A new Martial Art Options

[Shockwave_IIc]

Ok, I've started to think that "le Parkour" is quite cool. and had a little look into it.
The art of movement is what David Parkour calls it and that martial art assoicated with it (which he invented 10 years ago aged 15). Ok i don't read french so this might not be accurate at all but here's my thoughts none the less.

Ok so it's based on moving consently (from what i got on the vids) so static manouvers are out (bye bye focus strength and will) but the likes of Evasion and whirling fit so they would be in. So.....

Advantages:
By being in a constant state of motion Skilled users (skill 4+) can make themselves a harder target, easyier then most others people. Thus when performing a Atheltics Complex action to increase combat pool for dodging (pg 97 CC) characters with this skill receive a -1Tn for that test.

Note i was going to go with -1Tn for all athletics tests, but then i realised that that was a 4 point merit

Disadvantages
Because it relies on movement. Characters using this skill suffer a -1 die in tightly enclosed spaces or any area where full movement is restricted.

Maneuvers
Disorient, Evasion, Herding, Kick Attack, Kip up, Multi-Strike,Sweep, Whirling, Zoning

So what do you thing? Would you allow it in your games??

[Limping Jacob]

Meh, Parkour's idea of constant movement isn't exactly unique to his little martial art. There are certain styles of Japanese sword-fighting that emphasize constant movement of the blade and feet, and most martial arts lack truly "static" techniques anyway. Rules-wise, it looks kosher enough to me, nothing outlandish.

[Glyph]

I would allow it in a game. Congratulations. Most of the new martial arts that people try to introduce in this forum seem to start with "This martial art is so cool!" and end in game-breaking advantages. This one seems well-balanced, though.

[gknoy]

Except ... I thought the Parkour thing was about athletic prowess, the the point of effortless movement in [nearly?] all environments, and not about any form of combat (unless you consider jumping off the top of a building onto the roof of another, into a running roll, as you run the hell away "combat"... ;)). How does this fit a _martial_ art? Sure, it's a great feat of prowess, but to me ... it seems simply like something that you could use as an athletics-look-alike that you could stack (or complementary-skill-ify) with Athletics for doing those DAMN crazy stunts, similar to an adept with improved athletics. =) (It is also quite possible, though, that I missed entirely the martial part of le Parkour, as I don't read French.)

On the flip side, it's cool that you decided to try and take it someplace in-game. =) Best of luck.

This post has been edited by gknoy: Apr 4 2004, 05:53 PM

[A Clockwork Lime]

I don't know anything about Parkour, but gknoy's comments inspired an idea.

How about making it a new "everyman's adept centering" Knowledge Skill? People can use it as a Complimentary Test when using Athletics to Dodge. Every two successes could grant a -1 target number modifier and you could still keep the same restriction that it cannot be used in tight quarters on top of that.

Seems to make a little more sense to me that way.

[Shockwave_IIc]

Take it you've not been to the site.

(this is from memory so might not be 100% accurate)
His dad was a martial artist, and inspired David Parkour into the "art of movement" it is a full martial art along with mind conditioning and diets and such. If you go to the site (link unknown) and go through the pages (whether or not you read french) you'll see it's almost a way of life, and that it is a martial art. The "Athletic Prowess" thing is the way he markets it (hence the coke and car ad's) Hey gotta make a living somehow right?

[gknoy]

[Apologies before hand -- I'm about to go to bed after being up WAY too late playing Raven Shield. =D My typing is probably extremely crappy, though I have made an effort to clean it up as best I can.]

Actually, I /have/ been to the site, and I believe I was the one that posted it to these boards. Could be wrong, and I may not have been the first poster.

I most certainly DID miss that, though. =D I knew he was a martial artist, as he's well known in martial arts and stunt circles, but I did NOT catch that le Parkour was something he considered a fighting art. :-)

Where does he note it as a fighting art? (I'm genuinely curious.) Is this a case of a <foo>-do [comprehensive way of life] vs a <foo>-jutsu [cmoprehensive way of winnign fights ;)]? Do we consider either or both to be a "martial art"? (I know that the term is used ni english to mean either, often times, but feel that in general as far as game mechanics go, the way-of-fighting seems to be more applicable than way-of-eating-and-acting-and-moving.)

