The speed vault is the pass-through vault: one hand, body turned sideways, legs swung over one side of the obstacle while the arm on the other side gives brief support. Done well it is flat and continuous — the momentum glides just over the top rather than popping up and dropping down, and the run comes out the far side at the same pace it went in. The jump happens off one leg before the hand ever touches, the hand acting as a stabilizer rather than a real push, and the same leg that took off is the first one back on the ground to carry the stride onward. Coaches build it from the safety vault, first stepping the inside leg through with a single hand down, then adding the jump, then speed — the usual failures being slowing down on approach or clipping the feet because the hips never turned fully sideways. Higher obstacles are cleared by inverting slightly and letting the arm push the body back down.
Key cues
- Run in and jump before the hand touches
- Turn sideways with legs swinging to one side
- Plant one hand as light support not a push
- Glide flat over the obstacle without popping up
- Land on the takeoff leg and run straight out