Vaulting Obstacles

Today, I will be talking about 3 basic vaults used in parkour. These vaults were made so as to be more efficient in jumping over obstacles (known as vaults to traceurs). Together with some information about the vaults, I will include some videos to show you how these vaults look like in action. I will talk about the Monkey Vault, the Dash Vault, and one of my favorites, the Lazy Vault.

Monkey Vault

1. Run up to the object you are vaulting at a steady pace. You will soon learn how fast or slow you need to go to make the vault. Look where you will place your hands on the surface of the object.
   
2. Place your hands on the object which should have space for you to move.
   
3. You have to almost jump and tuck your feet in, but letting your arms do the work. Once your feet have became parallel with your arms, you have to let go of the surface, by pulling your arms up so they are in the air.
   
4. Land and continue running.
   

Dash Vault

1. Run towards the obstacle at a reasonable clip: something more than a jog but a little less than a full run. Keep an eye on a good place to plant your feet for the vault, somewhere about a yard or so from the obstacle.
2. Place your feet on the chosen spot, making sure they are steady enough to support your weight, but flexible enough to help you move into the dash vault. Bend your knees slightly as you make the plant: you will use them to push off into the jump.
3. Jump both forwards and upwards, using your legs to propel you over the obstacle. You want to watch your height just as much as your distance--the instinct is to focus too much on forward momentum without paying attention to upward lift. You want to make sure you are jumping high enough to clear the obstacle completely.
4. Move your legs in front of you and to the side as you vault over the obstacle. You want them to be clear of the obstacle and in front of your hands and arms. One trick is to make the dash vault as if you are planning on sitting on top of the obstacle rather than jumping over it: this will put your legs in the right position.
5. Push down and out on the top of the obstacle with your hands as you move over it. This helps you propel outwards and prepares you for the landing.
6. Center your gaze on the piece of ground where you intend to land. Keep your eyes focused on it as you perform your dash vault.
7. Point your toes down and land on the balls of your feet. As you do so, you should bend your knees again to help cushion the impact and push forward to shift your momentum in the direction you intend to move. This will allow you to transition smoothly from the dash vault to perform another parkour maneuver of your choice.

Lazy Vault

1.  Prepare yourself to complete a lazy vault by perfecting your balance. Find a low wall or rail that's about waist height.
2. Practice balancing your weight on one arm. To do this, stand with one hip facing the wall or rail, slightly tuck in your elbow to your ribs, and jump up and shift body weight on your arm. Be sure to jump at an angle towards the wall. When you do the lazy vault, this will be your take-off arm.
3. Create momentum with your leg to help you get the height necessary to get over the rail or wall. This is done by kicking and swinging your leg towards the wall. Begin with the balance jump you've perfected in Step 1. As you jump, kick or swing the leg closest to the obstacle up to the top of it.
4. Shift your body weight to the leg that is now on top of the rail. Bring your hips forward to bring your other leg over the top. As you do this, bring your other hand down for support.
5. Push yourself away from the wall, rail or other obstacle after you've cleared it. This push will give you momentum to continue your run. Make sure you land on one foot and push off that foot to continue running.
6. Practice the jump repeatedly until you can eliminate shifting your body weight to the leg on top of the rail and instead swing both legs over in a fluid movement.