Mandatory and freestyle exercises in vaulting

Flickflack as a finish in the freestyle

In vaulting , a distinction is made between compulsory and freestyle exercises and the technique program . There are strict specifications regarding the elements to be exercised, their order and their optimal execution. This enables a direct comparison of the individual vaulters and groups. In the freestyle, however, it is up to you which exercises the vaulter shows. You can also present your own creations here. The technical program is a hybrid of compulsory and freestyle. Here, given elements are freely combined with other exercises.

Structural groups of vaulting exercises

The basis for the terminology of vaulting exercises is a structural system. Elements that are structurally similar are therefore grouped together in structural groups. The designation and assignment of an element is largely based on its movement structure, regardless of how many vaulters are involved.

The structural groups are divided into static and dynamic elements.

Static elements

When performing static exercises, a balance must be struck between internal and external forces. The compulsory requirement is that the body position is held four canter jumps during static exercises, three canter jumps in the freestyle.

Seats (e.g. free basic seat)
Kneeling (e.g. prince's seat )
Stands (e.g. standing, handstand , shoulder stand , neck stand )

Support (e.g. push-up )

Slopes (e.g. shoulder slope)

Scales (e.g. flag, level scales , support scales)

Liege / Flier (e.g. shoulder flier, flying angel, prone lying)

Dynamic elements

mandatory

The duty consists of a given sequence of different figures . In group vaulting, the duty is divided into two blocks, which are carried out one after the other by each individual member of the vaulting group. The requirements vary with the performance classes . In individual vaulting, the exercises correspond to the duty of the S groups, but they are each performed in only one block. There is no obligation for double vaulting.

Overview of the compulsory exercises according to performance classes

Performance class	1st block	2nd block
A.	Landing Basic seat Bank flag pushup	Transverse seats (inwards and outwards) Kneel Support swing Departure to the inside
L.	Landing Free basic seat Half a mill Support swing backwards, exit inwards	banner Stand Support swing forward Turn inwards
M.	Landing Basic seat banner Mill	scissors Stand First part of the flank, half a mill, turn outwards (is counted as a grade)
Performance class	Is exercised in one block
Junior	Landing Free basic seat banner Mill scissors Stand Turn outwards
S.	Landing banner Mill scissors Stand Flank

Figures in vaulting (compulsory)

Exit from the forward / backward seat to the inside / outside

In performance class A, the exit from the forward seat is shown inwards, in performance class L from the rear seat to the outside.

For the exit, the left / right leg is stretched in an even semicircular arc inwards / outwards and the legs are then closed. The hips are stretched with a 1/4 turn of the trunk and the vaulting man immediately pushes himself up from the handles. The two-legged landing takes place in a hip-width, parallel foot position and is cushioned in the ankle, knee and hip joints. The run-out takes place in the direction of movement of the horse.

Landing

The vaulting man runs in the horse's canter rhythm from the center of the circle parallel to the lunge to the horse. He grabs the handles with both hands. He jumps off with both legs and with a short caulking phase. Now he swings his right leg up while the left leg stays on the inside of the horse. With the help of the jump, the momentum transfer and the arm pull, the vaulting man gains height. At the highest point, he lowers his right leg on the outside of the horse and supports himself with his arms while straightening his upper body into the correct sitting position directly behind the harness.

banner

The flag is a balance exercise. Different versions of the flag are required in the various performance classes. What they all have in common is that the vaulting athlete first kneels up in the bench position with both lower legs diagonally to the spine. The athlete's thighs and upper body are at an angle of 90 °, arms slightly bent, shoulders are above the handles, and the person is looking forward.

Performance class A (bench - flag): From the bench position, the right leg is stretched back and upwards while the shoulder and pelvic axes remain horizontal and roughly at the same height. It is particularly important that the weight is evenly distributed on both arms and the left lower leg. The longitudinal axis of the vaulting machine is identical to that of the horse. The athlete's shoulders, back, right leg and right foot are connected by an evenly curved line above the horizontal.

