With the immense popularity of Yurchenko-style vault entries, a good front-entry vault used to be relatively rare. However, we are seeing more and more of these powerful vaults, as they offer the advantage of starting from a 10.0 (unlike the Yurchenko full) and a non-blind landing (unlike the Yurchenko one and a half). As of week six, four out of the top 10 vaulters in the NCAA perform this vault, adding to its reputation as a consistent, reliable skill that can score well when performed correctly. However, straight legs and a stuck landing isn’t enough to score a 9.9-plus. What separates the good from the excellent vaults in this category?
In the next section, I’ll break down the four phases of vault that judges evaluate to come up with the score: pre-flight, support, flight, and landing. In each of these phases, I’ve described what the judges look for, as well as common areas for deductions.
Pre-Flight
The Ideal: The athlete should maintain a straight or slightly open body position with their legs together. Common deductions include leg separation (up to 0.2), hip angle (up to 0.3), and excessive arch (up to 0.2).
Good Example
0.05 to 0.1 hip angle
Great Example
0 to 0.05 hip angle
Excellent Example
No deduction on body…
