Vaulting table
Quick, explosive and dramatic.
Each individual vault has been assigned its own start value, based on
the vault's complexity.
During the pre-flight from the springboard to the horse, the gymnast must
demonstrate a rise in the height of his body after pushing off of the
horse, travel the minimum distance (2.5 m) and not deviate from the extended
axis of the horse. The landing should be firm, without extra steps, and
in line with the horse, springboard and runway.
The men's vault stands 135 cm tall. It is 35 cm wide by 160 cm long. The
runway is 1 m wide and a maximum of 25m long.
A good vault is sometimes described as a "big" vault. The height,
the distance of travel (even though bonus points are no longer awarded
for exceptional distance), the overall acceleration into the vault, and
the sudden impact of a no-step, suck
landing all create a good impression for the judges.
Everything happens very quickly, so the gymnast must stay intensely focused
and be prepared for the ground when it's time to land. Vaulting requires
speed, power and spatial awareness to perform high level vaults correctly.
Text taken from www.usa-gymnastics.org