Performance class L: From the bench position, the right leg is stretched back and upwards while the shoulder and pelvic axes remain horizontal and roughly at the same height. Now the left arm is raised straight forward. The weight must now be evenly distributed on the right arm and the left lower leg. The longitudinal axis of the vaulting machine is identical to that of the horse. The athlete's left hand, left arm, shoulders, back, right leg and right foot are connected by an evenly curved line above the horizontal.

Performance classes M, S and Junior: From the bench position, the left arm is simultaneously lifted upwards and the right leg upwards and backwards while the shoulder and pelvic axes remain horizontal and roughly at the same height. Furthermore, the requirements correspond to those of performance class L.

Flank

Part of the inside seat: The vaulting man gets his legs going by first lifting them straight forward and then swinging them back and up quickly. The upper body is dipped forward. Now the vaulting man supports himself with his arms upwards, ideally up to a handstand. At the highest point, the hips are bent and the legs are closed. The vaulting man lands softly in the inner seat with his legs closed.
Part to the outside: The vaulting man takes both legs forward and "dives" outwards, up to the shoulder, in front of the harness. The legs are closed and swung upwards, if possible into a handstand - push the trigger. Landing next to the horse is cushioned as softly as possible upwards in the knees.

Free basic seat

Basic seat

The vaulting man sits with his upper body erect (looking straight ahead) with an even load on the buttocks behind the harness. Both legs rest on the horse. Both arms are extended at the same time in a sideways position, fingers and ears at the same height. The fingers are closed, the palms are parallel to the floor and point downwards.

Kneel

The vaulting man kneels with both legs hip-width apart, his gaze is directed forward. The lower legs are parallel to the horse's spine and the toes are straight. Now the upper body is straightened up slightly behind the vertical (stretched hips) and the weight is evenly shifted to the lower legs. Both arms are held simultaneously and extended in the side supports, with shoulders and fingertips forming a straight line. The fingers are closed, the palms are parallel to the floor and point downwards.

pushup

From the bench flag, the vaulting man first places the free leg and then the left leg with the instep on the horse's croup . The body forms a straight line from the instep to the head, the legs are closed. The vaulting man now pulls his feet in the direction of the harness, shifting the weight more onto the arms and bending the hips. The legs are opened slightly and slide along the horse to the upright seat directly behind the harness.

Mill

The mill is a 360 ° rotation in an upright seat, which is carried out in four phases. The phases take place in four-beats, whereby one gallop of the horse corresponds to one beat. The starting and ending position of the mill is the forward seat. First phase: leading the right leg to the cross seat inside (the legs are now closed), second phase: leading the left leg to the seat backwards, third phase: leading the right leg to the cross seat outside (closed legs), fourth phase: leading the left Forward to the seat. In each phase there is a change of grip with the hands. The straight legs are always guided in an even semicircular arc while the correct, upright sitting position is never given up. The line of sight should remain straight ahead at right angles to the shoulder axis.

In performance class L, only a half grinder is required, i.e. H. the first two phases or a rotation by 180 °.

Cross seat

The transverse seat is a preliminary exercise to the mill, which is required in performance class A. The starting and ending position is the forward seat.

First, while maintaining the correct sitting position, the right leg is brought to the cross seat inside. The vaulting man sits with an upright upper body and with equal load on both buttocks while the legs are closed against the horse. The pelvic and shoulder axes are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the horse and are perpendicular to each other. The view is directed straight ahead at a right angle. The vaulting man now raises his left, straight arm into the side position, which must be held four gallop jumps. The shoulders and fingertips form a straight line, the fingers are closed and the palm is pointing downwards. Now move the right leg forward to the seat and then move the left leg outwards to the cross seat. The sitting position and arm posture correspond to the cross seat inside, with the right arm stretched out here. After four gallops, the left leg is led back forward to the seat. The straight legs are always guided in an even semicircular arc.

scissors

Part of the backward seat: The vaulting man gets his legs going from sitting by stretching them forward. Immediately afterwards, he swings his legs straight back. The upper body goes forward and the head down at the same time, the vaulting man supports himself on his arms, it would be ideal here to support himself in the handstand. At the highest point, the legs are taken past each other (sheared) and the upper body is turned inward so that the vaulting man sits softly backwards when landing on the horse.
Part of the forward seat: The vaulting man lifts his buttocks and stretches his legs towards the horse's shoulder and thus gains momentum ("bow tension"). With the next gallop jump he swings his legs over the horse's back and lifts his bottom with it. At the highest point you shear again and sit softly forward.

