Home > Body Weight Exercises > In the Vault (Parkour and More)

In the Vault (Parkour and More)

June 25th, 2010

Vaulting is a technique used to hurdle an object (often with a running start). Unlike a track and field hurdle, however, you use your arms when you perform a vault.

There are countless variations on the basic vault (one arm, two arms, 360 degree turns, etc) but the idea remains the same – get your body over a sturdy object quickly and efficiently.

Parkour Vaulting
Another great thing about an exercise like this one is that you can always find places to practice. You can vault over rails, tables, fences and even cars. There are no constraints in parkour so get creative and try vaulting over anything and everything as many different ways as you can.

How to Vault
To perform a vault, place your hand(s) on the object as you begin jumping over it. You should feel your weight shift from your legs into your hand(s) as your feet come off the ground. When you are learning, put your foot on the bar to spot yourself as you go over the bar if you need to. Start with lower objects and build up to challenging yourself by attempting to vault higher ones. This exercise can be a great confidence booster once you start getting comfortable with it.

Watch the video below for more:

Photos by Felipe Passolas

Body Weight Exercises

  • Dillon
    Just found your site the MDA and I'm loving your videos. What kind of shoes are you wearing? They look/sound like sandals...
  • Hey Dillon - thanks for your comment! I am wearing a sandal called the Invisible Shoe. http://www.alkavadlo.com/2010/05/invisible-shoes/
  • Dillon
    Awesome! I was wondering if that is what they were. I just purchased my own pair of huaraches (from Barefoot Ted) the other day and can't wait for them to arrive.
  • Cool! Let us know how you like 'em!
  • jeffdf
    You're Al Kavadlo and you're wearing sunglasses so big they're about to eat your head!! No judgments, though and I like the demonstration of the "use your foot to spot" method. Very wise ;-)
  • Glad you like the tutorial, Jeff. Get used to the shades - it's sunny out there!
  • Nice simple clear directions. Good job with the video.
  • Thanks, Paulo.
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