Coaches Level 3 VT Question

[coachmolly]

I have never had a kid at this level have this issue before, and she's struggling to fix it so I am hoping for some words of wisdom to perhaps better explain the problem to her.
She is competing Xcel Bronze, but essentially the level 3 VT. They compete onto a 32" mat stack- we do not have additional mats at the gym to make it higher, though I think she would benefit from that. She comes in very high, not contacting the mats until she is past vertical. She has a pretty slow turnover- almost like a swan dive type action onto the mats. No pike, no arch. Just hits past vertical. I have tried explaining to her, but something is getting lost, and I need help with wording to get this figured out. The plan is to have her jump to Xcel Gold next season, so a real FHS vault, and I want this issue ironed out before that transition is made.
Any general tips would be appreciated, not sure I can snag a video, but if that would be helpful I can try on Monday and PM it.

 

[gymdog]

She needs to swing her arms faster (although higher than 32 would still be ideal if she'll be on the table next year). However, it's still possible to come in low with a quick arm action and further forward reach (in Xcel there's no line but you may overshoot the mats). However it's easier said than done for the kids, I feel like a broken record, but I would recommend you drill the arm action like fast arm swings back and forth or use bands for resistance plus the correction to reach forward faster.

 

[coachmolly]

Thanks! We have been working really hard on arm swing with the whole group, haven't tried using a resistance band though, will definitely give that a try. And maybe get creative and see if there is someway I can get the stack a little higher.

 

[gymdog]

Also needs to reach farther. Think about a forward blunder off a springboard onto an 8 incher. It is possible to come into a mat even at springboard height in an angle that leads to repulsion but it's going to correlate to much farther forward reach (longer) than with a higher surface. Since Xcel has no deduction for the line you should be able to do this with minimal adjustment to the springboard. But the longer/lower reach also has to have correspondingly fast arms to line up with the heel drive otherwise you're going to have the swan dive to hit past horizontal and mega arch down.

 

[raenndrops]

Also needs to reach farther. Think about a forward blunder off a springboard onto an 8 incher. It is possible to come into a mat even at springboard height in an angle that leads to repulsion but it's going to correlate to much farther forward reach (longer) than with a higher surface. Since Xcel has no deduction for the line you should be able to do this with minimal adjustment to the springboard. But the longer/lower reach also has to have correspondingly fast arms to line up with the heel drive otherwise you're going to have the swan dive to hit past horizontal and mega arch down.

Wouldn't it be a easier… once she can make the longer reach to move the springboard so that she still has plenty of mat left - it's no fun to consistently fly off the end of the mat … I just wouldn't move it without letting her know and working on the reach as suggested first

 

[gymdog]

I agree, I probably would move the board but just in case it's hard with the other stations if the other girls have it in a certain place. And of course I'm not sure she would fly off the end I always just remind people as a disclaimer the standard resi vault system is not very long. At our state meet they will have an additional mat behind it both to prevent sliding on the floor surface and for additional length. This is true at most meets where rental equipment is used as well (our state owns equipment). But at some in gym meets you will have the system placed in front of a vault table or something so you're right - the only choice may be to move the board back.

 

[coachmolly]

I will give moving the board back a try too. I keep the board relatively close as the other girls have the opposite problem with a huge lean forward on the board and attempting to dive onto the mat with no upward jump. Though that problem has been improving and there are a few others that could probably use the board a bit farther back at this point.
I think part of the problem is that she has an idea in her head of what the vault should look/feel like (going in really high) and I need to deconstruct that. We had a little success for a few days, but then reverted back. So maybe faster arms and farther reach might be things she can understand. Add to the equation that English is her second language (was born here and speaks very good English, but lots of things still get lost in translation) and I can see why she's confused. I've also thought of finding a very good level 3 vault to show her, compared to a vault of her own to help get the idea across better.

 

[Jenn75]

I agree, I would move the board back to cue her for a longer reach. If you want to move her to gold next year I wouldn't work too hard to get rid of the height -- she's going to need it!

 

[CoachTodd]

I personally hate the idea of moving the board back. I think it leads to technique issues that prevent proper block in the real vaults. I would do the opposite. I would move the board closer (but not too close). I would also look for mats to add to get the height the gymnast needs but unless she's 6 feet tall, she should be able to hit at the correct angle given time. I did have one girl get a deduction for blocking clear over the mat stack. That is when I pretty much learned to ignore the scores at the flatback levels because are really good vault with really good technique could get you a full point deduction.

 

[gymdog]

I personally hate the idea of moving the board back. I think it leads to technique issues that prevent proper block in the real vaults. I would do the opposite. I would move the board closer (but not too close). I would also look for mats to add to get the height the gymnast needs but unless she's 6 feet tall, she should be able to hit at the correct angle given time. I did have one girl get a deduction for blocking clear over the mat stack. That is when I pretty much learned to ignore the scores at the flatback levels because are really good vault with really good technique could get you a full point deduction.

Blocking over the mat stack isn't a deduction in itself as long as they return to a straight laying position after landing.

 

[CoachTodd]

Blocking over the mat stack isn't a deduction in itself as long as they return to a straight laying position after landing.

Correct. She cleared it by about 3 feet . It was a great handspring vault.

 

[gymdog]

Correct. She cleared it by about 3 feet . It was a great handspring vault.

So, if she returned to the mat and lays down showing her "straight lying position" before saluting, they can't take the deduction (it's been clarified many times). Although some judges may take the deduction, it's in error. she should only be deducted for any body alignment faults. To avoid this though, at our bigger meets and states meets we have an additional mat stack that sits behind the resi to keep it from sliding and acts as an additional surface for the flatback. If truly blocking at the correct angle (not required in level 3 but part of dynamics) then it would be difficult to clear this set up, however for bigger girls it's pretty easy for them to clear the normal stack even with average vaults in my opinions, especially if you don't use additional mats for height.