Royal Marines to be taught 'freerunning'

Freerunning, the youth craze which involves daredevil leaps from buildings and acrobatic stunts from lamp-posts, has emerged as the Royal Marines' latest weapon of urban warfare.

A squad of professional freerunners going by the names EZ, Livewire, Sticky and Spidey has begun training marine commandos in gravity-defying moves such as the "kong vault", "running cat" and "crane" in an effort to improve troops' street-to-street fighting ability.

The jumping techniques - in which the walls, stairs and bollards of urban landscapes become an assault course - were showcased in the opening sequence to the last James Bond film. The rising popularity of freerunning, also known as parkour, means it rivals skateboarding as a street craze.

Source: The Guardian

I'm not sure how many of you saw the latest Bond film (Casino Royale) but there's an example of this in the first part of the film. It's certainly an... inventive technique to teach the Royal Marines, and I could see how it would be beneficial in urban warfare. Not necessarily the most conventional idea, but the creativeness of the British armed forces at it's finest

I doubt this is going anywhere. They have enough weight on their backs to sprint, let alone thrust themselves off of walls.

Shattered OUT...

And this is going to work with 90 pounds of equipment over walls and up stairs? In certain senarios maybe actually make them more healthy and maybe they might use it in snach an grabs but no way it can really help urban fighting. less ammo less gear gets you killed !

I'm fairly sure they're not supposed to do this when fully geared up, guys. You're thinking too conventionally and history has proven that combat (especially urban warfare) isn't like that.

Let's see... you're low on ammo, you're cut off from the main force and the enemy is closing in. You can't stand and fight because you're outnumbered and outgunned, so this could be one of the few options left. It's hardly likely the enemy is going to expect you to be leaping across rooftops, either.

t's hardly likely the enemy is going to expect you to be leaping across rooftops, either.

Well, they are if they know you can do parkour.

I believe in combat staying close to the ground and as close as possible to cover is the best way to stay alive. Going airborne may be the worst choice to make.

Shattered OUT...

The point may well be that they want these guys to think of these obstacles as just another route rather than an obstacle at all: they want them to be able to move thru ANY terrain as fast as possible, and oif that means learning to overcome features of an urban terrain the most efficient way, whcih this seems to be, then naturally it would enhance their abilities to increase their overall value.

What once seemed to be an obstacle can now be viewed, and conquered, as another route with different actions needed to move thru it and reach the objective. Instead of rappeling and using ropes, if they aree confident and trained enough to jump and land correctly, they have achieved a marked increase in stealth and less need of cumbersome equipment, now haven't they?

No, they will making themselves targets for extended periods of time while they lumber up and over obstacles.

Its daft, freerunning is all about being fast, smooth and light on your feet. Something similar to what Jackie Chan does in his films, they simply cannot do it with their equipment and will only leave themselves open to be shot while in a defenceless position.

Nobody is gonna recreate the opening scene of Casino Royale while wearing a uniform, or carrying any gear. One's best bet is clever use of cover, concealment, communication between team members, and appropriate use of aimed and suppressive fires.

Think of it as another weapon (a physical one) in the Royal Marine armoury. I'm sure the Marines have some ideas about how this can be used otherwise they wouldn't have bothered teaching it in the first place (and let's face it, these guys know more about warfare than the vast majority of us on ATS). I'm not expecting them to go freerunning everywhere, but I can see how it could be useful in some situations. Tactics have to be adapted as the enemy changes, and we are presently fighting something that we've never really fought before. The dynamics of conflict have changed a great deal, and if we simply stick to the tactics that worked in the last war then we'll lose. Just look at how Napoleon managed to defeat the Prussians.

And no, I hardly expect them to recreate the Casino Royale scene... that was just the most prominent example of freerunning I could think of!

[edit on 14/1/08 by Ste2652]

Interesting Topic

This may be of interest.

From the earth shattering interview with Gary McKinnon.

I also found these awful special forces training videos of guys running around, doing close-quarter battle. It was ridiculous. These yellow words would flash on to the video: 'BRUTALITY! REMEMBER BRUTALITY! SHOCK! DOMINATION!' You're thinking, 'Oh my God!' It was like Batman." I tell Gary that I've seen videos like that - incredibly fierce special forces training videos - when I was researching my book about US psychological operations.

I'm thinking that the RM might be learning free running rather than attending ballerina classes. That is learning to keep their balance when, with the assistance of various devices, their launching themselves from lamp posts and buildings.

