Intro to Parkour: Basics II

[stealththief]

Third post I'm porting in from another forum. This is the last one I'm porting the rest I'm probably gonna post on both forum simultaneously after I write it.

In this one I'll cover jumping while moving forward, the two handed vault, and speed vault. These vaults and the jumping method explained will help build the foundation needed to other techniques later on. We'll start with jumping while moving forward.

There is a large misconception regarding jumping while moving forward, many people will run take a small hop to prep themselves for a large jump then jump. This is a waste of movement and will hinder your movement in general. In parkour efficient movement is vital, and since the prep jump does nothing but slow you down it's a habit that a traceur should get rid of early on. A traceur should instead jump directly from their run without any slowing down, using one foot to push off the ground while the opposite leg pulls the body forward and upward. This will make vaulting and other techniques that begin with a jump or upward movement more seamless and fluid, which will increase overall speed in the long run.

The speed vault is a move used to clear lower obstacles while maintaining speed. The speed vault can be used to clear any obstacle low enough to jump over and some that may be a little higher, it varies with each person. The traceur runs at the obstacle and jumps forward while turning their body horizontally to allow the body to pass over while remaining relatively close the the ground. The lower arm is placed on the obstacle for stability and to provide a push while returning to the ground. The vault is very fast and low.

The two handed vault can be used to clear higher obstacles than the speed vault but it is slower and less fluid. It relies more on power than technique and requires more upper body strength than the speed vault. The two handed vault is simple to execute. A traceur approaches an obstacle and places both hands on top of it, pulls up while jumping and angling the body horizontally. As the body approaches the top of the obstacle the arm that is closest to the hips (the one that's "in the way" of your body) is removed from the obstacle and the body continues forward over the obstacle. The traceur then brings the body and angles him/herself vertically so they can land on their feet.