Are you a gymnast wanting to improve your vaulting skills at home or in your back yard, or an adult wanting to choose the right gymnastics springboard as a gift for your gymnastics loving children?.
We have you both covered with our advice for choosing the best possible gymnastics springboard for home or gym use. Springboards are a lot of fun even without a vault. Gymnasts can practice punching the board, uneven bars mount training, the run and hurdle and head spring progressions with the use of a springboard.
What is a gymnastics springboard?
A gymnastics springboard is a springy board like piece of gymnastics equipment that is slanted upwards and offers a platform gymnasts can use to gain enough height to reach a vault.
The spring board is located at the end of the run up just before the gymnast reaches the vault for the first flight. Even if you don’t have a vault you can practice your hurdle step and landing or use mats and boxes to replicate a vault. Remember that safety always comes first in gymnastics, so be sure to check with your coach or parents before attempting home practice.
The Best springboard for gymnastics
I only found a small selection of gymnastics springboards for sale and out of the options I saw, the Z athletic Junior springboard is my favourite.
1. Z Athletic Junior Springboard
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We have chosen this Z athletic junior springboard as one of our top choices because this is a small but high quality springboard that is perfect for younger gymnasts to begin to learn and improve vaulting and other gymnastics skills. With a maximum weight limit of 75 lbs this board is safe for younger children to use, often up to the age of 9 or 10, depending on their weight.
You’ll find similar boards in most gymnastics gyms with a padded carpet like top surface and strong steel springs. It is important to feel secure when launching upwards from a gymnastics springboard and even though the top surface looks like a carpet it is a strong non-slip fabric so your young gymnasts won’t lose their grip.
There are 4 springs that provide quite a firm experience when you step onto it or launch up to mount the uneven bars. We have heard that some people remove 2 springs to increase the launch height and bounce but we don’t feel this is necessary because their is enough flex in the springs.
Overall this is our favourite all round choice because it is perfect for younger gymnasts just starting out and trying hard to progress is the different gymnastics disciplines. Z athletic produce some great gymnastic equipment and even those springboards are difficult to produce, this wooden option has been well made.
Z Athletic Springboard Key Features:
PROS
- Weight Limit up to 75 lbs
- In our experience Z athletic customer service team act quickly to resolve any issues.
- 30 inch length, 22.5 inches wide, 8 inches high at the tallest point.
CONS
- Not suitable for teenagers or adults because the dimensions and weight limit are best for children.
- Product is small but similar to most springboards used in toddler and recreational gymnastics classes.
- 4 Springs instead of the 9 used for competition, so if you are looking for a competition size vault for an older gymnast this board wouldn’t be suitable for that purpose.
How to use a springboard in gymnastics
If you want to learn how to use a springboard in gymnastics you need to learn a few skills. Before thinking about using a springboard make sure you have some experience under a coaches supervision on a springboard at your gym. Buying gymnastics equipment for home use should be for helping practice and improve on skills and drills a professional gymnastics coach has already taught you.
Consider buying a gymnastics mat or place a crash mat behind the gymnastics springboard so your gymnasts can land safely on it. Be sure to practice in a large space where no furniture or ornaments are going to get in the way and make sure the ceiling in your room is high enough because your gymnasts are going to be jumping up higher than normal with the force of the springs helping them launch upwards more easily.
Gymnastics springboards for sale – How much is a springboard?
Gymnastics springboards are usually priced between $100 and $500. Prices change often but currently there are very few springboards available to buy that are for sale for gymnasts to use at home. The higher end of the price range is usually for competition standard springboards to be used at gymnastics meets for the gymnastics vault events.
Frequently asked questions
How do i make a gymnastics springboard?
If you are considering how to make a gymnastics springboard we would offer the following advice before ever considering the building process, or using home built springboard for your gymnastics practice. We have seen many parents try to build springboards as a cheaper option than buying one. Without experience and the necessary skills this can end up being more costly and dangerous then buying a product that already meets certain safety standards.
Where can I buy a gymnastics springboard mat ?
Most gymnastics springboard are for sale online. The springboard brands sometimes have their own websites but often sell through Amazon for products aimed at home users. Brands who provide competition or gym equipment usually sell directly to the gyms or through a distributor.
Final thoughts about gymnastics springboards
Currently there aren’t a lot of gymnastics springboards to choose from but as more become available we will update this article. Our favourite choice is the junior springboard from Z athletic. This product has a good reputation and is often used by young gymnasts wanting to practice at home. Because a springboard is quite bouncy it is often advisable to use in a large room or ideally in the garden if you have a flat surface.
Most likely you will need a gymnastics mat or box to replicate a vault or to land on. It is possible to combine a gymnastics springboard with your gymnastics bar and practice mount training but be very careful because this can be challenging at home and will definitely require a safety crash mat underneath because it can be so easy to slip on the bar and fall down when first practising mounting.