What is PARKOUR?
Parkour is a discipline founded in France by David Belle in the 1990’s. In some places Parkour has been defined as the “fluidity and efficiency of human movement.” Others have given it a more explanatory definition by saying it is, “The art of moving effectively through the environment using only the human body to overcome obstacles,” and/or “Moving from one point to another as smoothly, efficiently and quickly as possible using the abilities of the human body.”
Although these definitions are all true and accurately reflect Parkour in a performance environment, David Belle usually explains Parkour with a much different focus. Says Belle about his art:
“Parkour is a method of training which allows us to overcome obstacles, both in the urban and natural environments….It’s a weapon in disguise. We train... and when one day we encounter a problem, we know that we are able to use it…It can be the art of flight, of the chase, of helping someone with a problem, or something ordinary.”
“Parkour is firstly about the useful side, to teach people how to trust themselves, to learn to be careful.”
“The philosophy [of Parkour] is always to advance, never to stop. If some time you have problems, like in life, if you have an obstacle you must always continue forward…Parkour begins when you find an obstacle in front of you and have to utilize your body to surpass it.”
Since Parkour’s foundation more than a decade ago, the discipline has spread around the world and now has communities, delegations, and committed practitioners in virtually every country.
TAKE FLIGHT: THE WORLD’S ORIGINAL PARKOUR CLOTHING COMPANY
At Take Flight we have always believed that Parkour was different. It is not like other sports or athletic pursuits. It is a focused discipline, and it is characterized by practicality, preparedness, mental acuity, and the physical conditioning.
In a performance environment Parkour is visually captivating, so it’s not surprise that it’s inspiring to people of all ages. The physical movements that Parkour athletes do in everyday practice, such as vaults and flow combos, had literally never been conceptualized or attempted just decades ago. With this physical prodding at the hand of David’s inspiration, Parkour has been a prominent factor that has taken certain aspects of human athletic performance to a previously unimaginable level.
All of the aforementioned qualities (and a few others) are what makes Parkour unique. Because of these unique attributes and the unique Parkour community of Traceurs that embody these ideas, principles, values, philosophy, and movement, we believed that Parkour deserved a clothing and shoe company dedicated to its practice. The result was the founding of Take Flight.
There are companies out there that print t-shirts and pants with Parkour related designs and symbols. But right from the get-go we decided Traceurs deserve something better. They deserve custom Parkour shoes and Parkour inspired apparel designed specifically for them and to aid them in their ability to train and perform. Comfort, performability, and style have been the cornerstone of our products since day #1, and we are dedicated to these principles as well as producing newer and better Parkour clothing all the time.
“For Traceurs. By Traceurs,” is a term that is use frequently in the Parkour community. Implicitly it says something about loyalty and staying true to Parkour and its original meaning and purpose. This is another aspect that separates Take Flight as a true Parkour brand and company. Not only are we the first Parkour clothing company, our founder, Adam Dunlap, is a dedicated and experienced Parkour practitioner who learned from David Belle himself. It is his vision that brought Take Flight into existence, and it is his dedication to Parkour that keeps the company close to our Parkour roots. The result of this focus can be read in our mission statement, seen in our clothing designs, and experienced in our community involvement.
JUMP. FLY. DREAM.
"Jump. Fly. Dream." is the cohesive slogan that brings together Parkour and Take Flight. In addition to using Take Flight to a) provide the highest quality apparel and shoes for Traceurs everywhere, and b) spread Parkour worldwide, it was also Dunlap’s vision to use Take Flight to spread the ideas of hope, inspiration, and encouragement to people around the world regardless of their sport or athletic preference. Said Adam about this vision:
“Parkour is different from many other disciplines and sports because it changes people. When people see Parkour, they immediately become inspired. For the first time they see what is physically possible, and it often so beyond anything they ever imagined that they start to think differently. They start to say, ‘Why have I always done things this way? Why can’t I also pursue my passions and go after my dreams?’ These are the foundational epiphanies of hope, vision, and change. And hope is not only a very encouraging thing, it is a necessary thing. Implicit in hope are the parallel ideals of kindness, goodness, faith, courage, and love. These are the actions and feelings that humanity continually strives for and seeks, and these are the sentiments that Parkour innately transmits and perpetuates because of its nature. By creating Take Flight I saw the opportunity to use clothing to combine all these ideas and create a force for change by bringing this vision and inspiration to people around the world.”
"Jump. Fly. Dream." is the slogan which embodies Take Flight as a company with a purpose. It is both a call to action, and an appeal to the specific goals and aspirations everyone has to achieve. It is the central ideal in all we do and the motto by which we work to inspire and encourage you to pursue and accomplish your dreams.