The english version of the Le Parkour site (http://perso.wanadoo.fr/parkour/parkoureng...lish/page3.html) refers to it as a sport, as well as an "art of movement". Also, all of the various movements that are discussed (that I've seen) are jumps, drops, rolls, flips, twists, balance work. Nothing seems to be at all combative about that. I am certain that a skilled Parkour artist could apply it pretty well to any martial art they might know (wall jumps/kicks?), but I do not think that the aim of Parkour is at all to teach a student to fight. The closest I saw to that was that it's about "overcoming obstacles" that one meets in life; but I still don't get a "fight" vibe from this.

Which leads me to ask - what is martial about Parkour? Perhaps only the mindset, that no obstacle is too much, and that solutions are always available.

[edit]
Something interesting too that I gleaned from a Google for "parkour martial art":
http://www.urbanfreeflow.com/UrbanFreeFlow...irthofanart.htm
-- in which one of the early members of the Parkour movement (who apparently worked with David Belle to develop it - or so he claims) notes that "the parkour was born from the meeting of various elements which are sports in general, and particularly urban sliding sports (for example, skateboarding), asian martial arts, as well as breakdancing, and of course David’s father’s teaching." (Martial arts definitely had a formative role in its development.)

He then goes on to add, "we could talk about art of jumping, art of overcoming obstacles, art of moving. but the definition is not important, I don’t prefer to give another name than parkour", which leads me to believe that there is no combative intent in le Parkour, that it is all about _playing_.
[/edit]

[Shockwave_IIc]

I might be wrong, it's not like i can actually read french (can barley read english).

side note: the link isn't working

[gknoy]

Sorry :) Didn't mean to jump too hard/too far down your throat. That was a bit of a reaction on my part. I hope I didn't offend.

I guess what I was trying to say was (oh crap, here he goes again! j/k :)), it could very well be considered a martial art. So is Japanese flower arranging. However, I would be very surprised if anyone decided to use either to try and engage in combat with that angry looking troll. (though, that might be the best time to HAVE Parkour knowledge -- and pray the troll can't follow you as you Parkour your way up the wall, over the roof, across a 6 foot chasm, and then further up a fire escape. :))

[edit]
Odd, both links seem to work for me. =/ Maybe it has to do with our upstream internet conenctivity? blast. They weer good reading :)
[/edit]

This post has been edited by gknoy: Apr 4 2004, 06:29 PM

[RedSunOfKrypton]

My best friend and I started getting into Parkouring a while ago, great fun and great exercise, and the guy's name is David Belle, how come he's referred to as David Parkour?

[Synner]

Parkour (aka Free Running) is the name of the sport not the man, it is derivative of the French for "course" since the sport isn't a martial art at all but actually a type of "extreme athletics".

The goal of the "game" is to master the "art of movement" in any environment. Typically athletes race each other over urban courses, or "parkours", overcoming all the obstacles in their way in the most efficient, stylish and intelligent way possible. This can involve anything from climbing fences, jumping off roofs, hurdling trashcans, diving through drainage ditches, etc. Athletes are constantly on the lookout for new challenges and obstacles and "parkours" change whenever a new and daring course is found.

You may want to check the English version of the official Parkour site it includes videos of "free running".

[Namergon]

The name of the founder is David BELLE, and the art was inspired to him by his father.
The practitionners are called "Traceurs" (French for Trackers), and one famous group of trackers in France are the Yamakazi
They were advertised by Luc Besson in a French movie he produced, Taxi, in wich they were playing ninjas using movement in a stunning way to evade their pursuers, then later Besson produced a movie in which they starred, Yamakazi. Seeing them using the suburb's building structures to fit their move was astonishing and a real pleasure for the eye.

[boodah]

as per dictionary.com:

Martial:
Characteristic of or befitting a warrior.

Art:
High quality of conception or execution, as found in works of beauty; aesthetic value.

Speed is a warriors characteristic, as are strength and agility.
The quality of movement befits calling it a "Martial Art," IMHO.

[Shockwave_IIc]

Hmmm am i to take the fact that people are "having a go" at my inspiration for the art as opposed to the rules as a good thing or bad thing?