How OU women's gymnastics is running down a dream with 'the best vault coach out there'
NORMAN — OU women’s gymnastics assistant coach Lou Ball stands at the end of the vault line and taps his chest twice with his right hand.
At the other end of the lane, Sooners junior Audrey Davis prepares for her vault.
Ball’s tapping has a purpose.
The top-ranked Sooners will wrap up the first round of the NCAA National Championships on the vault Thursday when they take on No. 2 Utah, No. 5 UCLA and No. 7 Kentucky at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
The top two finishers in Thursday’s semifinals will advance to Saturday’s final round.
If OU is to win a second consecutive title and a fifth since 2015, there’s a good chance the vault plays a major role.
The Sooners are ranked No. 1 in the event.
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While much of the focus of the vault comes on the moments between the gymnast hitting the springboard through the landing, running style plays a major factor as well.
It’s a regular focus in training and can make the difference in a great vault and one that underperforms.
When Ball was an assistant coach at Iowa State, prior to arriving at OU in 2006, he worked with one of the Cyclones’ track coaches to incorporate training drills to get the most out of his vaulters.
Since then, Ball has continued to refine his approach.
It’s paid off.
The vault has been at the forefront of the Sooners’ recent run of dominance, and Ball’s work on the event is a big reason why.
“Triple jump, high jump, pole vaulting, long jump, you have to have an exact way you approach that and vault is no different,” Sooners coach K.J. Kindler said. “The same number of steps, starting with the same foot every time, or the whole thing becomes a disaster. It’s very rhythmic, that run. Lou works very hard on that.”
That’s where Ball’s tapping comes in.
It’s a reminder for them to stand tall as they barrel down the runway, while not running out of control.
“That’s just me reminding them to stay tall in their approach, not to lean forward and get forward-heavy in the run,” Ball said. “It’s easy when your adrenaline gets going to kind of want to push down the runway, and you don’t want them doing that with the Yurchenko. You want them staying kind of tall, a little bit controlled, and using that round-off to facilitate the speed and the power for the vault.”
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As opposed to a traditional vault entry, the Yurchenko is a round-off entry where gymnasts do a round-off onto the springboard followed by a handspring on the vaulting table.
In the fall, Ball takes his vaulters outside to either the outdoor track at OU, or the indoor or outdoor practice areas at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to work on sprinting.
“It’s important to have really good posture and stay kind of tall in your approach and your run, not to be leaning forward,” Ball said. “When I watch sprinters on TV at the Olympics, they come out of their stance pretty low, but by the time they’re reaching full speed, they’re pretty tall and they’re using their hamstrings to move.”
Every gymnast has a slightly different approach to running.
Allie Stern used to run full speed before adjusting her approach.
“I got comfortable with my vault, and my legs are stronger,” Stern said. “So I’m not running full speed. I’m really just trying to pace myself and run on my toes. I’ve watched some videos and it honestly feels like I’m running in slow motion.”
Jordan Bowers also takes things slower.
“I’m really tall, so I have long legs so I have long strides,” Bowers said. “If I run fast, it is not going to be good on the table.”
At 5-foot-3, Davis is three inches shorter than Bowers.
Davis is running closer to full speed.
“I think I really run as hard as I can, because if I don’t run like Jordan, it’s not going to work out well,” Davis said.
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Then there are some gymnasts who have more unusual approaches.
“He doesn’t like the way I run down the runway, if I’m being honest,” Danielle Sievers said of Ball. “I look down at my feet when I run, until I hurdle, I pull up. But it’s been working for me, so he’s not changing it.”
Ball takes the approach of “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”
While Sievers running style might not fit into how he would teach it, he only corrects issues if they become a problem.
For Sievers, who is the Sooners’ second-ranked vaulter just behind Katherine LeVasseur, that style hasn’t interfered with her success.
“It’s kind of individual for each person,” Sievers said. “He’s the best vault coach out there.”
NCAA semifinals
Who: No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Utah and No. 9 Kentucky (top two teams advance to Saturday's finals)
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Where: Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas
TV: ESPN2
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU women's gymnastics: Sooners' running down NCAA dream on vault
