Topic: I hate doing this but...

[tehryan]

this is another question regarding the catpass. Its pretty specific and I couldn't find any threads that really answered it in a way I could understand.

I've been trying on picnic tables (widthwise, not lengthwise). I get up in the air, my hands land about 2/3's across the table and i try to pull myself through with my arms... but my feet only get to the edge of the table. I fear that if I were to get another 2 inches distance, I would clear the table, and break my ankles between the table and seat lol. From what I've gathered my problem is probably with my takeoff. I read a post where Andi described proper take off but had all sorts of trouble comprehending what he meant. Really what I need is a description of better form/technique for this move. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

[Zachary Cohn]

More likely, your in-air technique is wrong. Your back should be horizontal, parallel with the ground. If your butt is up in the air, and your legs are tucked in, it is anatomically impossible for your feet to hit.

Just a note- Post people here call them "monkey vaults" or "kong vaults." It's all just translation issues, so no one is right or wrong, just so you know what most people are talking about.

[Jordan "Sirlig" Nelson]

If I understand you right, you are talking about the "kong" vault?  If so, the easiest way (and in some ways, psychologically, the hardest way) is to force yourself to dive into the vault more.

In other words, if you force yourself to jump off a little sooner and a little farther, forcing yourself to dive into the object rather than running up to it, planting your hands, and attempting from there, the better the chance that you will have the forward momentum to get your hands farther on the object, and your legs through and land farther as well.

Sometimes people put a low chair in front of their object to force themselves to dive up and over it...I've also heard of using your bed as a good thing to practice konging over, since if you fail it's no harm done.

[Zachary Cohn]

I don't really think it's an issue with forward momentum. I'm pretty sure, since he's doing it width-wise, he's just doing a normal monkey vault. (Though I may be wrong.)

I've never seen someone not have enough forward momentum to monkey over a picnic table sideways.

[Makoa]

Sometimes people put a low chair in front of their object to force themselves to dive up and over it...I've also heard of using your bed as a good thing to practice konging over, since if you fail it's no harm done.

I used something like this to help a friend learn a diving catpass/kong.

The term catpass is becoming the term of choice on Parkour.Net to combat language barriers.

[Muhammad]

the advice of placing an object in front of the thing you are trying to vault over is also what i would suggest. it forces you to dive more, which forces you to run faster and jump harder. you are already placing your hands of the far edge, which is good, the only thing left after that is to do like was just mentioned and get your behind higher in the air. if that is hard for you, practice doing what i will term as "donkey-kicks" to get used to the feeling of planting your hands down and almost going into a handstand with your knees tucked and your behind higher in the air than your head. this is what we use for the new people that join OSUPK.