My lecture for Vault in Hong Kong Thought I would share it : Vault, at first glance, seems to be a very simple event. Run fast, fly high, score big, right? Remember, this event is considered as difficult as any other, so don’t let the very short performance time fool you. Vaulting is difficult, and requires careful attention different phases, and body positions, in order to succeed. This work considers a basic, entry level vault, the Front Handspring. The entire skill is broken up into 6 parts. 3 are “phases,” and 3 are “transfers.” A phase is a period of time, and the movement during that time. A transfer marks the end of a phase, and an abrupt change in direction. To borrow from other sports: the flight of a tennis ball would be a “phase,” and its contact with the racket, and reversal of direction would be considered a “transfer.” In Vault, the three phases are, in order, the Run, the Preflight, and the Post flight. Each is vitally important in the Front Handspring. In any proper vault, these three phases appear, although there may be added twists and or rotations in more complex elements. Likewise, the three transfers carry through every individual element on this event. The attack on the springboard, or “Punch,” comes after the run. The Block occurs as the hands contact the vaulting table, after the preflight. Finally, the Landing occurs, obviously, at the end of the vault. What follows is an in-depth analysis of the Front Handspring Vault, very common in both compulsory and lower level optional gymnastics. Many parents wonder what makes a good vault, and in extremely simple terms, we often answer them, “look for speed, and a straight body. If the gymnast is fast, that’s good, and if her body stays straight the whole time, that’s good.” But this is overly simplistic. Let’s now look deeper into exactly how the vault is performed. In the Front Handspring, the Run phase is quite straightforward. It should be fast and powerful, and it should accelerate to the Punch on the springboard. There are many opinions on how many steps are optimal in a vaulting run. I believe that if the gymnast maintains around 11 steps it can lead to a good, strong proper run. The major obstacles to a powerful run are in helping the athlete to develop that power, and convincing the athlete to maintain that power. Very commonly, gymnasts reduce their speed as they approach the spring board. To develop running power, the gymnast needs to have strong legs and ankles, and proper running technique. A good warm-up will include sprints, and a variety of different running methods and jumping methods. These warm-up activities will help the gymnast to improve her running technique, as long as methodology is sound, and the coach monitors the techniques used. Arms should not flail from side to side, but rather stay bent, and at the gymnast’s sides, alternatively pumping forward in opposition to her knees. The legs should always point straight ahead, and the knees should lift straight forward as the gymnast strides. Feet also should point ahead, and not out to the sides. The head should stay upright, not looking down. Finally, I like to keep our athletes on their toes as they run. This has been the best method for transferring the power from the gymnast’s thighs into the floor, while keeping proper alignment. It also produces the most power, given the padded running surface that is a vaulting runway. I like to time the competitive athletes’ sprints often, forcing the girls to remember to push through every stride to produce optimal speed. Immediately following the Run, and before the preflight, comes the contact with the spring board. This is the first transfer in a front handspring vault, and it represents a sudden change of direction and momentum. The forward power generated in the run is quickly directed upward in the Punch. The two keys to the punch are having adequate strength, to transfer directions with minimal energy loss, and proper positioning, again to aid in the transfer of that power. Core strength is vital here – abdominal strength, strength in the thighs, strength in the back. Gymnasts who are unable to keep their bodies “tight” will have major problems with the punch. Keep in mind that the body goes from a full sprint forward into the Punch, and any weakness can be exploited. Knees may give out, the back may arch, the gymnast may be unable to handle the power. In order to vault correctly, and powerfully, the gymnast’s body must be strong. Proper body positions and technique will enable the body to use its strength. First of all, the body should be in a hollow position. As the feet contact the spring board, the arms should be low, as discussed before, and the knees should be slightly bent. Upon leaving the spring board, the legs will straighten, as will the body. Failure to hit these proper positions will result in a loss of power and momentum. Before that analysis, a few drills and exercises bear mention. The arched front layout drill is outstanding, and a mainstay for teaching a good front handspring. It consists of the athlete performing without the vaulting table. After a proper run, and proper punch, the athlete then enters the air, and immediately forces her feet upward, creating a tight arched position. Head position is essential in this drill. The gymnast should keep her head up, and we often accomplish this by asking her to look at a spot on the wall in front of her, while her heels drive upward. Just as in a front handspring on Floor Exercise, the head should remain back and up on the landing. To perform this drill correctly, the gymnast maintains the arched position throughout. This drill is primarily a preflight drill, but it is also very helpful in training the run and the punch. Additionally, I like to have the gymnast perform “arch-up” exercises, to represent the heel drive of the front handspring. One of the many ways to perform these exercises involves the gymnast lying on her stomach on the vault table, and grasping the sides of the table with her hands. She then lifts her heels upward quickly, using the musculature of her back and her hamstrings to arch. If the arched preflight is used, this drill is extremely important. Most coaches will agree that this specific strength is vital, regardless of the method or position of preflight. This transfer represents the exact center of the front handspring vault. It is also where many gymnasts go wrong. Without a proper block, the forward momentum coming from the preflight will continue solely as a forward momentum in the postflight. As gymnasts develop more