January 19, 2011
Observe the yurchenko layout full and check for some of it's weak and strong points. This gymnast dives on her round-off and her turnover to the table is a little too high. On a positive note, as she comes off the table, her arms move down toward the center of mass, helping her twist. Check some still-frames related to the previous comments. Her front leg is already in the air, but her right hand has not touched the floor yet. Her rebound is straight up instead of with her shoulders a little further back to reach the table early. Because each action is happening slightly late, her body is past a vertical position and she is still pushing off the table. Despite her other mistakes, she is moving her arms down.
January 19, 2011
All of the technical actions required to perform the successful yurchenko full become even more important to progress and perform the yurchenko full and a half. The gymnast should always have a straight round-off with a center of mass in front of support. The body should rotate in a tight arch instead of with a loose lower back. Every new vault skill should be started on a safety pit. Never rush a gymnast to execute the vault on a regular competition mat until they have exceptional landing consistency. Watch the yurchenko full and a half a few more times.
January 19, 2011
Successfully adding more twists to yurchenkos in large part depends on the gymnast's focus. A skill this difficult is achieved by taking progressive steps. What the gymnast does before he is in the air plays a big role in the outcome of the skill. A good hurdle that moves up and forward along with a round-off that contacts the board with the center of mass in front of the feet is important. Twist with a straight body and the arms close to the center of mass. Take another look at this same vault without any still-frames.
January 19, 2011
A large percentage of skills on the vault can be performed into the pit when training to minimize stress on the gymnast's joints. This is true for new skills and skills that are already known. Layout twisting is always more effective with a straight body line, the head neutral, and the arms close to the mid-section. Moving the arms out away from the body slows down the gymnast's twisting speed.
January 19, 2011
Open-tuck and layout yurchenkos to progressively elevated mats are good drills. The gymnast can add open-tuck twists to the feet and eventually to the back. Gymnasts should not attempt the second somersault until they can consistently land on their back on an elevated surface.
January 14, 2011
Low single rail full pirouette drills can be trained to a mixed-grip first, and then to a complete eagle grip. Some of the goals are to keep the body fully stretched during the turn without any arch or pike, and when coming down, to land straight on the soft mat instead of crooked to either the left or right side of a perfect perpendicular line in relation to the rail. The gymnasts can also learn how to keep visual contact with the rail to for catching it, and aim to grab the bar close to shoulder-width.
