How to Do a Running Cat Leap in Parkour

Developed in France, parkour is both a mental and a physical exercise. When you practice parkour, you learn to develop confidence within yourself, which then allows you to do things that may have previously looked impossible—such as leaping over a wall from a run, known as the cat leap.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Run towards the wall that you're going to do your cat leap over. You need to start far enough away from the wall to gain enough momentum to get up it.
2. Start your jump when you're close enough to land on the wall. Depending on your strength and skill level, your jumping point may be only a few feet away from the wall or it may be 10 or more feet away. As you jump, launch yourself up and across rather than just horizontally. You want to land near the top of the wall when you hit.
3. Move your legs forward at the apex of your jump so you can use them to absorb some of the impact of the wall. However, make sure that the first foot you hit the wall with isn't directly in front of your torso. If it's in front, you could injure the leg and probably won't make the cat leap.
4. Grab the top of the wall with your hands when your feet meet the wall. Let your body absorb the shock first, and then pull yourself up using both your hands and feet. Keep the momentum going or else you'll fall off the wall rather than go over it.
5. Return to a run once you get to the top of the wall to complete your cat leap. Use the momentum of your jump to quickly get back up to full speed.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice this parkour move in a gym before you take it to the streets.
• Jump so your stronger foot hits the wall first. You need its strength to more easily scale the wall.