How to Monkey Vault

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.

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.

Run up to the obstacle at a medium rate, somewhere between a jog and a run.

Plant with both feet 4 or 5 feet away from the rail and spring up.

Spring and at the same time 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.

Position your feet correctly. During your jump, tuck your feet up and bring 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.

Remember to lean forward when you are in mid air. 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.

Choose a place to land. While you're at the top of the rail, look for your landing. Pick a spot for your feet to land.

Release your hands. Once your feet are through, let go with your hands and prepare for your landing. try to land softly, minimizing impact.