He has also performed freerunning flips and tricks in TV commercials across Asia.
Alpha Movements boasts seven trained professionals, a direct result of the rising demand for Parkour athletes in the business and entertainment industry.
“We conduct classes at various schools in the Klang Valley, and plan to approach more schools and varsities to host personal group classes as it will be easier to use their facilities,” he says.
Besides providing talents, Alpha Movements has also introduced its own customised streetwear apparel which are available for purchase online.
Incidentally, on Jan 10, the British government officially recognised Parkour as a sport — the first country in the world to do so.
Abudi hopes that Parkour would be given the same recognition in Malaysia by the Youth and Sports Ministry.
“A lot of initiatives can be done as Parkour is an under-developed sport. Malaysia has a lot of potential because more young people are becoming very interested in the sport. However, they will need the right guidance.
“We have designed Parkour parks for other countries and we hope that such parks can be built here too. They can attract the international freerunners community and inject a much-needed tourism boost to the country.”
The Parkour enthusiast has already proven himself and the potential of Parkour when he represented the country and won his first competition in Indonesia, the Indo Freerun Championship in 2011. He was also second runner-up in the 2013 Singapore championship.
Besides being a judge for competitions held in Malaysia, Abudi is currently in training for the biggest freerunning competition in the world, to be held in Santorini, Greece, in October. It will see the famous cliffside dwellings transformed into a Parkour playground for Red Bull’s Art of Motion event.
“Malaysia can produce champions in the near future, but it can only be achieved if regulations are loosened, and the sport is allowed to break free from its confines,” he says.
Stay updated with Abudi’s activities on Facebook or follow him on Twitter and Instagram (@abudialsagoff) to see more of his Parkour and freerunning videos.