FLIPPING through the air, Robbie Griffith hasn’t a care in the world. Airborne
for two seconds, he soars above the landmarks of London before planting his
two feet firmly back on the ground.
The 15-year-old flashes a cheeky grin and takes off down the street, leaping
above people’s heads as he bounds from pillar to post.
It is a hot day but this kid makes parkour look effortlessly cool. This is the
UK’s youngest leading parkour athlete.
At barely 5ft, the teenager from Coatbridge, some 20 miles east of Glasgow,
can launch himself across 10 feet jumps, but rarely feels afraid.
Robbie says: “Kids don’t fear things like adults. I don’t have a phobia such
as spiders or heights. I don’t think I’m afraid of anything – and I never
feel out of my depth.
“But you have to know you can do the jump and that there’s no risk before you
start – otherwise that’s when you’ll have an accident.
“You don’t just run and jump at stuff. I know my limits.”
Thousands of Brits now regularly take part in parkour every week – with
British women leading the world in terms of female participation.
More than half of teens have heard of parkour, glued to YouTube videos on the
net. One video Robbie posted on the internet has been watched over 101,000
times.
“People just started sharing it and it went viral – it’s crazy,” he says,
delightedly. Within 24 hours of uploading the one-minute clip, over 40,000
people had tuned in.
Free-running tricks are now more popular to watch online than skateboarding
and BMX videos combined.
Parkour all began in the 1980s, across the English Channel in France. It was
founded by a group of nine young men and originally went by the catchy name
of Art du Deplacement. That is, until leading traceur David Belle – who
starred in District 13 – decided to rename it parkour in 1998, after the
French term ‘parcours’, meaning ‘route’ or ‘course’.
The sport is all about running, crawling, jumping and hurling yourself freely
over obstacles to get from A to B – in the most effective way possible. It
was classes at Robbie’s high school that first got him hooked.
Aged 11, he asked his dad Jim for a pull-up bar and started doing 40 pull-ups
every night to build up his strength.
Robbie recalls: “Flyers were handed out for classes at my high school and so
me and a couple of my mates went along. I’d seen a few videos and loved it.
I was never into football or anything like that.
“Some people call it a sport, some people call it an art. It’s a series of
climbing, jumping and swinging. People say it’s like outside gymnastics but
it’s not really. There’s no strict form – it can be anything you want. It’s
quite hard to put into words.
“I just love being outside. I can’t understand how people stay indoors when
it’s sunny – I can’t do it.
“I’ve always loved climbing trees and rock-climbing. You’ll never find me
watching television. For three and a bit years I’ve been trying things out.
I do gymnastics, trampolining, parkour. I can juggle five balls at a time.”
Robbie thinks the sport whose philosophy aims to build confidence and
determination has even helped him in the classroom.
He explains: “I was one of those kids that couldn’t sit still. I was fidgety,
always talking or bouncing on my chair. Parkour helps me focus on tasks at
hand rather than wandering off or talking to people in school.
“It should be a subject, as much as rugby or gymnastics – and I hope it is
soon taught in every school.”
Parkour has been taught in over 200 schools around the UK since 2005. Now,
even Goldie thinks it should be part of the national curriculum.
Robbie says: “I remember the first time I tried jumping outside: I liked the
freedom. With football and other sports there are all these rules and
guidelines, but you can do parkour anyway you like. It’s creative and it
brings that out of me.
“I train for about fifteen hours a week and I’m always learning new things –
it’s better than school. I break new jumps on a daily basis. Take the
handstand I just did on top of the railings – I was quite proud of that.”
Another achievement, the teen known as “Wee Beastie” should be proud of is the
fact he’s never had an accident – just a couple of scrapes and bruises here
and there.
He says: “I haven’t had any injuries and I’m not worried about breaking my arm
or legs. Parkour is just like any other sport, injuries happen. Take
American football, there are more injuries in that than any other sport.”
Robbie has his head firmly screwed on. He is measured and weighs up the risks
before bounding through the air. That didn’t stop his dad Jim from checking
up on him every hour when he first started hanging out with older kids at
the local parkour park.
His responsible attitude is unlike the image of young people leaping across
buildings and climbing cranes in adrenaline-filled stunts.
And these terrifying images are in danger of tarnishing the art that makes the
urban environment its playground – and Robbie isn’t a fan. He says: “Parkour
is sometimes frowned upon. The police often shout at us to ‘Get down’ off
railings or walls.
“I’m not doing any harm but sometimes people get the wrong idea. They think
we’re going to break their property or vandalise. One time I was on top of a
primary school and someone called the police because they thought we were
causing havoc and trying to break into the school.
“But the image is changing as people become more aware of it.”
Robbie has travelled across Europe performing in competitions in Denmark,
Italy and next week will go to Holland.
The only equipment he needs is a pair of trainers. The young lad has just
starred in a campaign for fashion designer Paul Smith and signed with JLM
Urban Sports – who supply stunt men for films like James Bond and Star Wars.
And the dream is to join them on the big screen.
He says: “How cool would it be to star in Mission Impossible or be Tom
Cruise’s stunt double? I’d love it. I’d love to make a career from parkour
and I can’t imagine my life without it. It’s just as natural for me as
walking.”
His father project manager Jim, 50, couldn’t be more proud. He says: “Doing
parkour has helped Robbie’s concentration and skills. It’s about growing
your strength and discipline – and anything that promotes healthy living can
only be a good thing.
“Of course I worry about his safety, I wouldn’t be a good father if I didn’t
but he reassures me. No doubt there will be an accident at some point. I
imagine the older he gets, the bigger the jumps will be but it’s all about
pacing yourself and precision.”
To see more of Robbie, visit