Vault (gymnastics)

Gymnasts run down a long path.

They jump on a spring board. Then they push off a table with their hands. Some gymnasts do twists in the air.

They land on a soft mat. Judges look for a clean landing. They want to see no steps or hops. A fast run helps with hard moves. It is fun to watch them fly.

In gymnastics, the vault is a fast and exciting move.

It starts with a run down a long path. This is called the run. The gymnast jumps onto a springboard. Then, they use their hands to push off a piece of equipment.

In the past, gymnasts used a vaulting horse. This was a long, narrow tool.

Today, most use a vaulting table. This table is flat and wide. It has a soft surface to keep gymnasts safe. Some call the sloped end the "tongue."

During the vault, gymnasts fly through the air. They may do twists or turns. Some use a move called a Yurchenko. This means they do a round-off onto the board first.

Judges give scores for two things. They look at the difficulty of the move. They also look at the execution. Execution means how well the gymnast performs. Judges check the height, the form, and the landing. A perfect landing has no hops or steps. It must land in a special zone on the mat.

The vault is a fast and exciting event in artistic gymnastics.

Both men and women perform this skill to show their strength and skill. A gymnast must run very fast down a long path called the run. This speed helps them perform harder moves in the air. After the run, they jump onto a springboard to launch themselves. They use their hands to push off the equipment to fly high.

This flight is the most exciting part for many people to watch.

There is a specific way to perform a vault correctly. First, the gymnast hurdles onto the springboard with great power. Next, they hit the vault with their hands to begin the first flight. This part is often called the preflight or the block. Some gymnasts use a special way called the Yurchenko family of vaults. In a Yurchenko vault, they do a round-off onto the board first. Then, they perform a back handspring onto the vaulting surface. Finally, they land on a thick mat on the other side.

In the past, the equipment looked very different than it does now. Gymnasts used a piece of equipment called a vaulting horse. This horse was much like a pommel horse but had no handles. For women, the horse was set up long-ways across the run. For men, the horse was placed parallel to the run. German Friedrich Ludwig Jahn helped make these early forms of the vault popular. The vaulting horse was used in the Olympics for over one hundred years.

Safety is a very important part of how the vault works today. After some accidents in 1988, 1998, and 2000, the rules changed. The International Gymnastics Federation wanted to make the sport safer. They also wanted gymnasts to do even more amazing tricks. Now, most people use a vaulting table instead of a horse. This table is flatter, wider, and has more cushion. It has a sloped end that gymnasts call the "tongue."

Judges use two main scores to decide who wins a competition. The first part is the D-value, which measures the difficulty. Harder skills have a higher starting value for the gymnast. The second part is the E-value, which measures the execution.

Judges look at four phases: preflight, support, after-flight, and landing. They want to see great height and a very clean landing. A perfect landing has no extra hops or steps. The gymnast must also land inside a specific landing zone.

The vault is a high-speed maneuver in artistic gymnastics.

It is an event performed by both male and female gymnasts. The goal is to use momentum to fly through the air. Gymnasts perform complex rotations and twists during this event. This skill requires immense power and precise timing. It is a central part of many gymnastics competitions.

A successful vault follows a specific sequence of movements. First, the gymnast performs a run down a padded runway. This run provides the necessary speed for the vault. Next, the gymnast hurdles onto a springboard. They use the board to launch themselves toward the apparatus. The gymnast then makes contact with the vault using their hands. This contact is called the block or the preflight.

After the block, the gymnast enters the after-flight phase. Here, they execute twists or saltos in the air. Finally, they must land on a mat on the opposite side.

There are several different families of vaults used in competition. In the Yurchenko family, the gymnast starts with a round-off. They perform a back handspring onto the vaulting surface. For men, vaults are categorized into four main groups. These include single salto vaults with twists and handspring vaults. They also include handspring sideways and round-off entry vaults. Women have five main categories for their vaults. These range from vaults without a salto to various handspring styles. To qualify for a vault final, gymnasts must show two different vaults. For men, these must come from different element groups. Women must show vaults with different repulsion and flight phases.

The history of the vault involves a major change in equipment.

Originally, gymnasts used a vaulting horse. This apparatus was similar to a pommel horse but lacked handles. Friedrich Ludwig Jahn helped popularize these early forms of the vault. The horse was used in the Olympics for over a century. For women, the horse was set perpendicular to the run. For men, it was placed parallel to the run. This setup lasted until the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Safety concerns led the International Gymnastics Federation to change the apparatus. Several serious accidents occurred in 1988, 1998, and 2000. These incidents involved injuries like paralysis. Consequently, the federation introduced the vaulting table. This new apparatus was first used at the 2001 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The table was designed by the Dutch company Janssen-Fritsen. It features a larger, flatter, and more cushioned surface. The table also has a downward slope at one end. Gymnasts often call this sloped part the "tongue."

Scoring in the vault is determined by two main values. The D-value represents the difficulty of the vault. Every skill has a specific value assigned to it. The harder the skill, the higher the starting D-value. The E-value measures the execution of the vault. This score is out of 10.0 points. Judges evaluate four distinct phases of the movement. These phases are the preflight, support, after-flight, and landing. Judges look for height, length, and proper form. A clean landing means the gymnast does not hop or step. They must also land within a specific landing zone.

Understanding the vault requires looking at how physics and rules interact. Running speed is directly correlated to the difficulty of the vault. This correlation is stronger for women than it is for men. In 2009, the federation changed rules to focus more on execution. They wanted to reduce the number of required skills. This change placed more emphasis on performing a perfect vault. Recent studies also look at how landing rules affect safety. Some researchers suggest that allowing more knee flexion could reduce impact injuries. This shows how the sport constantly evolves through science and regulation.