PoleVaultPower.com

Dan Steele, Oregon Associate Director of track and field has taken the head coaching job at Northern Iowa. At Oregon Dan was in charge of the men's sprinters and hurdlers, men's and women's pole vaulters and multi-event performers. It will be interesting to see who they replace him with and if they ...

I too believe that the most important aspect of the vault is the run, plant and takeoff and the vast majority of work should be centered around that training. But swinging and extending is also important and since I get athletes that have no back ground in gymnastics I will use any thing I can to he...

Well, I guess you are a great coach and I am just a guy that has my vaulters waste their time. Your attitude always just slays me. There is more than one way to skin a cat, and while rope vaulting might not be for everyone because of facilities or philosophies, I think I am with a lot of programs ar...

I have rope vaulted and coached rope vaulting for many years. I was taught rope vaulting by Jan Johnson back in 1984 and have used it as an important part of my training regiment often as, when I coached at U of O. At the present time I do not have the proper facilities out at LCC to platform rope v...

Lyndell is correct in his basic premise but what he is not considering is the challenge to lay up this type of pole which could be done but would be much harder than the present layup. But the real impediment to his idea is cost. Now the mandrel which corresponds to his bag, lasts for years and year...

I also agree with golfdane. As a little side note I am the guy that is catching his step and possibly his pole. Nothing against this vaulter but I have to say that it took all of my courage to stand there and not run for the hills each time he took off. I have never been that close to a guy that was...

I called Steve Rippon to congratulate him on Kate's great performance and he told me that there were 6 women vaulting on Pacer carbons in the final. I'm not sure if anyone was on Nordic or Essex poles, but probably most of the other 6 were on Spirit poles. So Gold and Silver on Pacer carbons and the...

Kirk basically the flex chart is how poles are separated into smaller weight increments. Right now Gill has about 350 different models of poles in their catalog so if they used their flex chart to make the models go up by 1 pound increments instead of 5 then they would have to list 1400 models and t...

I certainly understand the reasons some people don't believe in or like One handed vaulting and I partially agree. But I personally like the drill on a limited basis used correctly in my warm-up to vaulting. I think just like vaulting drills with a straight pole are self correcting and teach a vault...

Kirk I wasn't pointing my comments directly at you. My poorly made point is this. I think swinging with a big whipping trail leg is super important, but it can be done incorrectly. I think almost as important is using both arms ( keeping them active) in adding energy to the vault and thus maximizing...

I am surprised the posters that think that the arms especially the bottom arm do nothing or very little in a jump have not pounced in here and commented, that by posting this video the Olympic Champion/record holder is ruining the vault by doing specific strength exercises to help him row/press/leve...

We have all lost a great friend and mentor. Stan was a such a fierce competitor, great friend and truly a master coach. Of all the coaches I have known Stan had the most special way of getting high school kids to dedicate themselves and become the very best vaulter and person that they could be. I w...