Tsukahara Vaults Explained

Tsukahara vaults combine a forward approach with a backward finish: the gymnast goes into the table as if for a handspring, turns on the way, and comes off it rotating backwards.

How it works

The gymnast runs straight at the table and takes off from the springboard facing forwards. During the first flight, before the hands reach the table, they turn a quarter or a half (90°–180°). They push off the table from that turned position and perform a salto backward — tucked, piked or stretched, with or without twists — before landing.

The 2025–2028 WAG Code of Points defines its group 3 exactly this way: “handspring with ¼–½ turn (90°–180°) in 1st flight phase (Tsukahara) – salto backward with or without twist in 2nd flight phase”. The men’s Code puts “handspring sideways and Tsukahara vaults” in its group 3 as well.

How it differs from a Yurchenko

Tsukaharas and Yurchenkos both finish with a salto backward, which is why they’re easily confused. The difference is the entry:

• Tsukahara — the gymnast takes off from the springboard facing forwards, then turns onto the table.
• Yurchenko — the gymnast performs a round-off before the springboard, so she arrives at it facing backwards, then performs a back handspring onto the table.

The easiest way to tell them apart is to watch the run-up: if there’s a round-off onto the springboard, it isn’t a Tsukahara. For the forward-entry family the Tsukahara grew out of, see handspring vaults; for the round-off family, see round-off entry vaults.

Values

As with every vault, difficulty depends on the salto shape and the twisting in the second flight. In the 2025–2028 WAG Code of Points:

In the 2025–2028 MAG Code of Points, the basic tucked Tsukahara is worth 1.8 and a double tucked Tsukahara with a full twist (the Ri Se Gwang) 5.6. The men’s Code also lists the Kasamatsu, a Tsukahara-type vault with the twist performed differently, and gives it the same value as the equivalent Tsukahara.

Why it’s named as it is

The family is named after Japanese gymnast Mitsuo Tsukahara, who debuted the piked version of the vault at the 1970 World Championships in Ljubljana, where it scored 9.75 and drew wide attention — the performance credited with establishing the entry technique internationally. (American gymnast Hal Shaw reportedly performed a similar vault, nicknamed the “O-Shaw,” at the 1968 NCAA Championships, but it’s Tsukahara’s international debut that the naming reflects.)