I think it's also the sign of a great swordsman to master a style that's both effective and minimizes energy expenditure.. best example would be Mace Windu who's style is not as acrobatic as others but always gets the job done (which is also why i'm so pissed how they depicted the Yoda/Dokuu fight.. absolutely hate the rubber ball style of Yoda in this fight).
I think the illustrative point for Yoda in AOTC is that at this point, we've only seen him in three previous movies as an old, feeble, miniature creature, but that he's capable of more. Yoda is as wise as he is old (nearly 900 years in AOTC), and like Vader doesn't feel the need to move quickly or with flair in his day-to-day operations. But when the need arises, he is surprisingly capable of extreme aerial acrobatics. It was supposed to be a stunning dichotomy to what we were expecting out of the little old guy.
Logistically, due to Yoda's diminutive height, it would be quite necessary for him to jump off walls, or at least into the air, as part of his fighting style. Otherwise, he would be swiping at the feet of his opponents, and that's not exceptionally effective. So it actually makes sense from that standpoint.
I understand what you mean though... why did Lucas see it as necessary that Yoda essentially bounce off the walls like a five year-old who just destroyed a five gallon drum of Kool-aid?
For me, the absolute COOLEST part about that entire fight sequence is the very beginning, when Yoda uses the Force to wield his lightsaber from the hilt. It's only a matter of a few inches distance, but to me it spoke volumes about his abilities. He doesn't even bother to reach for the lightsaber, he makes the saber come to him. (Incidentally, the second coolest part about that entire fight sequence is when he picks up his cane at the end of the fight, after having just performed some Olympic level stunts, and walks off.)
