A01 Gymnastic Based Sport

 VAULT:

The vault is performed by both male and female and as you can see in the image above it involves lots of concentration. As well as the vault being a skill performed by many gymnasts, it is the name of the apparatus used. Performing a vault is very easy but perfecting a vault is very hard. In recent PE lessons I have performed a ‘gate vault’, ‘through vault’ and a ‘hand spring’. When I was trying the through vault for the first time I accidently did a ‘straddle vault’. It’s very easy to understand but doing it is the tricky part. I don’t think my vaults were aesthetically pleasing.  

The ‘Vaulting horse’:

Originally the vault was performed on a ‘horse’, a ‘pommel horse’ without the handles, but was changed because it has resulted in many serious injuries. For women gymnasts the ‘horse’ was set up perpendicular to their run but for men it was set up parallel. For over century the ‘vaulting horse’ was used in the Olympics up until recently when it was banned and replaced by the ‘vaulting table’. Introduced in 2001, in the ‘world artistic gymnastics championships’, made by Dutch gymnasts, the ‘vaulting table’ is a much safer apparatus than the ‘horse’.

Dimensions:   

The vaulting table is:

·         120cm long

·         95cm wide

·         135cm high (men)

·         125cm high (women).

The run up area is:

·         2500cm long

·         100cm wide.

How a vault is performed:

·         The Run:

The gymnast may choose how far they want to run as long as it is within 82 feet from the table. Although the run is not judged it is best that you run as fast as you can towards the spring board to build up momentum for the vault. Once the gymnast is within 3-6 feet away from the spring board they must jump onto it, or round-off onto the springboard. 

·         Pre-flight:

The pre-flight is the phase when the gymnast hits the spring board and makes contact with the table. This is a very important part and easy to mess up. The gymnast does not want to lose the momentum built up by the run. The gymnast’s legs should be together with arms stretched up by the ears.

·         Contact with the table:

This phase involves the gymnast pushing off the table with his/her hands as forcefully as possible to get the best amount of lift. The gymnast needs to stay as tight as possible to create a powerful vault.  

·         The Post-flight:

The post-flight is the part of the vault where the gymnast has pushed off from the table and is in the air. To most people this is the most exciting bit because the person doing it is usually performing flips and twists before they land. However, the post-flight is very easy to go wrong. The judges will mark you on distance and form; this will include pointed toes and legs tight together.

·         The landing:

Although this is the end of the vault the gymnast must make sure they ‘stick’ the landing, or make sure they stay on their feet when they hit the mat. Boundaries will be marked out on the mat and extra points will be awarded for landing inside the boundaries. The person should also put up his/her hands to show they have finished they’re vault. This is usually for just a few seconds.

Scoring and Rules:

Most rules are the same for both men and women but some can be a little bit different, for example if women stop on the runway for some specific reason they are allowed 30 seconds to go back to the start of the runway and given a second chance but men are not given a second chance they get 0 marks.

Landing a vault with a hop or step will result in a deduction of points whether they’re male or female. Gymnasts are expected to land cleanly. In qualification or team final events both male and female gymnasts performs one vault unlike Apparatus Finals where they must perform two vaults. For men these two vaults must be from different element groups but for women they must use different repulsion from the ‘table’.

The image above is taken from behind the ‘vaulting table’. You can see the start of the runway and how far you have to run. Obviously this isn’t a professional gymnastics place but it is certainly used for events and club contests. As I said earlier in this guide the gymnast can start from anywhere on the runway and they usually run as fast as they can towards the spring board. After they have completed their vault they land on the mat that you can see after the ‘vaulting table’. Always know which vault you are doing before you start running! The worst thing that could happen is for you to change your mind just as your about to get onto the springboard.

In this image you can even see the judges beside the springboard. They need to be by the ‘vaulting table’ because this is the part that they judge.

This image shows a clear view of the runway leading up to the spring- board. From this angle we can see how tall the ‘vaulting table’ really is. The spring board doesn’t look as though it will give much lift but if you push down with your knees you will go quite high. 

National Organizations:

·        NCAA National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships:

http://www.nawgj.org/ncaa_gymnastics_rules.htm

The link above will bring up a page all about the rules of the National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships. This will include how many points a certain type of vault is, for example a FHS (onto board) Handspring – 1/1 twist off is worth 9.30 points. It also includes special requirements, like the 1.00 deduction for touching the vault table with only one or with no hands. As well as this it includes more complex rules such as:

·         Floor exercise special requirements

·         Element values different from level 10

·         Connection value exceptions

As well as gymnastics the NCAA are involved in:

·         Baseball

·         Basketball

·         Cross country

·         Fencing

·         Football

·         Golf

·         Ice Hockey

·         Lacrosse

·         Skiing

·         Rifle

·         Soccer

·         Swimming

·         Diving

·         Tennis

·         Track and Field (indoor)

·         Track and field (outdoor)

·         Volleyball

·         Water polo

·        

     Wrestling

·         Field Hockey

·         Fencing

·         Rowing

·         Softball

·         And even bowling.

·        NAWGJ National Association Of Women’s Gymnastics Judges:

http://www.nawgj.org/

The link above takes you to the NAWGJ homepage which has lots of useful information about the association and how to join them. Down the left hand side of the page are useful links including:

·         Education corner

·         Email updates

·         How do I become a judge?

·         Gymnastics links

·         And Official documents.

Down the right hand side of the page you will find some useful ‘what’s new’ links. This may include tournament results or new rules or meetings:

·        National High School Gymnastics Association:

http://www.nationalhsga.com/

The link above will take you to the NHSGA homepage. If you scroll down to the bottom you will find the different events they do. Now click on Vault. This will take you to a page with very long list of names, their schools, their state, their grade, their average and their coach. 

        The UK National Governing Body For Gymnastics:

http://www.british-gymnastics.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1

The link above will take to The UK National Governing Body for Gymnastics homepage. On this website there is so much information about the Governing Body and what they do. You will find gymnastics news, information about gymnastics, recent uploads and down the left hand side will be a number of links to different areas on the website such as: ‘about BG’, ‘club support’, ‘coaching’, ‘membership’, judging’ and ‘leisure centre’. Near the top of the homepage in the red bar click on ‘men’s’ or ‘women’s’ to get some information on the different gymnastics they do and some information on the vault.    

Founded in 1888, known as British Amateur Gymnastics Association, BG is a member of the World Governing Body for Gymnastics (FIG), the European Governing Body (UEG), the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR).

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        Federation International of Gymnastics (FIG):   

http://www.fig-gymnastics.com/vsite/vtrial/page/home/0,11065,5187-187975-205197-45048-285446-custom-item,00.html

The FIG logotype

Note the above text, highlighted in yellow, is taken from the following link: http://www.fig-gymnastics.com/vsite/vcontent/page/custom/0,8510,5187-188373-205595-44660-282829-custom-item,00.html

The circle represents unity. Its line never ends a perpetual new beginning. It also represents the space in which time and events take place.
The circle represents the world. Thus, the unity of time as well as that of space and the actions which take place within it express the universal nature of gymnastics. The sphere is crisscrossed with longitudinal and latitudinal lines, messengers of physical and spiritual development through the practice of gymnastics, by virtue of the FIG's fundamental principles as described in its Statutes. The Federation adds its signature, the FIG mark, to the universal nature of gymnastics. This mark is a reminder that the universe of gymnastics works within its own rules, which are contained in its Statutes and recognised at all levels of its federation structure. The foundation date lies behind the symbol and gives it the authority and credibility inspired by the year 1881.