This is why I hate USAG boys vaults

[Geoffrey Taucer]

In level 4-6 on vault, boys are judged on their run and their arm circle, among other things. THey are deducted if their hands cross the center line of their bodies on the run, and they are deducted if they don't arm circle.

Leszek Blanik would lose an entire point before he even reached the table if he were to compete level 6 JO. His arms swing accross his body on the run, and he does not arm circle.

And he just won the olympic gold medal on vault.

[Laura]

thats so wierd that they can be deducted on running! the circle I can kind of understand, if it is an effort to encourage underarm vaulting.

what vaults do they do at that level?

Is the judging the same for lower levels? what vaults do they do?

[gymdog]

The run is judged in girls' level 4 also. I don't know if there is a specific deduction for lateral arm movement because I've never really looked. I feel like if it works, fine, but in general recognizing that crossing the midline is not ideal technique doesn't seem too far off to me in a compulsory program. Are these really big deductions, like is the run a big portion of the score? It seems to me like with girls, the run has to be pretty off for there to be a significant deduction, and in those cases the actual vault at the end usually isn't fantastic either. I see a lot of pretty good HS flatbacks without great runs that get scores that seem pretty on point to me, so I'm guessing in our case you don't have to have a great run to not incur the deduction.

[BlairBob]

Laura, in L4 boys do a straight jump off the board, a front tuck in L5, and a front handspring on the table in L6.

Given the choice between the WAG focus on vault or men's, I prefer the men's. They still should be working front layouts off the board and front handspring on a table, block, or portapit. Easy enough.

Originally, last quaddrennium, I remember it was going to be FT, FL, FHS, but got eased up.

[Laura]

that is quite similar to the vault progressions in australia.
L1: straight jump
L2: run, "squat on" to vault table, straight jump off
L3: front sault (to one crashmat)
L4: front sault over padding box
L5: front layout
L6: Handspring over table

I also think it is a good progression to have on vault compared to the WAG progressions, although I like the handspring flatback and do that with the boys sometimes....

[gracefulone]

The layout vault seems like it would be a great progression, because it teaches heel drive. I've never thought about that before!

[BlairBob]

Front handspring on vault could be said to be like a front layout with a push off the table in handstand.