Run & Hurdle Technique

Run

Technique & Drills

Shoulders are relaxed, arms pump
at 90 angle, slight body lean
forward, push through toes. Run
progressively gets faster, building
momentum to the end. What
happens before the gymnast even
touches the springboard often
determines the success of the vault.
The run is a critical, often
overlooked, part of the vault.
Drills & Games:

Run in place: Instruct students

in the importance of a good run for
vault. Have them all stand and run
really fast in place. Have them all
run really slow in place. Take a
minute to talk about the different
impacts those 2 runs will have on
vaulting

Animals chase: Ask students

what the fastest-running animal is
in the world (cheetah). Pair up
students so one is the cheetah
chasing a slower animal. Give the
slower animal 1 second head
start. Everyone gets a turn being
hunter and hunted.

Fast, faster, fastest: Divide

vault runway into 3 equal
parts. Stand a squishy mat up
against vault table or wall. Instruct
students to start off a little fast
from the 1st line, get a little faster at
the 2nd line, then hit full speed by
the 3rd line to run into the mat.

Under-arm circle/arm swing

Under-arm circle: arms swing

up to ears, fall backward and down
to sides during the hurdle, then
swing forward and up again to
perform a complete circle
backwards as the gymnast punches
off the springboard.
Under-arm swing: arms start
down at sides during the hurdle
and swing forward and up to ears
fast and hard as the gymnast
punches off the springboard.
The arm swing in wither technique

should enhance the lift generated

by the springboard. This entails
swinging the arms upward as the
gymnast punches off the board.
Drills:

Straight jumps in place: Stand

students up to work on preferred
technique all at once. Ask them to
do straight jumps, making sure to
swing their arms up as they jump
up.

Work straight jumps off a

spring board onto a large mat or
stacked mats. The gymnast should
be able to do this without any
forward rotation. An aggressive
arm swing and properly extension
of feet in front of hips will result in
proper take off.
Step hurdle onto springboard

Step or run toward the

springboard. The last step should
be on the floor before the board
while initiating under-arm
circle/swing. Both feet land on the
board simultaneously while arms
swing forward and up.
Drills:

Hopscotch

1 foot, 2 feet: Stand everyone

in a line, standing on 1 foot. Ask
everyone to hop onto 2 feet. Add
arm circle/swing.

Step off trapezoid onto

springboard: Set up springboard &
trapezoid so that the springs are
furthest from the trapezoid. Have
students step off the trapezoid like
theyre stepping into a pool (make
up your own analogy) so both feet
have to hit at the same time. When
they punch off the board, their
arms have to swing up and
forward.

Short run toward

springboard: Instruct students to
take a few steps toward the
springboard and perform hurdle as
instructed above.