complicated vaults, adding twists and flips to the postflight, a strong block becomes essential. As with all transfers, strength, and use of that strength, is the key. Just before the block, the body is traveling forward, and rotating as well. The feet are over the head, and the body is approaching a handstand position. Following the block, the body has rotated further, past vertical (handstand), but the momentum is largely now upward. So, the block is designed to keep rotation moving, and to transfer a great deal of forward power into upward power. But how? Coaches often tell their gymnasts to push against the table “through” their shoulders. As with all transfers, substantial bending of any part of the body will impede the transition, so the athlete is asked to use the very strong shoulder and back muscles to propel the body upward. I like to see very little change in body line during the block – the tight arch remains throughout. The only change, visible only to the trained eye, is in shoulder angle. At the start of the block, the shoulder angle is obtuse, and the arms are coming upward from the aforementioned “arm circle.” At the end of the block, the shoulders have completely straightened, leaving no angle at all. In essence, this IS the block – the lightning quick straightening of the shoulder angle. If performed properly, and timed correctly, this will have the desired transfer effect. Handstand “hops,” or “pops,” in which the gymnast bounces in a handstand position, or spotted handstand bounces on a springboard are good drills for helping the block. There is a great deal of carry over in this quick transfer to skills on floor exercise, as well, so the block is exercised in many other tumbling skills. Suffice it to say, though, that if the preflight is incorrect, the block will more than likely also be flawed. Once the block has been performed, the postflight begins. Many variations exist, even in the front handspring vault. Some judges prefer to see a tight-arch in the postflight, some prefer a hollow position. I personally prefer to keep the body perfectly straight in postflight. Later vaults will require many different positions. For instance, vaults that flip in the postflight most often require an arched position before the flip, and vaults that twist often should be hollow. But, for the Front Handspring, I have had great success with a completely straight position. We spend far more time on the earlier phases and transfers of the vault then on postflight. This is because a good postflight really is a result of all of the other pieces of the vault being performed correctly. Aside from body position, the only real efforts I expend on the Front Handspring vault postflight are in arm and head position. In the early years, as the vaulter is developing her power and abilities, we keep the arms directly overhead, and the focus in the postflight is on the ceiling – just as in a front handspring on the floor. Later, as the gymnast becomes stronger and more able, we allow her arms to drop slightly to the sides, forming the letter “Y”, and still keep the head up. This subtle variation exaggerates the block, and better shows off the height of the gymnast’s body during the postflight. Here is another very tricky transfer – the landing. All of the cumulative and retained power of the vault is left in the mat and the body of the gymnast during this transfer. As much as 80 feet of sprinting power, and the rotation and height of the vault all are absorbed with the landing. Clearly, the body must be strong. The back cannot bend, or injury could result. The ankles, knees, and hips of the gymnast must be aligned and healthy to absorb this kind of impact. And the legs must be strong enough to cushion the body, and stop it in its place. Many coaches spend inordinate amounts of time training the landing of vaults. They have their athletes jump down from the vaulting table to “stick” their landings. They call out “Stick!” as their kids are vaulting. They have their gymnasts vault onto semi hard surfaces to practice landings. Sometimes I feel that landings, especially in vaulting, create two main drawbacks. First, we fear that a gymnast (especially a younger more inexperienced gymnast) who is trying to “stick” her vault will not fully commit to the vault. In other words, she’ll hold back, exerting less effort, hoping to better “control” her vault. We would rather see 100% effort and a landing that takes a step or two than 75% effort and a stuck landing. This is true even in competition. More than likely, the better vault with an imperfect landing will be more impressive than a low, slow vault with a perfect landing. Secondly, gymnastics is known to be a physically demanding sport, and landing repeatedly on unforgiving surfaces certainly doesn’t help the body to stay healthy. I almost always have the gymnasts vault onto safety pits and skill cushions, rather than onto hard landing mats. This is in an effort to minimize stress on the joints of our young athletes, and to extend their training time. Again, we will sacrifice one stuck landing for three more turns during a workout. Only after the gymnast has become very proficient at the front handspring vault do we begin stressing the landings. This approach has served my gymnasts well over the years. Proper head and body alignment will help the gymnast to land. We believe that the eyes of the gymnast, despite the head being lifted upward, should focus in front of her, either to a wall, or so that she can just see the floor. The visual cues of the blue mats or the wall will help her to adjust her body minutely to help in executing a perfect landing. In closing, the Front Handspring Vault is a great place to start when developing a knowledge of the event. Many more difficult vaults stem from it, but it is almost always the first “real” vault a gymnast learns. Early I spoke about a good vault being simply described as having two characteristics: it has to be fast, and it should maintain a fairly straight line. These are quite simple, in theory, but quite complex in practice. A vaulter must be powerful enough to give her body the potential to do great things, and she must be trained in how to use that power to make her vault spectacular. Is it as simple as being fast, strong, and straight? To many, it is, but always remember, gymnasts train for hundreds of hours to perform on this event for a mere 3.5 seconds. It probably isn’t as easy as it looks!
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 15:20:16 +0000
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