WAG Level 7 Vault questions

[Deleted member D3987]

We are having a similar issue. Tiny girls are expected to hurdle the same distance as the 14-15 year olds. I know one child is regularly in tears over this expectation and is tiny for her age. I had an opportunity to measure from the tape line to the front of the spring board back and it was 9.5 feet.
This seems very long to me?

Our team regularly hits in the middle of the board, hence the middle of the table at best. From what I have read here that can be the cause for little momentum post flight?

Are there concerns for feet and ankle issues if a small kid is expected to punch the board on the same number of springs as the older kids? Then you add such a large hurdle to that expectation and weights. It seems this might explain her pain issues? Just trying to get an idea of what the expectation should be.

Thanks!!


I

what? are?? you??? saying???? 9.5 feet?????

 

[Moxiegrl83]

They hurdle 9.5 feet, and with weights?

 

[stargazer]

9.5 feet seems extremely far. When I trained with my group our hurdles were probaly 5-6 feet long, shorter than that for the little 8-9 year olds. I had my board set the farthest (the front of the board was about 90cm from the vault), while the other girls had theirs at 70-80. The littlest ones had spot and their boards were at about 50cm. Does this seem close? This is for a vault set at 125cm. We were expected to hit the vault about 6-8 inches from the far end, I've almost gone right over the vault a couple of times if someone forgot to move the board back! We were also expected to adjust the board distance after our turn for the next girl in line, and we were grouped so that girls who used boards with the same number of springs were together. It is weird to me that a coach would expect little girls to use the same board and distance as girls twice their age and weight, I can't imagine it works very well in anyone's favour. Is this common??

 

[Deleted member D3987]

well, 9.5 feet from the front of the board to the table would be negligence and stupidity. if the back of the board was measured at 9.5 feet that would make the front of the board 5.5 feet from the table which would also be negligence and stupidity. therefore, i'll wait for clarification from this poster as to whether this metric is in feet or inches. or maybe an outside chance the poster is talking about the distance of the strike foot in the hurdle prior to the board or maybe it's a new board that i don't know about that is 8 feet long...

 

[AmandaLynn]

well, 9.5 feet from the front of the board to the table would be negligence and stupidity. if the back of the board was measured at 9.5 feet that would make the front of the board 5.5 feet from the table which would also be negligence and stupidity. therefore, i'll wait for clarification from this poster as to whether this metric is in feet or inches. or maybe an outside chance the poster is talking about the distance of the strike foot in the hurdle prior to the board or maybe it's a new board that i don't know about that is 8 feet long...

I understood it that the tape line (what many are using since they are no longer allowed to use a hand placement mat as a "hurdle mat") was 9.5 feet from the front of the board. While gymnasts should not be hurdling to the very edge of the board, this would still mean that they are expecting a small child to be able to hurdle about 9 feet...

 

[wandrewsjr]

I understood it that the tape line (what many are using since they are no longer allowed to use a hand placement mat as a "hurdle mat") was 9.5 feet from the front of the board. While gymnasts should not be hurdling to the very edge of the board, this would still mean that they are expecting a small child to be able to hurdle about 9 feet...

That is how I read it, 9.5 feet from the tape line to the front of the board. I have seen teams at meets have the hurdle line this far back, and when you watch their girls they will almost all take their last step PAST the tape line. So I am not sure if they are just trying to show off - "look at my girls and their GIANT hurdle" - or if this is just their technique, second to last step in front of the tape line, last last before the hurdle past the line.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

well then, for perspective, the length of the hand mat is 33 inches. just under 3 feet. this is absurd.

 

[Gr8spring]

Yes.. You understood. They did use the hurdle mat (and now tape line) and expect her to hurdle the same distance as the big girls, even with weights on. This has led to a lot of frustration and tears. What is an appropriate distance for a small 9 year old to hurdle?

