Exercise – Exercise – 1-2 Foot Pattern for the Side Monkey

This side monkey variation is a great progression for building hip control and leg coordination. Especially learning the shape and balance for cartwheels, gymnastic round offs, or parkour vaulting.

As you crawl to the left, you will pull your right leg up first, driving the right heel to the back of your head. The knees can be kept bent. Really focus on getting the hips higher than your usual side monkey. Don’t arch your back though! Remember to practice moving in both directions – left and right.

There’s a couple of progressions to make this more challenging:

• Moving over a short obstacle
• Using one arm
• Oscillating the hips high on the press and low shifting over

Another variation is the High Hip Side Monkey.