Free running is a term the meaning of which was once identical to parkour, but is currently often confused and erroneously used as a replacement for the term parkour. After David Belle and Sébastien Foucan went separate ways, free running evolved into an art that emphasized aesthetics, and regards the grace and beauty of the movement as more important than efficiency. While traceurs practice parkour in order to improve their ability to overcome obstacles faster and in the most natural manner, free runners practice and employ a broader array of movements that are not always necessary in order to overcome obstacles.
The meaning of the different philosophical approaches to movement can be summed up by the following two quotes:
Experienced free runner Jerome Ben Aoues explains in the documentary Jump London that
"the most important element is the harmony between you and the obstacle; the movement has to be elegant... If you manage to pass over the fence elegantly — that's beautiful, rather than saying 'I jumped the lot.' What's the point in that?"
David Belle and/or PAWA team emphasized the division between parkour and free running by stating:
“ Understand that this art has been created by few soldiers in Vietnam to escape or reach: and this is the spirit I'd like parkour to keep. You have to make the difference between what is useful and what is not in emergency situations. Then you'll know what is parkour and what is not. So if you do acrobatics things on the street with no other goal than showing off, please don't say it's parkour. Acrobatics existed long time ago before parkour. ”
—David Belle and/or PAWA team.
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