Author Topic: Doing the Monkey (Read 4300 times)

FourEleven · « **on:** April 28, 2008, 04:56:07 AM »

Right now, there are many things that are the bane of me. Pistols, pull-ups, marking students assignments

... and the Monkey.

Yes - it's one of the most basic moves in Parkour, but the Monkey has also been the one that terrifies me the most (at this early point in my development). Each time I go to do it, I feel that pang of nausea that I'm going to clip my feet or fall face first into the ground. And yes, I've done both (and not with much panache either I should add).

I've been practicing planting the hands on flat surfaces - whether from a stand-still or in motion - to try and get used to how it should 'feel' and then bouncing the butt into the air (for lack of a better description); even doing little bunny hops where I get on the ground, plant hands on the floor and then hop the feet through. But it's still proving fruitless.

I just can't seem to get my derriere up and over, and the feet through the hands. One of the guys at training said I was mostly just tucking my legs up and not getting my hips high enough. I understand his description, but I still can't seem to "do" what it is one is supposed to do for the Monkey. It's frustrating the hell outta me!

Any tips on 'doing the Monkey' and getting over the fears attached to it would be much appreciated. I aim to nail this movement one way or another! Do or die! (preferably the former)

Phytolith · « **Reply #1 on:** April 28, 2008, 07:14:26 AM »

Yay 4-11, for trying monkey vaults! I also have a big fear of the monkey/kong vault. When learning I used to run at the vault box with my arms straight up, and would usually end up doing a split vault over it (legs to the outsides of my arms, instead of between them). I've gotten rid of both of these habits finally, but it's taken a while and a lot of good suggestions and hard training. I've been working on a "how to build up to a kong" tutorial, I'll try to post that later this week in the tutorials section. The biggest thing to work on in the meantime is jumping higher and further, and getting more strength in the legs..

-Phyto

Laurie Jennifer · « **Reply #2 on:** April 28, 2008, 11:40:55 AM »

For me, it was two fears that held me back: 1) The fear that my upper body lacked the strength to hold/propel all my weight, and 2) The fear to commit to really jump/dive into the vault (largely related to fear #1, but also related to "clipping my feet").

I addressed the first fear by building upper body strength. I addressed the second fear by finding a large, soft, non-threatening surface that I could dive onto without necessarily vaulting over it, just to get the feel for the movement. For this, I used the full-sized bed in the guest room at my parents' house. Run at it a few steps. Jump. Dive. Propel with arms. Land on far side of bed.

I would try to force myself to take off further and further from the bed. I also focused on lifting my hips higher as soon as my arms came down. I'm not really sure how I do this, honestly, but I think a large part of it has to do with leaning forward instead of leaning back. In other words: to really follow through with my commitment to the vault, instead of trying to pull out it right at the moment of its execution.

This is still my biggest weakness with this vault. The difference between committing and not committing (at least, for me) completely changes how I use my arms once they have been placed on the object. If I'm not committed and end up leaning back and attempting to right myself too soon, then my arms become more or less a pivot point that I swing the rest of my body through, generally leaving most of my weight centered over the object from my shoulders down to my wrists. Think of my arms as the metal frames that hold the swingset in place, and the rest of my body as the swing.

When I do commit, my arms are used more to propel than to pivot, and I don't really begin to right myself until I'm cleared of the object. In this case, my center of gravity stays over my wrists, which means it shifts from my shoulders to my mid-section/waist as I push myself forward, leaning into the vault.

I hope that makes sense. Good luck with your training and keep us posted on your success rate!

Alissa J. Bratz · « **Reply #3 on:** April 29, 2008, 08:18:15 PM »

There was some discussion on the PKNA Radio program a few weeks ago about the physiological differences between men and women impacting the monkey, and how women train for and execute it. The idea was that men, with their higher center of gravity and upper-body strength, use their arms to propel, as Laurie described in her post; whereas women, with their lower center of gravity and relatively lower upper-body strength, use their arms to pivot, and the lower-body gets "carried through for the ride" with momentum rather than "pulled through" by the strength/power of the arms. At least that was how I understood the explanation. I'm certain others can describe it better. I still have yet to do a monkey.

FourEleven · « **Reply #4 on:** April 30, 2008, 08:36:09 AM »

Hi everyone

Thanks for the tips. Great to hear people's experiences with the Monkey Vault. It gave me confidence and a different perspective when trying out the move.

Tonight, I did a 2.5 hour training session and am edging closer and closer to what will eventually be a clean Monkey.

What I was definitely NOT doing before was 'diving' for the object to be vaulted over. I was rather upright running up and then jumping in a rather standing-up position (something that was pointed out tonight by one of the pros here).

So tonight, I worked on 'diving' and being less upright. It certainly made a difference! I felt a helluva lot more confident.

