Article in today's Guardian: Free Running Goes To War

Well, it's certainly an interesting concept.

Freerunning, the youth craze which involves daredevil leaps from buildings and acrobatic stunts from lamp-posts, has emerged as the Royal Marines' latest weapon of urban warfare.

A squad of professional freerunners going by the names EZ, Livewire, Sticky and Spidey has begun training marine commandos in gravity-defying moves such as the "kong vault", "running cat" and "crane" in an effort to improve troops' street-to-street fighting ability.

The jumping techniques - in which the walls, stairs and bollards of urban landscapes become an assault course - were showcased in the opening sequence to the last James Bond film. The rising popularity of freerunning, also known as parkour, means it rivals skateboarding as a street craze.

Article continues
Senior physical training instructors from the marines' base in Lympstone, Devon, have received initial training on the concrete of the Heygate estate, Walworth, south London, and the South Bank Centre, a favourite stomping ground because of its high-level walkways, undercrofts and staircases.

They have taken the knowledge back to their training gym and from this month will receive regular training from the Urban Freeflow crew, a professional London outfit which advised on the choreography for Casino Royale.

Captain Sean Lerwill, a senior physical training instructor who is behind the collaboration, said freerunning moves were likely to be incorporated into battle training for qualified green berets and might be introduced into basic training for would-be recruits.

"We found some of the moves were relevant for battle," he said. "For them it is about artistic expression. For example, they will run along a wall keeping a low profile because it looks good, but we need to do the same thing in urban combat to stay safe."

so they are going to do all that with full kit on.
i dont think so.

I think this has been on here before but its still worth a watch.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9UmHNSfi

Originally Posted by WRAPJOBAGAIN

so they are going to do all that with full kit on.
i dont think so.

Yeah that was my first thought, but according to them ...

Many, but not all, of the moves were manageable wearing combat dress and a rifle which could be held on a sling, Lerwill said. Since their initiation, the marines have practised on the streets of Exeter and established a Royal Marines Parkour Club.

Of course "combat dress" could mean just jim-jams sans body armour, webbing, day sack etc.

Could hardly do it with fully loaded Bergan but I can see it being effective. Parkour (pre-curser of freerunning) actually started in the French Military for moving around the jungles of Vietnam. It's relevant.

No i believe some kids started it to relieve their boredom when they were living in a dump.

Crap, WAH? :P

Originally Posted by WRAPJOBAGAIN

so they are going to do all that with full kit on.
i dont think so.

Oh yes, you can just hear the calls for "Medic" as a blokes knee caps ping out in seperate directions.

It's not all good........... But this made me Laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knCY2xdJKQ4

My eldest boy has done 'Parkour' etc for a year or two and recently joined the TA. He would be the first to admit that though his 'Parkour' won't have done any harm to his physical fitness and agility it certainly bears feck all comparison to military fitness and ability.

Parkour to me is what we old 'uns used to call rough and tumble or fannying around - it's just amateur gymnastics without the gym.

Apparently 'free running' and 'Parkour' are different things to a 'traceur' like him

Load of bollocks.