Monkey Vault

Monkey vaulting a rail is part of parkour, or free running. Lots of fun, and it looks interesting.

Steps

  1. Warm up. Spend at least 5 - 10 minutes stretching and warming up before doing parkour. Do everything, but focus on ankles, legs, knees, butt and shins.
  2. Select a rail or wall to monkey vault over. You don't have to be able to jump over it, but pick an obstacle you can vault over normally with ease. Also make sure of what's on the other side - vaulting into a 5 meter drop is a recipe for disaster. Rails are the easiest obstacle to start with. The obstacle mustn't be too low, either - it should ideally be somewhere around your belly button or slightly higher.
  3. Run up to the obstacle at a medium rate, somewhere between a jog and a run.
  4. Plant with both feet 4 or 5 feet away from the rail and spring up.
  5. At the same of your spring, place both hands on the rail, a little wider than shoulder width. Make sure there's enough room for your feet to get between them, but at the same time make sure they are not too wide or your legs will be lower and your feet will get clipped.
  6. During your jump, tucking your feet up and bringing them between your hands. Make sure not to clip the rail with your feet, so tuck up a lot! As you jump try to push yourself forwards, this will stop your shins falling onto the bar.
  7. Remember to lean forward when you are in mid air. I can't stress this enough. The main reason to lean forward is so that you don't clip your feet. When you lean forward, your feet will be higher and won't get clipped.
  8. While you're at the top of the rail, look for your landing. Pick a spot for your feet to land.
  9. Once your feet are through, let go with your hands and prepare for your landing. try to land softly, minimizing impact.
  10. Run away and smile - you've just monkey vaulted. Now do it all over again.



Tips

  • If you do clip your feet, try to get them up in front of you before landing.
  • Commit! The only way to do any kind of vault is to commit to it fully. If you hesitate, you're lost
  • Watch for clipping your feet. If you're intimidated, find an obstacle that has grass on the other side.
  • Be confident with what you're doing otherwise you'll end up with some sort of injury.
  • Keep your eyes on your landing area not on your feet.
  • Initially you probably won't be able to do a vault at a dead run. Practice timing the run up to the rail, so eventually you don't have to hesitate.

Warnings

  • Don't vault over an obstacle that has unknown landings. Scout ahead.
  • Do not attempt any parkour with serious injuries.
  • The best way to start out in parkour if you are a beginner is to join a club or group who already know the basics.

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Sources and Citations

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