Nice username... you need to add an avatar!
We do not spot on balance beam (or spot very little)... we do spot on everything else.
You have a few basic types of spotting...
- Shaping / Technique: Spotting to create good body lines and good technique.
- Learning / Experiencing The Skill: Spotting them through the skill so they can get numbers and learn the skill... basically making every turn successful.
- Saving: Making sure the gymnast does not get injured.
We do all of the above at our club. Each club / coach is different though.
I honestly can't think of any skill that at least one person has learned without spotting. In other words... it is possible to learn without spotting. It's just not the way that most clubs do it. Most clubs spot at least some skills.
Bars is the event that we spot the most.
Floor is always spot heavy on certain skills... like back handsprings when they are learning. Back tucks and double backs are spotted on trampoline when they initially learn these skills. Back flipping skills are spotted on floor until they are consistent. Double backs are spotted almost all the time when performed on the real floor during training at our club... just to save ankles. We have a resi pit where they do them by themselves.
Vault... we have a resi... at meets we stand in for most of our L8/9 athletes just in case.
None of this is required... just the way we do it.