vault – bent elbows on Yurchenko

Beginners should do many drills for straight elbows while learning Yurchenko vaults.

But at the highest level we often see this:

(AP Photo/Rob Carr) – ESPN

Samantha Peszek, U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials 2008, in Philadelphia.

Technical error? Form deduction?

Of course not. The gymnast should bend the elbows if they can generate more force on the push than they lose while absorbing the impact. The more powerful the vaulter, the more likely they are to bend the elbows.

Long ago at a coaching course I stated, “All vaulters bend their elbows on Yurchenko.”

My buddy, coach Dan Niehaus, proved me wrong, bringing in video clips of a number of strong vaulters who do not.