Have you watched moves where the protagonist runs across buildings and barricades, doing stunts, twisting and turning? Did it amaze you? Let’s look at another clichéd example, have you watched those Karate and Kung Fu movies where the hero fights with a bunch of goons and then shows acrobatic skills like running on to a wall and jumping back?
Well, the discipline which is being writing about here is very similar to what is being described above. What is being elaborated here is called Parkour or Free Running.
A popular definition of what Parkour is reads: Parkour is a holistic training discipline using movement that developed from military obstacle course training. Practitioners aim to get from A to B in the most efficient way possible.
This is done using only the human body and the surroundings for propulsion, with a focus on maintaining as much momentum as possible while still remaining safe.
Frenchmen David Belle is considered the founder of the modern art of parkour which he developed off the skills which his father Raymond Belle acquired when he was sent to military training.
Assam Parkour
Goalpara is small town in Assam situated some 134 kilometers west of Guwahati. Located on the banks of Brahmaputra, Goalpara is home to some of the most talented names of not just Assam, but the entire country. The list includes names like Adil Hussian, who is a renowned Bollywood actor.
Talent over foods Goalpara and the latest to join the list is a group called Assam Parkour, who is not just practicing this difficult sport in the state but also propagating it amongst the youth in Assam.
In 2012, a 16-year-old Mozammel Haque Ahmed was browsing though the internet for stunts during his class 10th boards when he first came across the phrase parkour. He did his further research on the topic and got immensely interested in the sport. He then along with his friends started practicing in whatever open areas they had, which included deserted properties and sand pits. And this how Assam Parkour group was started.
Mozammel started it with a handful of boys in Goalpara and today they have moved to different parts of the state and have around 35 members in his group. “We started practicing with whatever we had in Goalpara. It all started for me with YouTube videos, I watched them and practiced. Then we started expanding and now I train kids who join our groups,” said Mozammel speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda.
Assam Parkour, however, has slightly more to their history. Parkour in Assam was actually started way back in 2010 in IIT Guwahati by Rajani Boro and Rabindra Pator. They, when passed out of IIT joined Mozammel’s group further strengthening their lot.
Today, they have members from various cities and towns of Assam, including far off places like Halflong and Kokrajhar. They have their own practicing arena and training arena. They have their Facebook page where he regularly make videos and upload them. Slowly and steadily they are gaining attention.
Free Running, as it is also known as is slowly gaining its pace in the state and these kids are practicing it without any support or facilities.
Parkour in India
Has the art of Parkour penetrated in India? Or rather, are their parkour groups in India? According to a post in Quora, there are a number of parkour groups in India. Though it is not that popular or widely recognized in India, some of the people in the scene are really good. Parkour Mumbai and Chennai Parkour are definitely worth mentioning.
Also, there are parkour communities in Hyderabad, Chennai, Calcutta, Odisha, Nashik (these guys are good), Delhi, Bangalore (Chaos Faktory), and Assam (AsPK).
You can watch the video here:
