Help with Vault

[superflipgirl]

I need some help. Early this season I was vaulting on the "1" setting. I was doing very well and getting my first 9s ever in competition. However, I recently started vaulting on the "2" setting and I've been having problems. I used to pike going over the 1 setting, but I eventually fixed it, and now that I started vaulting on 2, I've had some more piking problems, and even bent legs. I have tried landing on the board with my chest up, but when I try to run as fast as I can I tend to lean forward, which makes it hard to land with my chest up on the board. The coach who usually is on vault with me is kind of annoying because she always spots me on my vaults, even when I was on the 1 setting and I think its messing me up, because I don't need spot. I don't know how to tell her not to spot me. Any suggestions?

 

[CoachTodd]

1. Ignore the table. Think of it as something you'll bounce off of somewhere in the middle of a correct vault. My guess is that it has been raised for a entry angle reason or something similar.

2. In your last few steps, start to pull your shoulders back so you can hit the board at the correct angle.

3. If you start vaulting without piking or bending your legs, I'm willing to bet the coach will stop spotting. I usually spot when I think the gymnast needs to make an adjustment on a skill and that the spot is either for safety reasons or to help them feel the proper motion in the skill.

 

[superflipgirl]

Thanks, I will try that. My coach doesn't really spot me, she kind of just touches me because she thinks I need help getting my body over the table but I don't! I want to just experiment with my body myself and try to correct it, but when my coach touches me, it gets in the way

 

[Linsul]

What vault are you doing? A handspring?

 

[superflipgirl]

yes, I'm doing a handspring, but tonight at practice it looked a lot better

 

[Linsul]

When my girls lean into the table I hold one of those foam stick things about 4 inches in front of the table and an inch or 2 higher. They do an arm circle, so sometimes they reach for the table instead of finishing it, which they can't do without leaning forward. So they pike, then bend their legs, then snap them straight/arch to get over. These are girls with great handsprings onto a mat, and who can do block drills like pros. That harmless bit of foam just a teeny bit higher and closer seems to drive the point home every time since they have to set their shoulders back to miss it. I only do this for girls I can confidently spot with one hand though. It's just getting the 'table jitters' out for those who are new to the surface.