PoleVaultPower.com

Hi everyone,
So I've gotten to the point where I'm holding about 10 feet up on a 13 foot pole. When I run and plant I feel like I'm getting ripped back because this is a pretty high hold for me. Is this because I'm not jumping up when I plant? How do you time the jump? Also, when I plant and get up, should i just keep my left arm straight out or do something else with it? Btw, if anyone knows any drills I can do to improve these things it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
A.J.

Your step might me under. Have someone catch your step at the point where you leave the ground. Then compare it to what it should be which is directly below your top hand when stretched above your head.

For your speed, you should be taking off with the pole tip about three inches 'out' from the bottom of the box... With you top hand directly over your head. Keep your bottom elbow bent outward, after you take off you don't really need it much anymore for anything other than balance.

that is a rough question to completly answer without being there with you, but it is likely your step or you just aren't jumping off the ground enough.

Powerplant! You watched my definition of the takeoff on Youtube eh.

Rick Baggett

Powerplant! You watched my definition of the takeoff on Youtube eh.

Rick Baggett

Indeed, more than once! Plus a few meetings with altius and reading through/watching BTB2... The pre-jump is a secret weapon! (But of course, it's really no secret, is it...)

But I'd like to investigate the question of the exact 'take-off point' further... Surely you wouldn't have someone running 10 m/s at take-off have the same 'amount' of pre-jump as someone running only 6 m/s, right? But what are the numbers? I remember a thread on it... I might end up doing a research project over the next few months on this... Keep an eye out in the 'advanced' forum for a bumped or new thread on the topic!

powerplant42 wrote: For your speed, you should be taking off with the pole tip about three inches 'out' from the bottom of the box... With you top hand directly over your head. Keep your bottom elbow bent outward, after you take off you don't really need it much anymore for anything other than balance.

Hmm ... if you had said "four inches" I would swear that you had quoted MY advice about this! Guess not.

powerplant42 wrote: Keep an eye out in the 'advanced' forum for a bumped or new thread on the topic!

This should be interesting ... it will be a challenge for you to keep the "research" strictly academic, without you drawing your own conclusions, and asserting your conclusive beliefs ... in the ADVANCED forum. I think you can do this, PP, but it will take some self-discipline. Remember ... it's better for you to ASK questions in the advanced forum.

Kirk

I'm kind of confused by what you are all saying. I'm sorry

When you take-off (as in LEAVE THE GROUND) your pole tip should not have 'hit' yet... The tip should be ~3 inches 'back' from the bottom of the box. Your top hand should be directly over your take-off foot's toe.

This should be interesting ... it will be a challenge for you to keep the "research" strictly academic, without you drawing your own conclusions, and asserting your conclusive beliefs ... in the ADVANCED forum. I think you can do this, PP, but it will take some self-discipline. Remember ... it's better for you to ASK questions in the advanced forum.

I'll have about 8 months to do it... Believe me, I'll be asking PLENTY of questions, especially about EMPIRICAL data! But this will most likely be only one part of my project. I will probably discuss the ENTIRE ground-phase.

So, what should happen is I should have the pole in the box and start putting it up 3 inches before it hits?
I don't think I have enough experience for a free plant yet, something a little more conservative would be okay.

Ajw118 wrote: I don't think I have enough experience for a free plant yet, something a little more conservative would be okay.

It's a fallacy to think that you need to gain general PV experience before you learn the "free takeoff". However, you usually need a good coach to guide you thru this.

If you're a good LJ, TJ, or HJ jumper, then you should be able to learn the free takeoff quite quickly ... IMMEDIATELY. There's no sense learning the WRONG way, then having to switch to the RIGHT way!

But if you've already been vaulting for a few weeks or months, and a "free takeoff" isn't something you already do (or strive to do), you may need to GRADUALLY change your takeoff to make it "free".

For starters, you should just make sure that you're not slowing down DURING your takeoff because of the pole hitting the back of the box before you leave the ground. Anything that slows you down is usually BAD.

Once you start bending the pole, you should make sure that you're not bending the pole BEFORE you leave the ground. Again, that's BAD, as it doesn't allow you to swing your body on the pole naturally. And if you don't swing naturally, you're unlikely to swing up and over the crossbar properly.

Most beginners are too close to the box when they take off, so they usually slow down AND bend the pole too early. The "free takeoff" fixes these flaws, but don't expect to fix these in a single practice. Instead, you should GRADUALLY move your steps back, perhaps only an inch at a time, until it feels comfortable.

There's also lots of drills that you can and should do (without actually pole vaulting into a foam pit) to learn the free takeoff technique.

So to answer your question, the CONSERVATIVE way for a beginner to takeoff is to leave the ground AT THE SAME TIME that the pole hits the box, but BEFORE the pole begins to bend. There's nothing "more conservative" than that ... if you want to have a free takeoff.

Kirk

Thank you, that was probably the best answer I've recieved to a question of this site.
Just a clarification: when i begin my plant when i'm 2 steps away from the box, should i put it on the ground at 1 step away so that as it hits my arms go up. This way, I'm not jamming it in?