At one point, I came 85% close to getting it right. Then I botched up the landing and ended up in a rather unsightly position on the floor.

Next week, I'll get that bit closer.

Nothing ventured. Nothing gained.

I'm really fortunate to be training at a place where there are quite a few 'older' Traceurs (late 20s and early 30s) who have been absolutely fabulous in answering my many questions (trust me - I have lots!). One of the guys who has been doing it for 4 years, and teaches the beginners, is the bomb. He imparts good technique and has this uncanny ability to just motivate and encourage.

On another good note, I met another traceuse tonight! She was also giving me tips on the Monkey. Brilliant!

FourEleven · « **Reply #5 on:** April 30, 2008, 08:39:24 AM »

And you're absolutely right.

Commitment (from start to end) is crucial.

Anne · « **Reply #6 on:** May 03, 2008, 08:05:39 PM »

These scare me as well. I was training with the guys on picnic tables the other day, (actually we were doing kongs, but close enough) and we were doing some things to kind of ease into it:
1) Stand back from the table about 3 feet - take one step and skip up to the table, put your hands on the edge and try to kick your feet up into the air, about level with the table, then come back down.
2) Once you feel comfortable with that, do some monkey stalls - just run and get your feet up on the table, don't worry about going over.
3) Gradually progress until you come at it with more momentum, going all the way over.
The two guys I was with were able to kong the table at the end of the night. I'm still working on my monkey stalls. My biggest problem (besides fear) is making my hips go straight - they tend to swing to the right, and I press more with my left hand.
I'm sure with practice and confidence, it will be possible, however.

MissPK · « **Reply #7 on:** May 10, 2008, 09:28:56 PM »

I haven't even begun to attempt a monkey vault or kong yet. My boyfriend was kind of showing me how by just doing a monkey from a stand still position over a hand rail.. Looks like a piece of cake when he does it.. Still being relatively new i think i will hold off.. But for some reason the biggest problem i have is thinking of how the heck i'm suppose to get my legs through my arms high enough not to catch whatever i'm trying it on with my feet and face planting. It seems more of a mental restraint than a physical one, and maybe once i get further into my pk practices/training it won't seem as horrible, but for now i can't get passed that. I have confidence i can support my body weight with my arms it's just figuring out where to put/how to work my legs that keeps me far away from that move.

Alissa J. Bratz · « **Reply #8 on:** May 12, 2008, 07:09:05 PM »

It's got to be more of a "Superman dive" than a crouch position. You have to get your hips high in the air so you're more like Superwoman flying over the object than in a tucked/crouched position. Then the hand plant happens and the legs and feet follow through, bringing the hips along behind them.

This is the theory, and what my eyes see when I watch them, and what I have been told. However I have never done a monkey vault and have only barely tried a small progression towards them in the relatively distant past. So I can only tell you the theory, I can't share any advice from personal experience.

FourEleven · « **Reply #9 on:** May 14, 2008, 07:50:14 AM »

Quote from: TigerFire on May 03, 2008, 08:05:39 PM

These scare me as well. I'm still working on my monkey stalls. My biggest problem (besides fear) is making my hips go straight - they tend to swing to the right, and I press more with my left hand. I'm sure with practice and confidence, it will be possible, however.

Hi TigerFire

Monkeys scare the bejesus out of me too. But week by week, I whittle away that fear. I had the same problem the first few weeks I did the movement - hips not straight and swinging to one side. It's because you're putting weight on one side as a safety precaution. Keep working on the Monkey Stalls. They work wonders.

Tonight, I 'almost' got the Monkey. I can't wait for the day where it's not a fluke! Practice practice practice. And, as crazy as it sounds, 'relax' when you go into it. I'm still working at that relaxation bit!

FourEleven · « **Reply #10 on:** June 18, 2008, 04:56:45 PM »

I am happy to say, I finally GOT the Monkey! After 10 weeks... when all the guys got it on their first go.

I did it the first time, but no-one in class saw it happen. Isn't that always the way?

Interspersed with a few botched attempts afterwards, I left the 2-hour session last night having monkey vaulted 5 times. That was good enough for me! Lots of air punches in the car on the way home. I just hope the body doesn't forget how to do it next week!

Yaaaaaay!

And for anyone else still trying to do the Monkey, 100% commitment and not being afraid of leaning way way into it. With the latter, I just ran full speed at the vault and didn't even give myself the chance to pull out. If a short-ass like me can get it, then everyone else is destined to be doing the Monkey with practice!

Alissa J. Bratz · « **Reply #11 on:** June 19, 2008, 11:25:32 AM »

Yay! Way to go! Congratulations.

