How many springs in your vault springboard???

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justanothergymmom

Proud Parent
How many springs would you keep in for a very light (65lb) yurchenko vaulter? Do you adjust remove or add springs according to the gymnast's weight or power or both? Are there other factors involved???
 
yep. all that. sometimes you have to experiment with boards. i have a couple of 65-70 yurchenko vaulters. 2 springs in the front-1 center-2 rear. i have another same weight. very fast and strong. 3 in the front-1center-2 rear. incidentally, these 2 spring configurations are the only 2 allowed at the elite level.
 
It depends. We have a couple of those tac 10 (basketball) boards and they're great, but pretty tight especially if you use the black springs. Some of my kids can barely hit that board. Older girls love it. I'd assume 5 or 6 springs depending on the speed and power of the kid. Most of my kids around 65lb do 2 front, 1 center, 2 rear. I add the third front (front center) if they can hit the board really well.
 
Dunno and gymdog thank you so much! Can removing one spring really make that much of a difference? I think she has been using the configuration of 3-1-2...she's been struggling with consistency on her flipping vaults for 2 years...
 
yes. pull 1 out of the front. it can make all the difference in the world.
 
One more related question...how long does it typically take for a young gymnast to get to the point of consistency with yurchenkos? I am just a mom and I don't know squat about these things, but it has been hard to watch her struggle on this event for this long...
 
yep. all that. sometimes you have to experiment with boards. i have a couple of 65-70 yurchenko vaulters. 2 springs in the front-1 center-2 rear. i have another same weight. very fast and strong. 3 in the front-1center-2 rear. incidentally, these 2 spring configurations are the only 2 allowed at the elite level.

We got a new spring beatboard and we used it with the 2 front springs, one centre, 2 back and it was great. Suited many gymnasts. Then we read the instructions and it said cannot have less than 3 springs in front. When we have it set like that, only the heavier/higher level gymnasts get enough spring out of it.

Due to the insurance problems we have not been given permission to use the beatboard with the amount of springs we would like. Any other coaches had this problem? I suppose we could just go ahead and use beatboard the way we want, however we are concerned about the liability if someone was injured and they claimed it was because we were using an incorrect number of springs.
 
yep...that gymnova board sucks with 3 in the front. that is really a set up for the men. and you can always find an 'expert' that can refute the claim of the manufacturer. don't be concerned with the liability. remember the issue at Worlds? they stopped the event, had a meeting and brought in different boards. the board they were complaining about was the gymnova with 3 in the front.
 
Yeh it is kind of weird. We go to competitions at other clubs and they all have beatboards available with two springs in front.

When we had a comp at our gym one of the other clubs removed the centre spring out of the beatboard before we realised it had been done (wish we could have gotten away with that one!)

I am not sure what brand the beatboard is.

It is a bit hard to imagine how one particular brand of beadboard is more dangerous than another when it has two springs in the front. Not exactly complicated design?

We would probably have to get permission from the manufacturer, in writing, to confirm ok to use with 2 springs in front, before we are permitted to use it that way.
 
Due to the insurance problems we have not been given permission to use the beatboard with the amount of springs we would like. Any other coaches had this problem? I suppose we could just go ahead and use beatboard the way we want, however we are concerned about the liability if someone was injured and they claimed it was because we were using an incorrect number of springs.

Nope. Though this seems to be an issue in other countries with the Gymnova boards, I don't know much about that. In the US I've never heard of being barred in terms of liability in changing the equipment (obviously some things are standard due to FIG specifications, but not liability). You might void the warranty.

Yurchenkos take a long time to perfect. It is important to be consistent on the entry before pushing the vault too hard. I feel sometimes this step is getting rushed now moving kids from L7 to L8. Removing a spring isn't a magic fix, but it can help the kid get more from the board if they can't hit a loaded board. On the other hand the harder they can hit the board and the more springs is better...make sense? But if they get nothing out of it that isn't helpful and they lose momentum. 65lbs is really light, to hit the same board someone 100 or 120 lbs can use. If I put the same board out for my L5s that NCAA or elite guys would use, that would be silly. But on the other hand if they used the same board as L5 girls, well...it's a balancing act for the size, speed, and power of the athlete.

