IT is one of the hottest days of the summer and outside London’s South Bank Center Jake Penny, 15, and his friend, Joe Scandrett, 13, are hurling themselves around a warren of concrete pedestrian underpasses.
Using ledges, metal handrails and anything else within reach, the two teenagers cause passers-by to gape by executing backflips and somersaults high into the air, each time landing gracefully and silently on the pavement.
The chosen area for their exertions, less than five minutes’ walk from Waterloo station, is a magnet for practitioners of free running, an acrobatic sport-cum-performance art played out on everyday obstacles — railings, walls, pillars, ramps, steps — that is rapidly moving from underground cult to mainstream phenomenon. Practitioners compete to run, jump and flip over and around urban obstacles as smoothly, elegantly and impressively as possible.
Having already won over the Royal Marines and James Bond, free running is booming this summer among young Britons. In response to the trend, councils have started looking at ways to take the activity into schools or even to create “free run parks”, similar to those used by skateboarders. Major companies, meanwhile, are pushing to have their brands associated with the increasingly fashionable pursuit.
This weekend the Sony Ericsson “Off The Wall” tour reached Birmingham, after drawing big crowds in Liverpool last week. But free running will truly come of age next month when devotees come together in London for the first world championships.
The competition is likely to provide fresh inspiration for free runners at street level, ranging from teenagers who dislike traditional team sports to businessmen bored with the gym. Jake, from outside Guildford, Surrey, who edges more toward tricks such as handstands and various types of flips rather than the running aspect of the sport, said nonchalantly: “I got into it from watching clips on YouTube and learning more about it on the Internet. I used to mess around on my trampoline and then I just started going around to the gym.”
From there it was a logical progression to using outdoor street furniture. Both he and Joe have caught the attention of wealthy corporate interests, although for now their youth is a barrier to the lucrative earning power of their skills. But they resist the idea of their edgy pastime becoming an establishment sport, like skateboarding before it. “I don’t think I would do it if it really took off,” said Joe, who, like Jake, favors wearing a simple T-shirt, baggy tracksuit bottoms and a pair of sneakers for the sport. “Part of the thrill of doing it is knowing that you are not really supposed to be doing it.”
The activity derives most of its moves, style and philosophy from the Parkour tradition which originated in Paris in the 90s and involves getting between two points as efficiently as possible by using nothing but the human body. Free running, which places greater emphasis on artistry and freedom of expression, took off in Britain after the documentaries “Jump London” and “Jump Britain” showcased the athletes against some of the most spectacular backdrops in the country. It has also been featured in several Hollywood movies including “Casino Royale” and “The Bourne Ultimatum,” although Daniel Craig and Matt Damon’s roof-hopping stunts bear little relation to the daily reality. Freerunning network Urban Freeflow has provided training to the Metropolitan Police and Royal Marine commandos.
Looking on approvingly last week as Jake and Joe pulled off ever more impressive leaps and jumps was Franck ‘Cali’ Nelle, a French former tae kwon do practitioner. He began free running after coming to London more than a year ago and is now a member of Urban Freeflow, a five-year-old collective that has found lucrative work as a consultancy and stunt coordinator for films and TV adverts, as well as visiting schools to preach the gospel of free running.
“The reception we get in schools is incredible, even from kids who might not be interested in sports. Sometimes there can be a bit of resistance from parents when they hear what their children might be doing, but they come round when they realize that the skills and techniques of free running can be of great use in life,” said Cali.
Urban Freeflow is organizing the world championships, which take place at the Roundhouse, north London, on Sept. 3. Twenty-five star performers from America, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the Caribbean and countries across Europe will take part on a specially designed course inside the cavernous venue, accompanied by their choice of music, then judge each other’s performances for artistic merit.
Urban Freeflow estimates there are around 15,000 people who practice free running in Britain and that 98 percent are male, with the Internet playing a large part in its spreading the craze. It runs an academy in Kensal Rise, north London, where twice a week around 50 people, ranging from eight-year-olds to 55-year-olds, each pay $10 for two hours of tuition. Newcastle City Council is hoping to arrange courses for young people across the city after the success of a two-day taster session in March, and Wrexham council has became the latest local authority to express interest in taking free running into schools after a campaign by local pupils. A dedicated Parkour site has been proposed in Westminster.
Not everyone is so supportive, however, pointing to a lack of regulation and formal coaching qualifications. Alarms have been raised when videos turned up on YouTube showing young people leaping on roofs, trespassing or putting themselves in danger. The Safer Guildford Partnership discourages free running after incidents in which people were swinging across a local river using a road bridge, then crossing three lanes of traffic.
Scotland Yard and the London Ambulance Service said last week they were unaware of any incidents connected to free running. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents urged free runners to be aware of their limits but said many sports can cause injuries and it has “nothing against” the activity.
“To be any good you need to be disciplined and focused. People who do it are sensible and serious and there’s no unnecessary risk-taking. We do roof jumping for commercials, but always have safety nets and mats and it’s all very controlled. Day-to-day training is at ground level,” said Paul Corkery, the 34-year-old director of Freeflow.
And what is the appeal of this peculiar sport in the urban jungle? The former boxer explained: “It’s absolute freedom of movement, being able to use your body to go anywhere any time. You don’t have to spend any money, you just need a pair of sneakers and your imagination.”