Question about spotting on vault

[cbifoja]

We were at an out of state/region meet this weekend when I saw a spotting technique that I have never seen before so I wanted to ask here to see if this is a common technique or if it is truly as unusual as I found it.

The male coach was spotting handspring vaults by putting his back on the lip of the vault table (not sure what it's really called but it is the vertical part). Then he would kind of hunker down and it looked like he had wedged himself between the springboard and the vault. His girls would run toward him, hit the springboard, and as they sailed over him, he would kind of toss them over his head.

Is this a common technique? Is there a benefit to doing it this way rather than standing beside the vault? Is it a gender/size thing?

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[dunno]

another idiot coach...

[AmandaLynn]

Uhhh... I have done that with little bitties that are just learning handstand flat backs to a resi, just because it is fun for them and they feel like they are flying.

but I would never spot a kid over the table that way. You would have absolutely no control over the post flight. And, I am sorry, but if a kid needs that much spot to get to a handstand, they have no business going over the table anyway.

[TGymnastics]

My coach has done that before, only on to mats and with they little kids. I am sure it's not very safe doing it on the hoarse

[cbifoja]

Most of his gymmies were small but one was a very well-developed young lady who could not at all be described as a bitty.

[RileyG]

My dd was having fear issues with this vault. I saw her coach spot her like this seceral times. It helped my dd get over her fear. She was capable of doing the vault but had a mental fear going on with it. Anyway now when she gets a spot the coach is standing to the side. She still has issues with her hand placement. And i was actually going to post a question about this. It seems like there should be some drills or something to help her get the hand placement each time. She is leaning forward coming off the springboard.

[catou]

I've done that before, on a stack of mats, when I wanted them to feel the (fly). I would never do it on a table, as I can't see where they put their hands I have no idea what's happening when I let them go. Anyway, with that kind of spot, I don't think you get on the table in a good angle to block off properly.

For me standing beside the vault is a much better technique as you get an view of the whole vault and you're in a much better position to react if something happens (even if in competition, I think that if a gymnast cannot get over the table, she just should not do vault...)

[kandkfunk]

Oh wow, our coaches spot like that on a regular basis. They are also the ones who have the girls wear weights to vault and set the board back 3+ feet from the table. Clearly we have issues

[gymmommy123]

I have seen my daughters coaches doing this with her. But she is little, and it's onto the mat. Actually, it's more a jump to the position in the air, and then the coach sets them on the mat. It made me think of Dirty Dancing, lol. Obviously the little girls thought it was fun, and it did seem to help her learn how her body was supposed to be in the air. I've never seen it done with the older girls or on the table though...

[Seeker]

Okay, you said it better. My first thought when reading the description was "well, that is rather odd..."

No...I've never seen this method; at least not on a table. Maybe onto mats, in the gym...but I'm not sure that I've even seen it then.

another idiot coach...