Daniel Ilabaca: The Evolution of Parkour

Growing up in the small town of Moreton in Merseyside there was very little to keep Daniel Ilabaca entertained. Surrounded by concrete structures his only form of escapism was climbing trees. That was until he saw the television show Ripley’s Believe It or Not and came across Parkour.

First becoming popular in France thanks to David Belle and Sébastien Foucan, the discipline of Parkour was seen by millions thanks to the duo’s amazing videos. Described as “the physical practice of traversing elements in both urban and rural settings”, it is also seen as a philosophy by its dedicated practitioners.�

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Not to be confused with freerunning - which has a greater emphasis on tricks - Parkour is about the freedom of movement and quickly appealed to the youngster from Merseyside who was looking for a way to express himself.

Daniel was one of the first people in England to fully embrace the culture and soon began to demonstrate his skills throughout the small town near Liverpool. “When I first laid eyes on Parkour I realised that it would help define me as a young man and it really gave me something to focus on.”

Rather than training in a gym surrounded by crash mats, Daniel suddenly discovered that his surroundings provided him with a perfect way to express himself.

“There were a lot of falls in the beginning, but what soon became important was overcoming what you normally perceive as dangerous,” explains the 22-year-old. “I needed to view the world in my own way, which certainly opened up a lot of doors for me.”

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After becoming an Internet sensation with his amazing videos, Daniel suddenly found his skills in high demand. He appeared in an episode of Top Gear, racing James May through Liverpool city centre, and won $10,000 while taking part in MTV’s Ultimate Parkour Challenge.

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However, the athletic youngster is quick to shy away from his newfound fame. “My reason for taking up Parkour wasn’t to show off and do big tricks, it was more about using my creativity and imagination to break boundaries. The only reason I enjoy demonstrating my skills is so that it can inspire a new generation.

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“It is all about teaching youngsters that they can overcome adversity. When I first started we were stepping into an unknown world, whereas now there are plenty of people to look up to.”

Daniel has managed to not only inspire people within Britain, but recently took part in the European Parkour Tour, visiting eight major cities in three weeks. Demonstrating his unique ability, the Brit was able to show the rest of Europe his unique talent.

“It was a great opportunity to showcase what I have learnt and it gave me the chance to share my experiences with lots of different people from all over the world,” reveals the Liverpudlian. “It was good to meet people from all different walks of life, there was a great unity between people and we all really bonded.”

So what is next for the man that brought the world brand new tricks such as the monkey gainer and the palm flip? “I have been working with a company that is making a new video game called Brink, which has been really exciting.

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“It is yet another way to introduce even more people to the world of Parkour. It’s all about exposure so this has given me a great platform to showcase my skills, plus a lot of kids don’t like the world they live in so this is a good form of escapism, much like Parkour.”

An inspirational character, Daniel is hoping that he can influence the next generation and teach them that Parkour is not just about showing off your power and athletic ability, but it is about “seeing obstacles and searching for a way to overcome then.”

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Daniel was visiting London as part of his European tour to celebrate the upcoming release of Brink next Easter. For more of Daniel’s video’s visit: www.youtube.com/parkourtour� To get more information about Brink visit: http://brinkthegame.com/