Freerunning is derived from parkour, but it emphasizes not efficiency but artistry, allowing room for fancy flips and stylistic acrobatics.
[5] In Western Europe, the idea of moving past obstacles for personal development or sport originated with Georges Hébert.
[6] He observed untrained native tribes in Africa with fantastic athletic ability and created the 'natural method' system to train people using the same ideas.
[7] These ideas were picked up by a young Raymond Belle, who used them to practical effect while separated from his family during the First Indochina War.
30 years later, other young people were attracted to these ideas and a small group formed, the Yamakasi, which included Foucan.
[6][8] This group trained together for several years and in 1997, through David Belle's brother, Jean-Francois, they started to attract attention and be invited to perform at events.
[9][10] Meanwhile, action star Jackie Chan had also been heavily featuring the same concepts in most of his films ever since the early 1980s from the other side of the globe.