Biomechanical analysis of technique and identification of “key support points” for teaching the Olfati vault in men’s artistic gymnastics

The purpose of the study is to identify the leading biomechanical parameters of the Olfati vault and to determine the “key support points” during its execution. Research methods and organization. The first stage of the study included a retrospective analysis of the emergence and evolution of the Yurchenko-type vaults in men’s artistic gymnastics. The second stage involved a biomechanical analysis to determine the spatiotemporal parameters of the Olfati vault, utilizing video recordings obtained from the official website of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). Kinematic parameters of the key phases of the vault – including joint angles at the shoulder, hip, and knee during the take-off from the springboard and repulsion from the vaulting table – were calculated using the open-source software Kinovea 2025.1. The third stage was aimed at identifying the “key support points” for the further development of methodological recommendations for teaching the Olfati vault. Research results and conclusions. It was determined that elite male gymnasts, unlike female gymnasts, do not predominantly select Yurchenko-type vaults as their structural group preference. The vault performed by M. Olfati at the 2025 Asian Championships became one of only five vaults in men’s artistic gymnastics to receive the highest possible difficulty score (D = 5.6) under the 2025–2028 Code of Points, prior to the 2028 Olympic Games. The "key support points" in each phase of Olfati’s vault have been identified, and the individual technique of the gymnast for executing such phases, such as the first flight phase and the repulsion from the vaulting table in the “arch–shaped bend” zone, has been analyzed. When training other gymnasts to perform a vault of such "record" difficulty, it is necessary to develop a training methodology tailored to the specific performer, but without imposing a "forced restructuring" of the motor patterns that determine the success of the vault phases.