2025 Volume 2025 Issue 97 Pages 39-48
This study aimed to examine the effects of vaulting box height on the straddle vault movements in elementary school children. The straddle vaults of 282 3rd- and 4th-graders (138 boys, 144 girls) over 4- and 5-level vaulting boxes were videotaped. Their performances were evaluated using an observational rubric. Hip height was estimated using AI-based pose estimation, and the subjects were classified into two groups based on the difference between hip height and box height (large and small difference). We conducted mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression analyses with evaluation scores as the dependent variables. The height of the vaulting box, sex, and grade were included as fixed effects, and individual participants were modeled as a random effect. For evaluation items having a significant main effect of box height, two-way ANOVAs were performed using box height and the difference between hip height and box height as factors. The results were the following:
1) A higher box enhances take-off and forward arm thrust performance.
2) A higher box negatively affects arm preparation, hip lift, and hand placement.
3) If the box is considerably lower than hip height, the movements associated with bouncy take-off and forward arm thrust are restricted.
These findings indicate the need for instructional strategies taking individual physical characteristics and developmental changes in body size into account.