Stand

The vaulting man kneels briefly on both lower legs and then stands on both feet at the same time. Then he straightens the upper body, the arms are held in the side holds. The vaulting man must cushion the horse's movements in the knees and ankles, and the upper body and arms must be kept calm. The upper body must be fully upright.

Support swing backwards

The support swing backwards is a preliminary exercise for the second part of the scissors and is required in performance class L. The starting position is the seat backwards. With the fleeting tension of the arch, the legs are swung forward quickly and vigorously to form a fleeting angle support backwards. The legs are shoulder-width apart and the arms are stretched.

Support swing forward

The support swing forwards serves as a preliminary exercise for both the scissors and the flank and is required in performance classes A and L. The starting position is the forward seat. The vaulting man pulls forward with his legs straight and then swings his legs back and up quickly. The upper body is plunged forward and down, shifting the weight onto the arms. During the upward movement of the trunk towards the hand rest, the arms are pushed through and the legs are closed. At the highest point, the hips are bent as much as possible and the shoulders are pushed in front of the handles. The stretched legs are opened horse-wide to sit softly directly behind the harness.

Turn inside / out

The turn serves as a preliminary exercise for the flank. In the junior performance class, turning inwards is required, while in performance classes M and S, turning outward is required.

From the seat forwards, the vaulting man pulls his legs out straight forward and then swings his legs quickly backwards and upwards. The upper body is plunged forward and down, shifting the weight onto the arms. During the upward movement of the trunk towards the hand rest, the arms are pushed through and the legs are closed. Shortly before reaching the turning point, the vaulting man pushes himself away from the handles with both arms at the same time. The two-legged landing takes place in a hip-width, parallel foot position and is cushioned in the ankle, knee and hip joints. The run-out takes place in the direction of movement of the horse.

Freestyle

In the freestyle , static and dynamic exercises are freely combined with each other according to the athletes' own ideas. The individual freestyle elements can be carried out in all directions of view and movement. A freestyle choreography also includes arm and head movements that are coordinated with freely chosen music. In recent years it has become established (especially in the upper performance classes) to put the freestyle under a certain theme, which is interpreted by suitable music, choreography and clothing.

A special feature of the freestyle in double and group vaulting is that several people can be on the horse at the same time: in the performance classes L, M, S and Junior up to three and in the other performance classes as well as the double vaulting a maximum of two vaulters. The members of a vaulting group are often chosen in different sizes and weights to make it easier to move figures on the middle and upper levels. Here the smaller or lighter group members, the so-called "upper men", are lifted and held by the larger or stronger "lower men". Trust, both between the individual vaulters and between vaulters and horses, is of particular importance here.

There are only a few guidelines when choosing the free-style elements: The most important principle is that a free-style program must correspond to the horse's ability on the one hand and the level of training of the vaulting man on the other. This means that the level of difficulty of the exercises must never be increased at the expense of the horse or the technically correct execution. Compulsory exercises may only be shown in heavily modified or combined form. If there are three vaulters on the horse, at least two must keep contact with the horse.

Evaluation criteria

In tournament sport, the freestyle is assessed according to the following criteria: difficulty , execution and design .

To calculate the grade for the difficulty, the exercises shown are classified into S (difficult), M (medium) and L (easy) parts. In addition, there is a level of difficulty HS (maximum difficulty) for individual training. The assignment of an element to a level of difficulty is determined according to a variety of criteria, for example the complexity of the movement, number of holding points, height above the horse, direction of movement as well as the size and stability of the contact area.

The assessment of the design of a freestyle is based on three groups of criteria: athletic aspects (e.g. balance of static and dynamic elements, change in the exercise structure, even use of group members), artistic aspects (e.g. flow of movement, harmony with the rhythm of the horse, imaginative transitions) and artistic aspects (authenticity, charisma and music interpretation).

