Shaolin monks spur world’s best vaulter

Ever tried emulating the jumps, spins, kicks and aerial antics of the Shaolin warrior monks? How about on horseback?

It works for Germany’s Jannis Drewell, whose Shaolin kung fu-inspired routine won him the European vaulting championships last year.

Vaulting is gymnastics and dance on a moving horse, while the Shaolin monks are feted for their acrobatic and explosive martial arts moves. Combine the two, and if you are Drewell you become world No.1.

“The Shaolin monk routine was the idea of our national trainer Kai Vorberg – he saw the movie ‘Kung-Fu Panda,’” Drewell told CNN.

Reigning European vaulting champion Jannis Drewell started the sport when he was eight years old.

His striking costume is based on the look of Shaolin monks. "It was one of my coaches' idea," Drewell told CNN. "They told me about them and I liked their moves and I liked the costume ... I (have performed as) this Shaolin monk for two years now."

Drewell saw a martial arts theatrical performance by Shaolin monks at Halle, Germany in 2013.

Shaolin monks pose for a photo in London's Chinatown. Drewell attempts to emulate their athleticism in his routine but admits it's hard. "I try to do a kind of high kick while they are fighting," he says. "I tried to do it on the horse but my feet don't go so high -- but I try!"

Drewell on his horse Diabolus at the 2015 FEI European Equestrian Championship in Aachen, Germany.

"The most important (part of vaulting) is to be together with your horse and work together, but self-confidence is important too," he says.

Drewell and his mother Simone on the podium in Aachen at the 2015 FEI European Equestrian Championship. "My mother is my trainer, my coach and my lunger (the person who holds the reins and keeps the horse cantering in a circle)." She is really important for me because she does the work together with the horses. I don't know what it's like to have a trainer who's not your mother ... so yeah, that's really great!"

"The highlight of my career was (winning the European Championships in) Aachen. There will be no other competition that will be more important for me than Aachen. It was my dream when I was a child to compete in Aachen and now I've won in Aachen."

Thomas Bruesewitz, who was second in the final, performs on his horse Airbus in Aachen last August.

The German took second place behind his brother Viktor in the male vaulting freestyle test at the 2015 FEI European Equestrian Championship.

Lisa Wild performs on her horse Robin. The Austrian was third in the women's vaulting final at the 2015 FEI European Equestrian Championship. Germany's Corinna Knauf was champion.

Germany's RSV Neuss-Grimlinghausen won the squads vaulting final freestyle test at Aachen.

France's Nicolas Andreani (on his horse Juste a Kiss HN) competes during the 2012 FEI World Vaulting Championship at the European Horse Pole in Yvre-L'Eveque, northern France.

Vaulting ambitions of 'Shaolin monk'

Prev Next

“He said it was great, but we needed a costume and then he saw a picture of the Shaolin monks in the newspaper. I then tried to learn how they move and bring it onto the horse – we’ve got a choreographer who helps me,” he says.

The 24-year-old’s hard work has clearly paid off – his high-flying performances earning victory in all three of the World Cup qualifying rounds he has entered this season, in Salzburg, Austria, Mechelen in Belgium and on home soil in Leipzig.

‘Dream’ win

Drewell, who will start as favorite for the World Cup finals in Dortmund in March, was stunned when he clinched the European crown and achieved his “dream” in Aachen last August.

“I did not really realize that I had won this because I did not hear the guy who told us and I stand there and I get the marks, and I’m OK, that’s good but I don’t know how the others were like,” he told CNN.

“Then my coach comes and says, ‘Jannis, you are the European champion’ and I’m like: ‘WHAT?’ ‘Yeah, you are the European champion …’

“There was so much emotion in one moment, it’s really difficult to explain.”

But how, exactly, do you get into vaulting in the first place?

“My mother was a coach in vaulting for long years and so I always had to go with her when I was a child,” he added.

Related article Jessica Mendoza: Teen dreaming of 'unbelievable' Olympic debut

“I loved working together with horses, but only riding was kind of boring so I thought I have to do something more. So yeah, when I was eight years old I started vaulting.”

Drewell’s mother Simone is now his trainer and lunger – the person who holds the reins and keeps the horse cantering in a circle.

The vaulter, lunger and horse must be in perfect symmetry to achieve the best results.

“You have to like the horse and they need to like you,” adds Drewell.

Dressing as a Shaolin monk also helps.

MORE: Incredible stunts of ‘telepathic’ horseman

- Source: CNN " data-fave-thumbnails="{"big": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/160217101633-spc-cnn-equestrian-vaulting-00002128.jpg?q=x_0,y_0,h_1080,w_1919,c_fill/h_540,w_960" }, "small": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/160217101633-spc-cnn-equestrian-vaulting-00002128.jpg?q=x_0,y_0,h_1080,w_1919,c_fill/h_540,w_960" } }" data-vr-video="false" data-show-html="" data-byline-html="

" data-timestamp-html="

Updated 12:55 PM EDT, Thu March 31, 2016

" data-check-event-based-preview="" data-is-vertical-video-embed="false" data-network-id="" data-publish-date="2016-02-17T10:17:10Z" data-video-section="tv" data-canonical-url="https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/02/17/spc-cnn-equestrian-vaulting.cnn" data-branding-key="" data-video-slug="spc cnn equestrian vaulting" data-first-publish-slug="spc cnn equestrian vaulting" data-video-tags="equestrian sports,sports and recreation,animals,horses,life forms,mammals" data-details="">

Video Ad Feedback

Equestrian disciplines: Vaulting

00:32 - Source: CNN