I've always had an interest in wrist pain and wrist injuries. I can imagine that a harder contact is made by doing a TTY than with a 2,5 TY or DTY.
Can you explain a bit more how the difference in 2,5 or 3 twists will affect the wrist?
Thanks!
I don't claim to know everything about twisting (dunno slaps hands over mouth and Jbs convulses silently in laughter while coachp, coachtodd, and others suppress grins) but here's my thinking behind what I posted.
It seems when a gymnast twists their body tilts (off the vertical axis) to the side which effectively shortens the salto radius. The tilt increases slightly with each 1/2 twist that's added, so a 1/1 twist will tilt slightly, a 2/1 will show more off axis tilt, a 5/2 slightly more, and a 3/1 just a bit more still. So as you progress into twisting your salto radius becomes shorter and shorter which makes the salto rotate more easily.
An additional feature of twisting, if you teach them the way I do (whoops I didn't mean for you to do that), is the motion from the set follow through to the twist acceleration uses a transition from a slight and tight arch to a hollow position, which increases very slightly as the multiples of 1/2 twists increase. So a 1/1 has very little transition motion and a 3/1 has quite a bit..... more than does a 5/2. This transition motion that facilitates twisting also facilitates rotation so a 3/1 saltos more freely than does a 1/1.
So these two forces alone require a block that seeks to limit the salto and increase the height to allow decimal fractions of a second longer in the air to get the twist complete. That block is going to present a heavy load to the gymnast wrists, and take place at a slightly lower angle above horizontal.... and that's hard on the wrists.
Just a few quick statements that may or may not fit with other coaches models.......
An Amanar lands facing away from the able and that allows the last 1/2 to take place in a more extended body position and points the feet in the right direction to counter salto forces at the moment of landing. Maroney seems to know this and when she tried to adjust that body position to nail her second vault in London she extended outward just a bit too far or
too soon.... you'll have to ask her which.
Twisting is the result of refined manipulations of the forces created during the punch, or block for vaulting. So if you've refined as far as you can, the only means available to increase the twist is to create more of theses forces during the block. So even more weight/impact for a 3/1 than needed for a 5/2.
Add all of this together and your result is more work for the wrists to do the 3/1...... maybe too much for wrists to endure over a prolonged training period with the equipment exactly as it is.
So if I don't have it figured out I'll welcome any offerings of wisdom.....
