What Is Wall Running? A Beginner's Guide to Getting Started
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What Is Wall Running? A Beginner's Guide to Getting Started

 

What Is Wall Running?

Wall running is exactly what it sounds like: you launch off a trampoline, plant your feet on a vertical wall, and run upward. What happens next depends entirely on your skill level and goals.

Beginners might simply touch the wall with their feet and drop back onto the trampoline. Intermediate practitioners learn to walk or run several steps up the wall before pushing off and landing on their back. Advanced athletes might add flips, twists, or combinations as they dismount. Some prefer powerful, explosive movements. Others focus on control, precision, and height. There is no single "correct" way to run a wall.

What makes wall running compelling is the vertical dimension. It blends the aerial freedom of trampolining with the spatial challenge of moving upward against gravity, opening up movements that flat trampolining simply cannot offer: wall walks, rebounds, drop backs, push-offs, and eventually complex acrobatic exits for those who want them.

If that sounds intimidating, I get it. I avoided wall running for a long time. When I first started trampolining, I thought it was not for me. I told myself I just needed to focus on tricks on the trampoline itself. I remember thinking, what am I, a circus person? But everything changed when a wider wall was built at the facility I trained at and people who were quite good at running the wall started coming through. Seeing it through their eyes, I understood that wall running added a kind of freedom I had never experienced on a flat trampoline. If I could go back and do it all again, I would start wall running much earlier.

Where Did Wall Running Come From?

Wall running has roots in several movement disciplines. Circus performers have used walls and trampolines together for decades, with Cirque du Soleil pioneering many of the techniques we use today. Parkour athletes brought wall-based movement into mainstream awareness, developing concepts like the wall run, cat leap, and climb-up. And the trampoline park boom of the 2010s introduced millions of people to the basic concept.

One of our community members traces his obsession back to watching Cirque du Soleil perform at Disney World. He saw performers launching off trampolines and running up walls, and the moment the show ended he went home and begged his dad to put the backyard trampoline against the side of the house. That kind of instant fascination is something we see all the time at RunTheWall.

The Physical Benefits That Make Wall Running Different

Wall running demands more from your body than trampolining alone. Here's what makes it unique:

Core strength and integration — Moving your body vertically while controlling rotation requires integrated core strength that goes beyond what planks or crunches develop. Your core must stabilize your entire body as you transition from horizontal bouncing to vertical running and back again.

Proprioception and spatial awareness — Proprioception is your body's ability to sense its position in space. Research shows that proprioceptive training improves balance, coordination, motor learning, and overall physical performance, particularly important for adults as this sense naturally declines with age. Wall running trains this system intensely because you must constantly adjust your body position relative to both the wall and the trampoline.

Upper body and leg power — Unlike pure trampolining, wall running engages your upper body significantly. Your arms help drive you upward, your legs must generate explosive force on contact with the wall, and your entire body must coordinate the movement.

Coordination and timing — Wall running requires precise timing. You must coordinate your jump height, wall approach angle, foot placement, push-off force, and landing position. This improves neural pathways between your muscles and brain, leading to better overall coordination.

What You Need to Start Wall Running

You need three things: a quality trampoline, a properly padded wall, and guidance from someone who knows what they are doing. The equipment matters more than most people realise.

The trampoline — At RunTheWall, we use a trampoline engineered for olympic-level energy return. That means consistent, predictable bounce height every time you jump. We manufacture our own equipment here in Australia, so we control the quality from start to finish.

The wall — Our wall is padded with EVA strong foam and covered in a weather-resistant, grippy material. The padding protects you on impact, and the grip lets your feet stick when you plant them. A slippery or hard wall is a recipe for injury.

Proper coaching — We use a 7-level progression system that takes you from your very first wall touch all the way through to advanced combinations. Each level builds on the last, so you are never asked to attempt something you are not ready for.

The Learning Progression: What to Expect

Based on established trampoline wall progression techniques, here's what a typical learning path looks like:

Level 1: The Drop Back
The first skill is learning to fall backward onto the trampoline. This is counterintuitive. Your brain resists it. Dropping backward with a stiff body goes against every self-preservation instinct you have, and it's common to pike out or curl your shoulders forward. But this is the foundation. Practice taking a deep breath and falling back. It may take several tries before you do it without nerves.

Level 2: The "High-Five"
Once you can drop back confidently, you learn the wall touch. Instead of bouncing back up to stand, reach with your feet toward the wall to "high-five" it. After you drop onto your back, pull in your knees and reach with your feet. The more you can push off from the wall with the high-five, the more momentum you keep.

Level 3: Standing Wall Touch
After mastering the high-five, you aim your feet low on the wall to stand up again after pushing off. This builds the coordination for transitioning from vertical to horizontal movement.

Level 4: Wall Entry
Jump up and down on the trampoline, then put your hands and one foot on the wall, burst off it, let yourself fall back, and practice high-fives. This introduces the upward running motion.

Level 5: Walking the Wall
Progress from touching to taking one step, then two, then three up the wall. Work on how far up the wall you can go, then practice your timing and rhythm.

Level 6-7: Advanced Movements
From here, the possibilities expand: running higher, push-offs with rotation, backflips, twists, and combinations. This is where personal style emerges.

Most people can learn the first three levels in about 90 minutes. The upper levels take weeks or months, depending on how frequently you train.

Is Wall Running Safe?

Any athletic activity carries some risk, but wall running with the right setup and instruction is far safer than most people assume. Research on trampoline-based activity shows that controlled rebounding produces lower peak impact forces on joints compared to running on hard ground, as documented in studies on body acceleration distribution during jumping (Bhattacharya et al., 1980). The padded wall and foam surfaces at our facility further reduce the chance of injury.

The coaching element is critical. Our guided sessions mean you always have an experienced instructor watching your form, spotting problems before they become dangerous, and progressing you at the right pace. We do not throw beginners into the deep end.

Why Adults Love Wall Running

One thing I noticed early on is that walls tend to attract more adults. Trampolines at parks are often dominated by kids, but the wall acts as a natural filter. Adults gravitate toward the challenge and focus that wall running demands, and the environment ends up being more mature and concentrated.

That observation is part of why RunTheWall exists as an adults-only facility. Our sessions in Brookvale, Sydney are exclusively for people aged 18 and over. You get a focused training environment without the chaos of a typical trampoline park.

Beyond the physical challenge, research suggests that activities like wall running, which involve calculated risk and intense focus, deliver genuine psychological benefits. A study published in the Journal of Health Psychology found that participation in extreme sports is associated with increased positive psychological outcomes including greater self-confidence and reduced anxiety (Brymer & Schweitzer, 2013).

Brymer and Schweitzer 2013 study on extreme sports and positive psychology
Brymer & Schweitzer (2013) — Extreme sports and positive psychology, Journal of Health Psychology

Ready to Try Wall Running?

Whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced trampolinist looking to add a new dimension to your training, our guided sessions will meet you where you are. Our 7-level progression system, purpose-built equipment, and experienced coaches make RunTheWall the best place in Sydney to learn wall running safely.

Book a guided session at RunTheWall and find out why so many adults are discovering this sport for the first time.

References

Original Studies:

  • Bhattacharya, A., McCutcheon, E. P., Shvartz, E., & Greenleaf, J. E. (1980). Body Acceleration Distribution and O2 Uptake in Humans During Running and Jumping. Journal of Applied Physiology, 49(5), 881–887.
  • Brymer, E., & Schweitzer, R. (2013). Extreme Sports Are Good for Your Health: A Phenomenological Understanding of Fear and Anxiety in Extreme Sport. Journal of Health Psychology, 18(4), 477–487.

Additional Research:

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