Sébastien Foucan helped to establish parkour together with David Belle and was an original member of the Yamakasi group. Sometime around 1998, however, the Yamakasi split, with David and Sébastien having different visions of the meaning 'parkour'. For Foucan, the art was in the complete freedom of movement as opposed to David’s ideas about maintaining maximum practicality. Foucan’s vision allowed for purely aesthetic movements, and free running today is understood to be about following your own way and not being restricted by the constraints of speed and time; it is about the elegance of the movement, rather than the efficiency of the movement.

Best recognised for his appearance in the early scenes of the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, in which he runs Daniel Craig’s 007 over, under and through the urban Madagascan landscape, Foucan is also well known for his appearances in Madonna’s Hung Up and Jump videos. He also appears in Mike Christie’s free running documentaries Jump London, with Jerome Ben Aoues and Johann Vigroux, and Jump Britain, with Ben Aoues and members of Urban Freeflow. Both documentaries helped to popularise free running.

Foucan emphasises that free running is as much about the philosophy behind the movement as it is about the actual physicality of the movement. He believes the physicality is natural -that it’s in our genes to climb for instance. But he maintains that the aim of free running is not just about spectacular acrobatics but about surpassing yourself, recognising your capabilities, fighting your ego, combating negative energy and connecting with your body, your spirit and your environment.

Competition is not in Foucan’s vocabulary. The free runner should not aim to be better than others, but to better themselves. For Foucan, free running is a lifestyle, not a sport.

This year, K-Swiss signed Sebastien Foucan as the ambassador of their new performance range - the world’s first parkour/free running specific footwear and apparel. Of the partnership, Foucan says he is “thrilled to collaborate with K-Swiss to inspire others to express themselves through the art of free running. This partnership gives me a platform to educate people about my discipline.”