Also the vault board itself is NOT moved between each gymnast. She says it is three (shoe sizes) away from the table. This seems far as well. DD wants it at 2 of her own feet, but the coach does three of her adult feet. I have told her to move it before her turn but she is afraid of the coach. Thanks for the input.

I understood it that the tape line (what many are using since they are no longer allowed to use a hand placement mat as a "hurdle mat") was 9.5 feet from the front of the board. While gymnasts should not be hurdling to the very edge of the board, this would still mean that they are expecting a small child to be able to hurdle about 9 feet...

 

[Deleted member D3987]

the front of the board should be at 6 inches to 1 foot. no if's and's or but's.

 

[AmandaLynn]

Yes.. You understood. They did use the hurdle mat (and now tape line) and expect her to hurdle the same distance as the big girls, even with weights on. This has led to a lot of frustration and tears. What is an appropriate distance for a small 9 year old to hurdle? .

They are vaulting with weights on???? Like... Ankle weights??

As for the question about how far they should be hurdling, there really isn't a set distance. It depends on many things... But I know that 9.5 feet is too far.

 

[CoachTodd]

Yes.. You understood. They did use the hurdle mat (and now tape line) and expect her to hurdle the same distance as the big girls, even with weights on. This has led to a lot of frustration and tears. What is an appropriate distance for a small 9 year old to hurdle?

Also the vault board itself is NOT moved between each gymnast. She says it is three (shoe sizes) away from the table. This seems far as well. DD wants it at 2 of her own feet, but the coach does three of her adult feet. I have told her to move it before her turn but she is afraid of the coach. Thanks for the input.

I usually had the board at about 2 of my shoe sizes for larger gymnasts and I have short feet. Three isn't out of the question but it's getting into the range where the vaults start to dive and float instead of bounce.

 

[Gymdaddio]

the front of the board should be at 6 inches to 1 foot. no if's and's or but's.

Wow, this is something new to stress over. My 10 yo, lvl 7 says that her coach sets the board at 2'6" for her and once when it was set at 2'4", she almost went over the vault. This is a very experienced coach, but now I am wondering if his thought on this is "old-school". My dd even said that the coach moved the board back to 3' for our most powerful vaulter.

I saw Thomas Heinen's paper ( 4/9/11 ) where gymnasts performed better when the springboard was moved .1m closer to vault than their usual individual setting. However, he didn't say what their individual distance was. Is this a new theory for vaulting?

 

[Deleted member D3987]

no. one viewpoint is from an educated point of view. the other? i can't tell you...

 

[CoachTodd]

Wow, this is something new to stress over. My 10 yo, lvl 7 says that her coach sets the board at 2'6" for her and once when it was set at 2'4", she almost went over the vault. This is a very experienced coach, but now I am wondering if his thought on this is "old-school". My dd even said that the coach moved the board back to 3' for our most powerful vaulter.

I saw Thomas Heinen's paper ( 4/9/11 ) where gymnasts performed better when the springboard was moved .1m closer to vault than their usual individual setting. However, he didn't say what their individual distance was. Is this a new theory for vaulting?

The gymnasts that are at 3' (if we are talking about the front of the board and not the back) are most likely not turning over their vault fast enough to eventually flip. I know "experienced" coaches that think 4 feet is good for the handstand flatback vaults. That doesn't mean they're right.

 

[AmandaLynn]

The gymnasts that are at 3' (if we are talking about the front of the board and not the back) are most likely not turning over their vault fast enough to eventually flip. I know "experienced" coaches that think 4 feet is good for the handstand flatback vaults. That doesn't mean they're right.

I was going to say the same thing. I have moved the board that far out for kids that are slow to turnover. Most of the kids with the board that far away will not be able to flip a vault until they can turn over quicker (thus, needing the board moved in...). It works well with kids that are taller/older and slow to initiate the turnover. It allows them more time to get to their hands, thus less deductions for a huge pike in the preflight. However, it is not ideal, and seriously effects the block from the table.