USA - level 5 vault (women)

[GymBot]

I’m posting this from the Great West Gym Fest, one of the huge American gymnastics competitions. Well over 1600 athletes compete over 4 days (video link). Level 4 girls vault up on to mats landing “flat back”. An excellent developmental drill, most do it quite well. At this meet, AAI equipment was used. Level 4 vaulted [...]

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[Geoffrey Taucer]

I dissagree with his conclusion that 5's shouldn't do a handspring vault over the table. It's very deliberately set up so that you will be competing a handspring for at least two to three years, because it's so fundamental and takes awhile to learn. Yeah, they're not going to do all that great on it their first year, but that's why they're going to compete it for several more years before doing anything else.

[JBS]

Quote:
PROPOSAL: Level 5 girls vault over a stack of mats, landing on their feet. This would be the best transition between Levels 4 and 6. In competition the “Level 4 Vault System” mats would be turned sideways. Girls would have to clear those mats. Leave a comment below if you have an opinion on this proposal. Jim Tighe, coach and equipment rep., likes the idea. But he suggested even Level 4s vault over the mats rather than landing flat back. What do YOU think?

Above is more from gymnasticscoaching.com...I agree with the proposal.

As far as level 4...I'm not sure. I have seen 4 vault all the way over the stack of mats the normal way and I have seen gymnasts that had a very hard time with the handstand flat back.

However, if we were looking at major changes, I believe the men's system is much better. Most people seem to feel the run and hit of the board is the most important part of the vault, this is what the men's system works on at the beginning levels.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Interesting; I much prefer the women's system to the men's one. I don't mind the straight jump for level 4, but I really don't like the front tuck for level 5 (though, for the record, one of my guys was region 8 champion on vault at level 5 last year). It does not train heel drive and some kids tend to drop their chests in anticipation of the salto, so beyond the hit on the board (which they learned at 4 for the straight jump), it doesn't really help train a handspring. And having an arm circle, it doesn't help train a front tuck on floor either.

[JBS]

Ha Ha...I go the exact opposite on the men's vaults. I don't like the straight jump and love the front tuck.

If a straight jump is done powerful and tight, it will rotate forward causing the gymnast to land on their face. The gymnast has to pop the belly forward a bit to maintain the upright position.

I love the tuck for the pure power that you can put into it. You are right about the heel drive. I think of it as a drill...the heel drive is not what's being taught in this drill. It's the approach.

I don't teach an arm circle on floor...but I have seen some gyms that do. I'll start a thread on this one.