ABSTRACT
The approach, board and table contact phases are critical to performance on the vault apparatus in artistic gymnastics. This chapter provides insight on the motor control of the running approach when vaulting in artistic gymnastics. Design improvements to artistic gymnastics apparatus in the 1990s and early 2000s resulted in an increased "sweet spot" take-off area on the beat board and a much larger contact surface on the vault. Whilst these design improvements increased safety, they likewise improved the motor control conditions for the gymnast. This resulted in faster approach speeds, particularly for the handspring and Tsukahara vaults. By increasing the 'target' area for take-off from the board and contact area on the table, it reduced the speed–accuracy trade-off constraints. Visual control of running towards targets is reasonably well understood in athletics but has only been examined in Yurchenko vaults in gymnastics. Observations of athletics coaching can provide many ideas for how targeting training drills can be incorporated into vaulting training.