Originally posted by Ste2652
Think of it as another weapon (a physical one) in the Royal Marine armoury. I'm sure the Marines have some ideas about how this can be used otherwise they wouldn't have bothered teaching it in the first place (and let's face it, these guys know more about warfare than the vast majority of us on ATS). I'm not expecting them to go freerunning everywhere, but I can see how it could be useful in some situations. Tactics have to be adapted as the enemy changes, and we are presently fighting something that we've never really fought before. The dynamics of conflict have changed a great deal, and if we simply stick to the tactics that worked in the last war then we'll lose. Just look at how Napoleon managed to defeat the Prussians.

And no, I hardly expect them to recreate the Casino Royale scene... that was just the most prominent example of freerunning I could think of!

[edit on 14/1/08 by Ste2652]

Guess you never spoke to advisor or dave rabbit then? you would be supprised how many are army or ex army on here? waste of time and money in my book why don't they give the troops somthing they can actually use for once insted of wannabe neo's flying over an Ied while under fire from insurgants bit far fetched but you get my idea.

Peace se7

Soldiers have been doing obstacle courses for centuries, this is simply a new approach to old problem of advancing in difficoult conditions. There are often situation when a unit must move fast in order to flank the enemy, in urban combat that is often hard to do if you're confined to conventional routes. That's why troops have used portable ladders, "pole lifts" and blasted new holes to walls.

Imagine that you have to get to a second floor to give some cover to your friends on the other side of the street, but the front is under hostile fire... knowing the technique of the parkour allows a soldier more options and possible routes to complete the task safely.

Forget kungfu movies, it's all about small things...

reply to post by SE7EN


I am aware that there are members who are or were in a nation's armed forces. That's why I said "most of" and not "all of" in my post... that and because I simply can't compare their knowledge to the knowledge of the Royal Marines because, well, I imagine they're bound to keep a lot of what they know a secret and the Royal Marines aren't going to go around sharing everything they know about warfare.

I don't understand how people can be so assertive that this is a bad idea before it's even tried. The potential is certainly there, and I think northwolf sums it up very well. If it turns out it doesn't work as well as expected then so what? The troops are a bit fitter than they otherwise would have been. If it works, then it's only a matter of time before other nations start teaching this sort of thing to their own soldiers (and other more 'unusual' tactics). The enemy we face today is not a traditional one, and traditional methods won't work to defeat them so it's important that we test new ways of thinking to defeat them. If we stick to the old methods then we become predictable and we lose.

Ok no worries everyone is entitled to their own point of view but take a look at some free running sites and videos and look at what jumps they perform! back/front flips, spins, vaults, cat leaps then try and imagine that with a gun,back pack, amour, and few rounds strapped to them. Unless their useing it for fittness training? what I say is if somthing works dont fix it.

Am just waiting for them to learn guncarter now that would be fun

Hey SE7EN,

Think you mean Gun KATA,

Try looking up Kurt Wimmer- he directed the movie Equilibrium and Ultraviolet.
Equilibrium was a mix of his and the choreographers ideas and Ultraviolet was just his stuff( i only liked Equilibrium)

try this site
www.gunkatta.com...

Oh yeah and about the thread topic, its better to know and not need than need and not know!

I would think that IF they are going to train their troops in Parkour or even dabble in it, it would be solely for conditioning and p.t purposes only.
I've been practicing Parkour for about 4 or 5 years now, and honestly, the only real use i could see military getting out of it, would be the cardio/ physical work out. In practical application, i could only REALLY see landings working in the field, and that's ONLY if you have to gear.. pretty much sporting a weapon and that's it.. and even then, you would only want to bail off of something as a last resort as an improper landing can screw you just as bad as what you are running from can lol.

To address the gunkata thing earlier, as stated and probably guessed, its more for show than anything else. A friend and myself tried to put it in relative application and it has about a 92 percent fail rate as you cross your body way too many times with the barrel of the gun. We're both black belt in Ju-jitsu and well lol, that "martial art" leaves you getting shot.. a whole bunch lol

the russian Spetznatz has been doing stuff like this for years..There bad ass mo-fo's....

reply to post by Ste2652


If your going to provide an external source, provide THE SOURCE. Not a text that can be alleged to anything

reply to post by ShatteredSkies


Staying close to the ground? Higher ground is always better than lower. Combat isn't static. Its fluid. Any that says otherwise is full of smurf poop.

This doesn't have to mean the Royal Marines will be running thru rooftops all the time. But it may give them the edge to out run and lose their chasers. Or it may give them the increase chance to catch their target if they're chasing someone.

The more "tools" you bring into combat the better you are off. Its just another skillset for these Royal Marines to bring into any fight. I think its awesome they will be taught this urban sport.