Freestyle walking
1887115
223110964
2008-07-02T16:53:02Z
170.40.160.26
/* Moves */
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[[Image:IanMFjones.jpg|right|thumb|240px|St. Louis Walker stalls on chain linked fence.]]
The art of '''freestyle walking''' (loosely related to [[free running]]) is a means of self-expression and creative interaction with one's environment. Many of the practitioners of this art form excelled at the sport by freestyle walking to find more full involvement with their otherwise routine surroundings. Freestyle walkers use leaps and air moves, clever footwork, dance or any non-traditional walking movement.
Today, many practitioners view it as the act of [[rollerblading]] or [[skateboarding]] without the skates or board. Some participants use [[soap shoes]] with grind plates that allow the freestyle walker to [[Skateboarding trick|grind]] or slide easily along surfaces such as curbs, ledges and bars. With the increase in popularity of soap shoes during the mid-late-1990s, many newcomers to freestyle walking mistakenly began to refer to the act of grinding using soap shoes as freestyle walking.
==Moves==
[[Image:BrianBootheFSW.jpg|right|thumb|240px|Provo, Utah walker performs a hold on a picnic table]]
Some basic examples of freestyle walking moves include:
*Stalls
*Slides
*Swings
*Hangings
*Flips
*Spins
*Late Spins
*Vaults
*Jangles
*Taps
*Hops
*Grabs
*Rolls
*The Bobby Curiel
==Related arts==
Related art forms are '''extreme walking''' and '''trail rushing''', similar in motivation but including additional elements. Extreme walking normally involves any element of danger, whereas the related art of trail rushing is essentially freestyle walking on a trail. Both of these (as well as soaping) are considered to be subsections of the larger concept of freestyle walking.
Some consider a correlation between the [[urban art]], or discipline, of [[parkour]] and freestyle walking, however there are considerable differences. Although there are seemingly similar physical movements, there is a considerable motivational difference which exists between the two sports. Parkour focuses on efficiency of movement and speed; freestyle walking focuses on more of a spontaneous/glorious movement style. There is more of a correlation between freestyle walking and free running, however, as both focus on aesthetic movements over efficiency. However, free running includes a destination, moving through an environment quickly, while freestyle walking has no intended path.
Another derivitve of freestyle walking is [[freestyle coning]], in which participants confine their "freestyling" to the area around a small [[traffic cone]], often using the cone in the freestyle.
==Equipment==
The equipment needed for freestyle walking is nothing but an urban to sub-urban landscape and a person wanting to express themselves. To help with some of the more difficult moves, such as wall rides, a [[shoe]] may be made to give more grip while getting rid of some of the excess weight.
==See also==
*[[Tricking]]
*[[Free running]]
*[[Parkour]]
==External links==
*[http://www.freestylewalking.org/home Freestylewalking.org]
*[http://www.freewebs.com/straka/ This Is Footing Crew]
*[http://www.geocities.com/quarantinedcrew Quarantined Crew Freestyle Walking]
*[http://www.fswohp.tk/ Photos]
*[http://inverse.siteburg.com/index.php Inverse Air]
[[Category:Recreation]]
[[Category:Walking]]