And now for something completely different...

[byslantedlight]

The Isle of Man does Parkour - and not only is this lad skilled, but the film is gorgeously shot and it looks like he edited it himself. Look at what he does on the Laxey Wheel! And oh, the view over Douglas Harbour...

I think I was looking for weather, and I found this instead - gotta love it when kids are creative and competent!

Comments

[siskiou.livejournal.com]

That's impressive! And fun and exiting!
Had never heard of free running before.
Thanks for sharing!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It's really called Parkour, and I fell in love with people who do it a few years ago after finding out that's what it was that started off the first Daniel Craig Bond movie - you know the big chase scene at the start? I love that it's in the Isle of Man!

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

*pouts*
Connection too slow to watch YouTube. I think I have it saved to watch when I get back to UK.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm sorry - I didn't mean to taunt you with interesting things to watch...

On the bright side - internet connection! *g*

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Yes - internet!! Though it's very erratic and seems to depend on the weather. We could upgrade to a higher speed but it would be quite costly because it would entail a monthly payment and we aren't here every month, and are already paying for the UK internet year-round.

I hope I've managed to add the link to my YouTube 'queue', but in general links work better for me than embedded clips - I can bookmark them and watch back in England. I think that's true for people on dial-up too. Not sure if anyone is that archaic in UK but there are people in the wilds of America...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Ah, I've no idea about YouTube queues etc, I'm not that into it I'm afraid. I appreciate that links might be easier for some people, but to be honest I don't really want to get into trying to think of all the ways that different people might access my posts etc, and having to provide them all - I think I'd start to feel like a disseminator of information rather than someone who's just having a wee chat on my lj, and that would put me off bothering in the first place! Mostly I tend to think that if it's interesting/relevant enough then people will make their own way around whatever it is... I'm sorry - if you will abide in sunny Portugal... *g*

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Meh. I can do that.

Just kidding, that was frickin' awesome! It's amazing what the human body can do, and how gorgeous and graceful and artistic it is. It's actually very moving, in a way, isn't it?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hee - I'd like to see you... *g*

It is impressive, isn't it - and just think, given the right interest and the right dedication we probably could have done something like this... I love that this guys body is his art - it's his brush, or his pen or his clay, for the way he moves...

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

Amazing, and brilliant, and I could have watched it for much longer. Gorgeous scenery too.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Isn't it incredible! He's so confident and competent in what he does with his body, sending it here there and everywhere! And the Isle of Man does have some rather gorgeous bits... I'm half-surprising myself by missing it now that I don't have to go back regularly...

[rosie55.livejournal.com]

That was amazing! And very well done in every way. I shall watch it again which says something because it isn't really the sort of thing I'm usually interested in.
Tell you something though - there were a couple of times it reminded me of some of the training and chase sequences in Pros! Though they may not have been quite as athleic as this guy who appears to up to Olympic gymnastics standards at times!

[siskiou.livejournal.com]

there were a couple of times it reminded me of some of the training and chase sequences in Pros!

Oh, yes!!!
I was thinking that, too! :)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised it's caught my attention so well, but there's something about it, and the fact that it grew up from kids wanting to do it, not as a "sport" being pushed with lots of money...

I think I saw that this lad came second in the Parkour/Freerunning World Championships, which doesn't surprise me at all - I just rewatched the two vids I first saw (in the link above to Siskiou) and he seems very good...

I think of our lads when I watch Parkour too - I'm sure I posted about it somewhere, though I couldn't find it specifically in the one up above... probably in the comments, just like this... *g* Hee - I wonder if CI5 agents today might be trained in freerunning... *g*

[rosie55.livejournal.com]

I could just see Doyle doing this sort of stuff, he has the build and innate grace for it, doesn't he? And sometimes when they are chasing someone, they do tackle high walls etc in a very similar way. Maybe it's about confidence and knowing how to go about it. Brilliant clip though, I will try to have a look at the others later! I don't remember seeing you comparing this with the lads, might have missed that. Great minds, though, obviously!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh he does - and the strength I think, from what we've seen him do just as a matter of course! That said, the lad above seems kind of stocky (in the most muscled way!) so I reckon Bodie might not do that badly either... *g*

I think you're right too - confidence and competence are so important, in anything really...

I really remember comparing the lads vividly, and if it's not in the post/conversation, I'm wondering now if I'd posted about it before, because I did mention that I'd seen it before and loved it in that post... I really do need to tag/index my lj better! (But then I keep coming back to things that I thought were just in passing at the time!)

[sunray45.livejournal.com]

Quite amazing! The young men and the photography.

It's a bit worrying though, the way he practically floated up and over those high stone walls. A security risk?!

Thanks for showing this to us.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I gather that alot of people do go straight for the security-risk and/or kids-causing-trouble suspicion when they see freerunners around, but quite honestly I think anyone able to do parkour/freerunning to this level wouldn't have the time to to go around nicking stuff! It takes alot of work and dedication to be good like this - and there's enough money in it as a sport/in film and tv (I gather) to be a more attracive option...

People have always climbed walls and so on to steal, and I suspect they always will - but I think you'd have to be particularly dedicated to wanting a life of crime to learn parkour in order to be better at it! (As Ojuka said to Katunda when he learned what she'd done to get her revenge - then you have earned my head... *g*)