Yeah, monkeys require 100% commitment. I have yet to do one, but I haven't been prioritizing it in my training. That is so awesome that you worked at it and got it! I don't blame you for being so excited. Keep up the good work!

riskysix · « **Reply #12 on:** August 03, 2008, 01:38:30 PM »

Yeah, today I tried monkey stalls for the first time. I started off on a row of upright concrete pavers that were only about 2 feet high lol, but I got the right feel for putting my feet up between my arms. Now I'm trying to work on monkey stalling(?) the edge of my trampoline, which is about at waist height. Yup, I posted this one on the Movement board if it looks familiar!

FourEleven · « **Reply #13 on:** August 07, 2008, 03:18:08 AM »

After 5 weeks away, I tried Monkey vaults last week... and failed miserably.

But yesterday, I managed to crack the 10-Monkeys-in-one-night barrier. Yay! (these were not, mind you, all in a row: there were many botched attempts in between during the evening).

In the gymnastics hall, I have been putting a massive mat behind the vault so the landing is pretty short. Next week, I'll go a smaller mat so that I land closer to the actual ground.

I'm still not fully confident (and sometimes it feels more like a fluke), but I'm getting there.

Good luck to everyone doing the Monkey vault! What a thrill it is when you finally get it!

MissPK · « **Reply #14 on:** September 25, 2008, 11:16:28 AM »

So yeah i hadn't been doing parkour for a few months $:-\$ and just these past 2 week got back to doing it.. A few days ago my bf decided he wanted me to try monkey vaults which i hadn't even attempted to try yet.. And i am happy to say I got it down that night!

He showed me a few times then had me do it in steps and it wasn't nearly as hard as i had thought. Now to progress it..

WandererInGray · « **Reply #15 on:** October 01, 2008, 08:24:23 PM »

Way to go MissPK!

I hooked up with some guys the other day and after a disastrous attempt at jumping onto a picnic table. *face palm* We started with monkey plants (which are the same as stalls I'm assuming?) on a lower surface. Just another thought for those who might be having trouble and are worried about hurting themselves. We just found a big concrete surface and I practiced getting my hips higher than my head on the jump.

It was awesome to have something to work on since that's been the biggest problem for me is really just knowing where to start.

One of these days I'll be able to jump higher than about two feet - I swear!

FourEleven · « **Reply #16 on:** October 01, 2008, 10:38:35 PM »

Quote from: MissPK on September 25, 2008, 11:16:28 AM

So yeah i hadn't been doing parkour for a few months $:-\$ and just these past 2 week got back to doing it.. A few days ago my bf decided he wanted me to try monkey vaults which i hadn't even attempted to try yet.. And i am happy to say I got it down that night! He showed me a few times then had me do it in steps and it wasn't nearly as hard as i had thought. Now to progress it..

Well done MissPK! That's absolutely brilliant! Keep at it. With practice, hopefully it will become second-nature. That's what I'm hoping too because I keep seeming to forget how to do the Monkey from one training session to the next!

FourEleven · « **Reply #17 on:** October 01, 2008, 10:41:09 PM »

Quote from: WandererInGray on October 01, 2008, 08:24:23 PM

Way to go MissPK!

I hooked up with some guys the other day and after a disastrous attempt at jumping onto a picnic table. *face palm* We started with monkey plants (which are the same as stalls I'm assuming?) on a lower surface. Just another thought for those who might be having trouble and are worried about hurting themselves. We just found a big concrete surface and I practiced getting my hips higher than my head on the jump.

It was awesome to have something to work on since that's been the biggest problem for me is really just knowing where to start.

One of these days I'll be able to jump higher than about two feet - I swear!

If you can get to a gymnastics hall with padded floor and lots of equipment to jump up and down from (like a vault), that helps huge amounts. Yes, the fall is still scary but no-where as painful as hitting concrete. I started on little vaults and worked up. I also found sticking a bit, fat mat behind the vault useful at the beginning so that the 'fear' of falling ass over tip would be less scary. Now I'm trying to cut-back and use thinner mats each time. Hopefully, I'll be confident enough to do it without any crashpad!

Keep up the training. You'll get it!

WandererInGray · « **Reply #18 on:** October 03, 2008, 10:19:51 AM »

*grins* I'm going to!

A.E. · « **Reply #19 on:** December 20, 2008, 03:16:37 PM »

I have the exact same problem. I went to gymnastics gym, and monkey vaulted easily, falling onto a thick mat on the other side. When I had no fear of injury, I could do it. I'd say if you can't find a gymnastics gym--and they're hard to find--start on REALLY LOW OBSTACLES. Like, knee-high. Then, keep drilling the obstacle, and eventually you'll be like 'heck, it's two feel tall!' and monkey it. You can increase the height when you have more confidence.

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Author Topic: Doing the Monkey (Read 4300 times)