The general evaluation criteria of vaulting are used for the execution grade. Essentially, the quality of movement is assessed here, which is based on the optimal technique. The quality characteristics of a movement include: a. Movement security, accuracy, flow and scope as well as body tension and posture.

Requirements for the disciplines and performance classes

Freestyle: S-Group Team Bleyer (JRG Cologne)

M *, M **, S groups: Here a freely compiled freestyle consisting of single, double and triple exercises is required. The grade of difficulty is calculated from the 25 most difficult parts of the exercise, whereby S elements are rated with 0.4, M elements with 0.3 and L elements with 0.2 points. The evaluation is based on the criteria of difficulty (max. 10.0), design (max. 10.0) and execution (max. 10.0) in the ratio 1.0: 2.0: 3.0. The maximum allowed time is four minutes.

Junior teams: In addition to single and double exercises, a maximum of six static triple exercises may be performed, the 20 most difficult free-style elements are scored (S: 0.5 points; M: 0.4 points; L: 0.3 points). The evaluation of the freestyle takes place in the same way as the M and S groups, the time limit is four minutes.

L groups: A maximum of six static triple exercises may be shown, whereby the 20 most difficult exercise parts are included in the evaluation (S: 0.5 points; M: 0.3 points; L: 0.1 points). The evaluation is based on the criteria of difficulty (max. 10.0), design (max. 10.0) and execution (max. 10.0) in the ratio 1.0: 2.0: 3.0. The maximum allowed time is four minutes.

A groups: There is a special feature in performance class A: Here a so-called mandatory freestyle is required, in which ten prescribed freestyle elements must be included in order to achieve the maximum difficulty grade of 5.0. Triple exercises are not allowed. The evaluation is based on the criteria of difficulty (max. 5.0), design (max. 5.0) and execution (max. 10.0) in a ratio of 1.5: 1.5: 3.0. The total time for compulsory and freestyle is 11 minutes.

Single vaulters: The freestyle evaluation is based on the criteria of difficulty (max. 10.0), design (max. 10.0) and execution (max. 10.0) in a ratio of 2.0: 1.0: 3.0. The value of the difficulty is calculated from the ten most difficult parts of the exercise, whereby S elements are rated with 0.9, M elements with 0.4 and maximum difficulty with 1.3 points. If the minimum number of seven evaluable freestyle elements is not achieved, the freestyle receives an overall grade of zero. The maximum time allowed is one minute.

Double vaulters: For the value of the difficulty (max. 10.0) the points of the fifteen most difficult freestyle elements are added, whereby S-parts count 0.7 and M-parts 0.3 points. If the minimum of ten assessable exercise parts is not achieved, the freestyle is assessed with zero. The difficulty as well as the design are simply included in the overall rating, the execution counts twice. In total, the freestyle can last two minutes.

Technology program

The technical program is only part of single-volt tests in the upper performance range. In competitions that are carried out in two rounds, it can be advertised in the second round instead of mandatory. It is made up of five given elements that must be demonstrated in combination with freely composed exercises and transitions. Every technical element places a certain physical requirement on the vaulting expert: balance, coordination, strength, jumping ability or mobility. The following pool of technical elements from the various requirement groups is listed in the vaulting exercise book :

Balance:
- Stand backwards
- Stand sideways
- Jump from standing forward to standing backward
Adapting the rhythm to the horse:
- Wheel movement
- second part of the scissors with support on the croup
- Free roll forward on the horse's neck
Force:
- Push-ups on your back on one leg
- Ankle support
- Neck stand sideways
- Shoulder stand backwards
Jumping power:
- Rim crack
- Jump into the shoulder stand
- Jump into the level scales
Agility:
- Stand splits sideways on horseback
- One -armed split held across the horse
- Stand balancing act in the loop

The currently valid five elements are announced by the German Equestrian Association (FN) via calendar publications. In the FEI's international vaulting regulations , two technical elements are replaced every four years. From January 1, 2015, the following technical elements will be required in Germany and at international tournaments:

Rims jump from the inside or outside to the rear seat on the horse's neck
Roll forward from the croup to the seat forward on the horse's neck
Stand split supported, backwards on horseback
Jump from kneeling forward to standing backward with static arm posture
Push-ups backwards, one-legged

rating

The technical program is evaluated according to the criteria of technology , design and execution in a ratio of 5: 3: 1.

