Mens Gymnastics
Up the runway, off the board, off the horse ... nothing but mat. There are many aspects of a successful -- or unsuccessful, for that matter -- vault crammed into an extremely small time frame.

Stick the landing ... you can do it! The slightest step costs points, but everything preceding the landing needs to be just about perfect for a strong finish. The vaulter also needs to keep in line with the horse -- missing left or right with the landing isn't desirable.

Technique and height. A strong jump off the springboard and push off the horse must be followed by major air time and tight twists and/or flips. Good distance off the horse is also important, though there's no bonus for longer jumps.

The vaulter needs speed and an explosive jump to get high enough quickly enough in preparing to launch off the horse. Wildly flailing arms and legs might merit a point deduction.

The horse is barely a foot wide -- not much room for error. Just ask Trent Dimas. He missed the horse completely and landed on his head in an attempt at the 1991 nationals (Dimas would win a gold on the horizontal bar at the '92 games).

Feel the need for speed. The vaulter has just 82 feet to reach maximum velocity, all the while keeping in step to hit the board and horse in rhythm, as planned (this is important -- just ask Trent Dimas). Good acceleration can't hurt a judge's opinion, either.