Nick Ruddock's Best Vault Drills, Techniques, and Coaching Tips -

I’m excited to share an absolutely fantastic podcast episode with the SHIFT community today.

Nick Ruddock is one of my best buddies, and we regularly are talking and sharing ideas. He is one of the most sought after gymnastics coaches in the world, having consulted with 21 National Gymnastics Federations.

Last year I had Nick on the podcast first to talk about Floor coaching concepts (find that episode by clicking here). Then more recently we had an incredibly chat on Uneven Bar coaching concepts, which ended up being one of the most downloaded episodes to date (find that episode by clicking here).

Following the natural course of progression, I wanted to have Nick back on to talk about Vaulting concepts. Just like past episodes, this one did not disappoint. We cover loads of topics including,

What strength, flexibility and physical preparation drills Nick likes for vault
How to help gymnasts figure out their steps, and what to do when their steps are off
Proper running technique and board impact techniques for front handspring vaults
How to increase shoulder blocks on front handsprings for better amplitude
Nick’s go-to drills for developing Yurchenko round offs
How to increase power in Yurchenko’s through proper board stiffness and back handspring shaping
Putting vaults together to have big flip height and proper shapes