Lots of coaches are using board drills now using a panel mat instead of the springboard to promote punching with a tighter body rather than relying on the spring of the springboard so much (mostly for roundoff entry). And I've heard some coaches say this has helped some of their athletes to go to more springs in the board and increased the power of their vaults (as long as they can use the board). So basically what I'm trying to say is just putting in the springs isn't a quick fix (they have to be able to use the board), and removing them can also help but usually there are other errors in timing or a lack of speed/power from the run and the performance of the roundoff entry.
 
yep...that gymnova board sucks with 3 in the front. that is really a set up for the men. and you can always find an 'expert' that can refute the claim of the manufacturer. don't be concerned with the liability. remember the issue at Worlds? they stopped the event, had a meeting and brought in different boards. the board they were complaining about was the gymnova with 3 in the front.

Is the board your talking about the one with the adjustable pull thing on the side to change the bounciness?
If so, our club as it and loves it, (all women competitive team). Coaches love not having to move a beat board too!
 
Is the board your talking about the one with the adjustable pull thing on the side to change the bounciness?
If so, our club as it and loves it, (all women competitive team). Coaches love not having to move a beat board too!

no..........................
 
The springs are quite hard to remove, and even harder to get back in.
 
Yurchenkos take a long time to perfect. It is important to be consistent on the entry before pushing the vault too hard. I feel sometimes this step is getting rushed now moving kids from L7 to L8. Removing a spring isn't a magic fix, but it can help the kid get more from the board if they can't hit a loaded board. On the other hand the harder they can hit the board and the more springs is better...make sense? But if they get nothing out of it that isn't helpful and they lose momentum. 65lbs is really light, to hit the same board someone 100 or 120 lbs can use......
.....So basically what I'm trying to say is just putting in the springs isn't a quick fix (they have to be able to use the board), and removing them can also help but usually there are other errors in timing or a lack of speed/power from the run and the performance of the roundoff entry.

Thanks again, gymdog. She is actually L9 this year but did a different vault last year for L8. The reason I asked the question in the 1st place is because she has been using the same board that girls that weigh almost 100-120lbs use and I was curious if this is common practice. I am fairly certain that she has some problems with her run, roundoff and the way she punches too...but figured I'd ask about the board anyway...easier to blame the board than the gymnast:D
 
In Quebec we can only use Gymnova and last year we had huge problems with the new grey board, or the rock as it is known by my girls! The federation eventually, after many meets and many more complaints about safety, allowed the use of an aeroboard for the under 12 age group.

We had 8 year old prep op type gymnasts trying to vault over the table at 125cm's using that board, it was ugly and dangerous. Gym nova needs to rethink the board design. The earlier red and cream board was adjustable and had more give.
 
Sure, I guess, if you think of bounce as "easier to bounce on" like a trampoline. Of course it's easy to "bottom out" a board with a few springs (i.e. the springs compress completely and the springboard reaches it's "limit" and can't compress more) if you're larger (by larger I mean...not a little kid). Conversely if a little kid jumped on a fully loaded springboard, they would not compress the board much at all, so they can't access that energy.

But more springs means more potential energy, so in that sense what we really want is the most springs that the athlete can reasonably compress. Then it wouldn't be "bouncy" by the specifications of just walking on it and having it bounce, but it would provide the most energy for the vault.

I hope that makes sense. Again board contact drills such as using a panel mat to punch off of (not to do the actual vault, but to do a roundoff back flip off or roundoff and BHS up to a resi mat) can allow the athletes to increase their body tension and punching ability, and then transition to or better use additional springs. Obviously these drills should be limited on a harder surface such as a runway, but doing them on a spring floor should be acceptable.
 
Sorry to dig up such an old thread, but I have a question.

Is it a problem that might affect my future in vaulting if I use what my coach calls "the dude board"? It has I believe all of the springs in, 3 in front middle and back (nine in all). I vault really well off of it and have no problems getting power from the board. If it helps at all, I'm around 5 feet tall and somewhere around 110 lbs. I read in this thread that FIG only allows something like the 3-1-2 or 2-1-2 configuration, but is the NCAA the same way?
Thanks!
 

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