The sport came out of the French discipline of parkour, where people use their bodies to get from A to B as efficiently as possible in a built environment, traversing obstacles along the way. Free running incorporates acrobatics and is more akin to dance, requiring mental and physical agility and speed. As well as promoting strength and fitness, traceurs - those who practise free running and parkour - say it encourages camaraderie among those taking part.
Marcus O'Brien, 17, from Dartford, south east London, has been doing parkour for 18 months. He says: "It gives you freedom to go anywhere you want." O'Brien is part of a crew called Ultimate Freedom, which meets up at weekends to train and also runs after-school clubs for young people.
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