Coaches Need new vault drills

[BarCoach]

We started over on vault after states (early April). We've worked sprinting, longer hurdles and preflight angle a lot. I've been asking them to do handstand hops to their backs over the table (hands on table, pop to handstand on mat higher than table, fall to back) a lot. Some of them are getting it. Others aren't really. Vaults haven't improved significantly overall.
Looking to find something new to stop the boredom and help with blocking at the right angle. We're still working on sprints and hurdling too.

 

[BlairBob]

Front Layouts.

No idea what level they are but if they aren't ready for layouts to feet, you can do 3/4 layouts to stacked mats or a portapit with the focus on keeping the mats high.

A return drill I always used (because of Oleg, my boss) is/was from a block, step off and punch a board and go over 2-4 pit cubes with a straight jump. eventually this will done with a front tuck instead.

You can also do it on floor with a springboard with lower levels and just the floor with L6. Instead of a block, you'd go off a panel mat. I guess you could eventually use a block but that's something I would build up to over a long time.

 

[BarCoach]

They were level 4 last year, training for 6. We do front layouts both into the pot off mini, board or floor and off TT to landing mat. Won't straight jumps and front tucks teach them to go too high? I'm trying to correct preflight a that come into the table too high, ie. in or past handstand when the hands hit.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Low hurdle, how long is long?

 

[BarCoach]

I'd say the majority are taking off about 4 feet from the end of the board. How long should they be?

 

[Deleted member 14190]

. I set my hurdle line at 9 feet for the team 8.5 for the little ones and 8 for the tiny(6 year olds) My h fronts are at 9.4 but the board is also pushed back for them as well. So the hurdle distance for my top front vaulters is 3 feet. My regular vaulters are at around 3.5 feet. So the better the vaulter the shorter the hurdle gets but nothing less of 3 feet.

 

[BlairBob]

The straight jumps and tucks are merely done as a plyometric drill. Straight jumps lay the foundation for being tight off the board and in the air.

 

[gymdog]

Do bounders down the track. Goal is to take the most room for one bounder. If they struggle out an 8 inch mat longways. At this level they should be able to clear that on track.

 

[BarCoach]

Finally got to read all the responses. Thanks. We tried full vaults tonight for the first time in a while. I was not impressed so we will be using a lot of these drills tomorrow.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

You have to keep vaulting, along with the drills. Speed, low hurdle, swing angle..

 

[BarCoach]

Ok thanks. One last question. I put all of their table heights up one notch thinking they'd come in lower but all they seem to be doing is struggling to get over. Should I keep it there or put them back down?

 

[BlairBob]

Back down, they probably aren't ready for it. They aren't capable of turning it over.

So you keep them vaulting over the table at least once a week and focus on the drills 2 other days a week.

Or you simply do the drills before going over the table. Kind of depends on how much time you have to vault per week.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Okay so opinions vary and different things work for different coaches. My kids vault up one notch. Yes they will struggle, but getting them to run fast, hurdle and not lean forward during the hurdle is my goal. They must keep straight arms (ha ha, this takes work) and a straight body. I will then lower the vault at the end for one or two vaults to see any results if any. At this point in the year, (assuming your season starts in september) you need to vault them every day, even if it's only a couple of vaults. The bottom line is you can work the run all day long, but if at the end you don't throw a board and vault in front of them you are missing the conversion part, which is the main goal. Drill, Drill, Drill, attempt to convert, back to drill attempt again all in the same day, remember it's only a handspring!

 

[BlairBob]

CoachP,

We started over on vault after states (early April)

They are in one of those areas that competes Compulsories in spring not fall so it seems.

But if they were pre-season, they would be vaulting at least 2 out of 3 days, or 3 out of 4.

 

[BarCoach]

Our season starts sometime in November, with states usually the first weekend in April. Only one season.

 

[BlairBob]

Odd. You would still be in off-season mode till about the end of August then.

 

[tweez94]

sprints are great but in my opinion they are useless unless done to a board. The goal isn't to run fast but to run the fastest all the way to the board thus hitting the board with as much power as possible. Focus on straight jumps up to mat stacks or over things until the kids can do them at their max speed and longest hurdle without any signs of hesitation (they literally begin to attack the board). while working this fear free run and hurdle is while I focus on FHS drills such as blocking and heel drives and the list goes on and on and on. Once the run hurdle straight jump is consistently aggressive and fear free then I start putting the pieces together. Either FHS up to the same mat stack, FHS over the pit mat, front layouts over a block trying to get vertical as soon as possible, the list is endless. The main foundation for a good vault comes down to the speed into the hurdle, the distance of the hurdle, the aggresive board strike with an aggressive arm swing, and then it is just a matter of turning the vault over (driving heels) and blocking. the biggest thing is to get the hands on while the body is still going up and getting the body off at vertical. But once again the run hurdle and arm swing are the biggest parts. the rest with time and strength will acclimate with drills.