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Gymnastics Training Article: Tsukahara Vault: It’s all about the pre-flight.
By Karen Goeller, CSCS
Copyright © Goeller
This article is not for reprint without written permission from the author.

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The Tsukahara Vault (Tsuk) and the Handspring are very different skills and the block is extremely different. With the Tsukahara vault the gymnast must think of pushing the table down in order to go up. It is a similar concept that dancers use to jump, push down to go up. This concept is not the same as remaining tight for the block of a Handspring vault.

Some gymnastics coaches teach this skill by telling the gymnast to push the table down in the same manner they push the bar down for a kip, push down to go up. Other gymnastics coaches teach the gymnast to lift her arms up as if she is tumbling on floor, performing a salto type skill out of a back handspring. Either way the gymnast must think of standing up in the air and seeing the wall before she rotates for the tuck, layout, twist, etc.

Before all of this happens, the chest lift and then the flip,  the gymnast must run fast, punch the board, and contact the vault table. As she contacts the board, the gymnast must squeeze her buttocks tight, circle her arms, and stand up tall for the pre flight phase of the vault. As she is rebounding off the board the circle and lift of the arms towards the ceiling help propel the gymnast upward and forward for a her  vault. Next the gymnast must perform a half twist in the air between the board and the vault table so that all of her fingers are pointing towards the board, in order to be square on the table. This will only work if the gymnast is very tall and tight on the board.

One preferred method of teaching this gymnastic skill is the push down method. After the pre-flight and hand contact with the vault, the gymnast must push the table down in order to go up. As the gymnast pushes down (off the table) she must attempt to lift her chest up. If she performs the push correctly, the gymnast will see the vault runway and the wall. Next comes the easy part of the vault. The easy part of the Tsuk vault is the tuck, pike, layout, twist, etc. Without a good understanding and performance of all of the steps before the hands contact the vault table (pre-flight), the gymnast will have trouble with the post flight/flip and the landing.

Once the gymnast has performed all of the tasks before the hands contact the table correctly, it will be much easier for her to perform the lift and flip. That thought is often difficult for the young gymnast to comprehend. Here is an important thought regarding hand placement. It is so much easier to push the table down when the hands are even, all fingers pointing toward the board, than if one is on the lower part of the surface area. If one hand is closer to the landing area than the other hand, the gymnast will be pushing from an uneven surface because The table is at an angle and she really should contact the vault table as squarely as possible. When a gymnast is square on the table she has a better chance of using the table efficiently.

There was a deduction at one time for not completing the half turn before the hands contacted the vault, which was before the table was introduced. This deduction has been minimized or completely removed. Some coaches do not teach the early phase of the Tsukahara vault with the half turn, most likely because they see that since the table has more surface area for hand contact.  

So to review the Tsukahara vault, the gymnast must run fast, stand up tall on the board and be extremely tight upon contact. She must lift her arms forward and up toward the ceiling, jump up, and complete a half turn. After the half twist in the air the gymnast’s hands contact the vault table and she must propel her body upwards by pushing the vault table down. Pushing the table down efficiently will propel her body up enough for her to stand tall in the air and then flip. If the first half of the Tsukahara vault is mastered the second half is most often successful.

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By Karen M. Goeller
Karen Goeller has been training athletes since 1978. She has an education that includes training in emergency medicine, physical therapy, and nutrition. She has held certifications that include NSCA-CSCS, Fitness Trainer, EMT-D, Nutritional Analysis, and many Gymnastics Certifications among others. Besides being author of the Gymnastics Drills and Conditioning books, Karen is the author of the Swing Set Fitness books. She has also published journals, training programs, and articles. Her books are used by fitness experts, coaches, teachers, and athletes worldwide. Karen has worked for world famous gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi, owned a gymnastics club for ten years, and has been featured in several newspapers and on television many times. She offers sports performance training and private gymnastics training in NJ. For more on Karen visit www.KarenGoeller.com.  

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