Parkour Exercise – Monkey Vault

Parkour exercise: How to do the Monkey Vault.

Monkey vault is one of the more demanding vaults. The difficulty lies in trusting that the legs can be pulled in a straight line over the obstacle, rather than the purely physical movement.

Setup

During training, you need an obstacle at stomach level, where there is plenty of space behind for the landing. It is also best to have a soft surface for the landing, as you may tend to overbalance at the start as a result of the high speed. It is recommended that you use an obstacle that has at least one hand's width of surface. As you become more confident in the movement, it can also be performed on rails and over higher obstacles.

Execution of Monkey Vault
  • Start with a run at a medium pace in a straight direction towards the obstacle and set off with one leg, approx. one meter before the obstacle.
  • Place your arms in the middle of the surface of the obstacle and pull your body forward with your arms, bending your legs up under you.
  • Just before landing, separate your legs slightly so that one leg is in front of the other. This provides the opportunity to ensure the further flow.
  • If, on the other hand, you want to land with precision, keep your legs bent and together until you approach the point you want to land on.
Rehearsals

Start by squatting down. Stretch your hands forward, lean forward until you overbalance. Then remove the legs and pull the legs through the arms with the arms. It is important that you gain overbalance, as the weight will be on the arms for a split second.

Monkey Vault - Parkour with Team JIYO
The parkour exercise Monkey Vault - also called a 'Monkey' refers to the way the monkey moves. It is a technique where you use your arms a lot at the start, to gain momentum over an 'obstacle'.
Rehearsals (continued)

When you master this exercise and can pull your legs through so much that you land a bit ahead of your starting position, you can move on to the next level. Find a ledge with a long surface at hip height and do the same exercise, but instead land on the ledge with your legs. Start a small run, place your hands on the surface, explosively pull your legs up while pulling your arms forward, and land on the ledge with your legs together. When you can, you will find a ledge with approx. half a meter of surface and now try to reach forward with your legs so much that you can pull them all the way over the obstacle and land on the other side.

Problem statement
  • Be aware that you must pull your legs completely under you, so that your feet do not "get stuck" in the obstacle in question.
Variation options

Monkey-to-precision:

Performed by doing a monkey vault and then landing on balance on the other side of the obstacle.

See video about the Parkour exercise Lazy Vault below