OT: Royal Marines learn parkour

[Mr Punch]

Sweet. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/military/story/0,,2239647,00.html)
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[doug maverick]

thats so ****ing stupid. imagine a bunch of marines trying to flip off **** when bullets and bombs are going off. yeah ****ing right.

[Mr Punch]

thats so ****ing stupid. imagine a bunch of marines trying to flip off **** when bullets and bombs are going off. yeah ****ing right.So you know more about live combat situations than the Royal Marines commandos? Err, OK!

And you obviously didn't read the relevant parts of the article: there are lots of parkour moves that will make soldiers more aware and confident of their actions in rough urban terrain, including things like the single foot landing that was mentioned.

But thanks, eh! :rolleyes:

[Black Jack II]

Personally, I thought that vid was really cool.

[doug maverick]

So you know more about live combat situations than the Royal Marines commandos? Err, OK!

And you obviously didn't read the relevant parts of the article: there are lots of parkour moves that will make soldiers more aware and confident of their actions in rough urban terrain, including things like the single foot landing that was mentioned.

But thanks, eh! :rolleyes:

i know about live combat situations, i grew up in a live ****ing combat situation. like i said for to thats stupid. not tryin to make an arguement just stating my opinion

[mantis7]

Really? What live combat situation? I do suggest you read the whole article... Just my opinion.

[Mr Punch]

i grew up in a live ****ing combat situation. LOL, did you? Where, when?
like i said for to thats stupid. not tryin to make an arguement just stating my opinionThey're not talking about doing high-risk flips and ****, just basics about getting up and down things, diving into cover, landing safely and stuff.

Like the man said, try reading the article.

EDIT: Here you go combat boy, since you seem to have limited reading attention span:
"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."

Techniques for jumping from roof to roof and dropping from a height would be used to improve physical training drills to condition troops for urban warfare, he said. For example, the marines spotted that the freerunners' method of dropping from a height, rolling on to their shoulder, back and leg and running on in one smooth movement maintains running speed and could reduce the chances of commandos being shot.

Another improvement could come from landing from jumps with one foot. Marines have traditionally landed on both feet to reduce the risk of sprains on rough ground, but freerunning teaches the use of one foot on more stable urban surfaces to maintain momentum.I've even bolded bits for your lazy ass.

Cheers BJ, I hadn't noticed there were any clips...!

[mantis7]

I'm just waiting for him to say that NYC was his live combat zone.

[Black Jack II]

Here is some chinese army parkour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypU53vmvM-4

[Shaolinlueb]

jackie chan was doing that **** way before parkour was parkour. :rolleyes:

[Mr Punch]

I'm just waiting for him to say that NYC was his live combat zone.That's what I'm horribly afraid of.
jackie chan was doing that **** way before parkour was parkour. :rolleyes:Jackie Chan's cool. Relevance being?

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

Monkeys were doing that way before there were ****saipens.....

[golden arhat]

"A disappointing piece of journalism!

I am the owner of Urban Free Flow Ltd, the same company involved in the Royal Marine Commando's piece. I actually feature in the film that was produced by the Extreme Sports Channel and can confirm that the story printed in the Guardian is quite mis-leading.

At no point whatsoever did anyone say that we were training the RMC to use our techniques in combat.

The purpose of the piece is as a recruitment drive showing that the Commando's are an elite force who have very high standards for selection. But through a street movement like Parkour, where we are also very disciplined, we 'could' already have some of the attributes to make the grade.
The film itself simply shows a meeting of minds where 4 of their ranking officers tried their hand (very successfully) at Parkour via some training in London with us. Then as a flipside, 4 of our athletes went to their HQ in Lympstone to be given a taste of their life by tackling their assault courses. The result was very encouraging, with everyone coming away with nothing but pure admiration for each other. This will be reflected in the finished film which will air on the Extreme Sports Channel in the next few weeks.

Off the back of the project, we've remained in contact with the Commando's who took part and are continuing with training but in our own time. Its merely a case of new friendships being formed and the on-going sharing of knowledge. There's no story to tell about the RMC going to war doing cat leaps and roof jumping at all. However, if any of them were to use what we've taught in a combat type scenario and it saved their skin, we'd of course be delighted.

For a better look at what the project involved, check out this link - http://urbanfreeflow.com/the_core_level/pages/archives/royal_marine_commandos/index.htm

As for the 'sport' and kids jumping off of rooftops. It is the media who constantly choose to go on about this angle in a sensationalist manner. The fact is that anything done on rooftops is left for movies and commercials where we have safety measure in place, such as wires, mats and nets. We make every effort to convey this message to the kids we teach at our academy and in the material we produce for our website, which attracts up to 100,000 visitors a day.
Take a look under the surface and you will find a huge online community reaching all 4 corners of the world and through the experienced practitioners all doing their bit, the message of 'Start slow, stay low' is pushed forward at all times. In other words, there is no rush to get good and for day to day practice, all training is done at ground level.

To add, the comment about the sport being "subversive and counter-cultural" is way off the mark. The people involved in the movement of Parkour are conscientious and disciplined people who are channeling their energy into doing something positive with themselves.

For further info about Parkour, visit www.urbanfreeflow.com and have a look around.

Regards
Ez
Urban Free Flow Ltd"

[Mr Punch]

Yeah, I read that too.

The fact remains, however the collaboration began (if the ever declining Guardian is to be believed in their quoting of the Marine geezers), they are going to be using some of the techniques and training methods in their standard PT programme, even if not using any of the fancy moves.

Which I think is good, common sense and quite cool.

[Mr Punch]

Incidentally, the four free-runners who went to the Marine barracks and trained with them all finished their assault course in less time than the Marines (even those who were familiar with the course), everyone in full kit with a rifle and webbing and the works. :cool: :D

[golden arhat]

Incidentally, the four free-runners who went to the Marine barracks and trained with them all finished their assault course in less time than the Marines (even those who were familiar with the course), everyone in full kit with a rifle and webbing and the works. :cool: :D

haha yeah thats pretty cool

[sanjuro_ronin]

Nothing wrong with training the body to do something different of different = better.

[Mr Punch]

Nothing wrong with training the body to do something different of different = better.Well, I was looking at the basic moves instructional vids on urban freeflow's site, and I was thinking I wouldn't mind getting a few of those down... you know, for next time I have to outrun the filth! ;)

[sanjuro_ronin]

Well, I was looking at the basic moves instructional vids on urban freeflow's site, and I was thinking I wouldn't mind getting a few of those down... you know, for next time I have to outrun the filth! ;)

Rule of thumb:
I respect anyone that can do something I can't.
And that more than includes people running up walls and jumping off buildings !

[Shaolin Wookie]

Why do people hate on parkour? It teaches how to brace for impact and control the body to limit damage sustained in falls, etc....it's like an extreme version of breakfalling. Besides which, they're probably in better shape than most people on this forum.:D We talk about taking on three guys here in the dead end of an alley, and what techniques one could use. Well, if you can friggin' shimmy up a wall, pipe, or a light post to get to a rooftop, I think you've escaped immediate danger well enough, and with better odds than a roundhouse.