Free Running: The Urban Landscape is Your Playground [Paperback]

Sebastien Foucan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2009

The author performed parkour in the opening sequence of the James Bond film Casino Royale
Contains 100 fantastic full-color photographs of the author in action

Parkour is the art of movement and action. Its cofounder, Sébastien Foucan, has performed it in movies, commercials, and the music video for Madonna’s song "Jump." In this book, Foucan displays his gravity-defying moves while sharing the inspirational philosophy of free running. With electrifying photos of Foucan in action, the book offers a new approach to how one moves through the urban landscape and the velocity at which one lives. The author codeveloped parkour in Paris and has popularized and promoted it around the world. Similar to skateboarding, parkour is more than just wonderful exercise: it is a whole new perspective on how to conquer the obstacles in the city — walls are for vaulting, rails are for riding, and steps are for jumping.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sébastien Foucan is the founder of Freerunning and co-founder of Parkour. He was born on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe and brought up with his 4 brothers and 1 sister. His freerunning is the result of 18 years of practice and thinking. Sébastien developed his skills though childhood play. The origins of the practice can be traced back to Georges Hebert, a French marine officer who created the ‘Natural Method’ and who was influenced by African indigenous tribes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Ulysses Press (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156975652X
• ISBN-13: 978-1569756522
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 7.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #415,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Philosophy only; no practical tips or instruction, February 4, 2009

By 

Vano Chu "grills year-round" (NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Free Running: The Urban Landscape is Your Playground (Paperback)

I was hoping for some advice or instruction on the actual execution of freerunning/parkour movements. This isn't that kind of book. It's a collection of photographs of Mr. Foucan (some action, some posed) interspersed with paragraphs of his philosophy and approach to life given as advice to the reader. Small bits of biographical material here and there. The photos are well done and the book itself (while small) is printed on heavy, glossy stock.

If you're looking for a book of basic life perspectives (keep trying, live in the moment, etc.) tucked into a photo album, then you may rate this higher. Since I was looking for something a bit more practical as an introduction to actually trying my hand at vaulting over picnic tables and clambering up walls, this book didn't meet my expectations.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a good book, February 8, 2009

By 

Linda Woolley - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Free Running: The Urban Landscape is Your Playground (Paperback)

Ok, this book does not give instruction on how to train in freerunning. If you want to learn or begin learning don't buy anthing. Look at the tutorials on [...]. you can also find a local group (most likely) that trains regularly in your area.

Now what this book does have is an insight on the philosophy behind parkour as well as a lot of pictures that shocase the beauty of perkour/freerunning. It can be very dificult to find a good source of the philosophy behind the very visual disipline known as parkour or freerunning but this book does give alot of insight that is clearly reliable. Sebastien Foucan was in the group of people that began this discipline and has walked the path of a true traceur (a practitioneer of the disipline). So I would recomend th book to anone who wans to have a good look at the mind and philosophy of a traceur. It does no however show a complete philosy of parkour and instead it feels mor like alot of mini philosophies but that might have been how Mr. Foucan wanted io be.

Side Note: that real name thing sucks, my real name is Jake Woolley.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mind not body, March 11, 2010

By 

M. Jones (usa) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Free Running: The Urban Landscape is Your Playground (Paperback)

I read this book in a few minuets. Mostly pictures and very few words. It is simply a narrative of the philosophy behind freeruning or parkour, not a how to guide.

It is a good book to boost ones motivation as a tracer.