Each of the five technical elements receives a grade between 0.0 and 10.0, analogous to the mandatory requirements. The judges are guided on the one hand by certain criteria and guidelines, which are described for each exercise in the vaulting exercise book, and on the other hand by the general evaluation criteria of the performance test regulations (LPO). Each technical element can be repeated once, whereby the repetition is always counted. However, the first attempt is included in the execution grade.

The design grade includes both the technical elements and the freely chosen exercises. For freestyle be assessed analogously Athletic aspects (requirements for the construction and dismantling of the art elements, selection of additional static and dynamic exercises), Artistic aspects (z. B. harmony with the rhythm of the horse, highlights and accents, originality) and Artistic Aspects (music interpretation, charisma and authenticity).

The technical elements are not taken into account in the execution grade; only the quality of the additionally shown elements and transitions is assessed according to the general evaluation criteria. The exception to this is the first attempt at a repeated technique element, which is also included in the performance grade. Deviations from the optimal quality of movement are noted as deductions in the protocol; points for falls are also deducted. The execution grade is calculated from the sum of the deductions.

literature

Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung eV: Guidelines Volume 3: Vaulting. FN-Verlag, Warendorf 2008, ISBN 978-3-88542-445-1 .
Official FEI homepage: Description and classification of freestyle exercises (pdf; 1.2 MB) (accessed: October 13, 2010)
Janine Oswald: I'm learning to vault. Kosmos Verlag Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-44011814-6

swell

Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung eV (FN): Vaulting exercise book (2008 edition). Requirements and criteria in German tournament sports acc. LPO (National Tasks). Warendorf 2007, ISBN 978-3-88542-442-0 .
German Equestrian Association eV, Youth Department; The Vaulting Circle eV: Vaulting is all about. Information brochure. 2004 (Free download, accessed September 8, 2010)
Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI): Vaulting Guidelines for Judges, revision March 2010 (PDF; 1.1 MB), accessed: October 18, 2010.

FEI Vaulting Rules Accessed: November 2, 2018

Individual evidence

↑ Jochen Schilffahrth, Ulla Ramge, Maria Schierhölter-Otte: Circular Vaulting November / 2010 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. P. 6, accessed December 15, 2010@1@ 2

^ German Equestrian Association e. V., Youth Department; The Vaulting Circle eV: Vaulting is all about. Information brochure. 2004, p. 8.

^ Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung eV (FN): Vaulting exercise book. Requirements and criteria in German tournament sports acc. LPO. 2007, pp. 22-23.

↑ Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung eV (Ed.): Vaulting exercise book 2018 . S. 88 .

↑ Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI): Vaulting Rules (PDF; 870 kB), p. 53, accessed: November 4, 2018

↑ ^a ^b German Equestrian Association: Leaflet Technical Program Vaulting 2004 (PDF; 263 kB), p. 5, accessed: October 17, 2010

^ German Equestrian Association e. V. (FN): Vaulting exercise book (2008 edition). Requirements and criteria in German tournament sports acc. LPO (National Tasks) , pages 28-29.

[1] Jochen Schilffahrth, Ulla Ramge, Maria Schierhölter-Otte: Circular Vaulting November / 2010 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. P. 6, accessed December 15, 2010@1@ 2

[2] German Equestrian Association e. V., Youth Department; The Vaulting Circle eV: Vaulting is all about. Information brochure. 2004, p. 8.

[3] Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung eV (FN): Vaulting exercise book. Requirements and criteria in German tournament sports acc. LPO. 2007, pp. 22-23.

[4] Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung eV (Ed.): Vaulting exercise book 2018 . S. 88 .

[5] Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI): Vaulting Rules (PDF; 870 kB), p. 53, accessed: November 4, 2018

[wpsv.de-6] German Equestrian Association: Leaflet Technical Program Vaulting 2004 (PDF; 263 kB), p. 5, accessed: October 17, 2010

[7] German Equestrian Association e. V. (FN): Vaulting exercise book (2008 edition). Requirements and criteria in German tournament sports acc. LPO (National Tasks) , pages 28-29.