Pole Runs

[LHSvaulter]

Recently, I have been getting into a slight disagreement with another vaulter on the team about pole runs. He thinks the point of pole runs is to do them in rapid succession to tire yourself out, and from this exertion comes speed. I think that they are to work on form, and with form comes speed.

Which of us is right, or is a combination of our two ideas?

[VaultPurple]

i think it is a combination of the both...

i do pole runs to become more consistent with my step and having a smoother plant while running as hard as I can..
But by doing multiple pole runs you do build up speed.

[Rhino]

You build speed by running fast. You run fast by recovering completely between runs.

[powerplant42]

Don't slack off though. A seven step pole run hardly calls for more than a minute or so of rest...standing...

[Lax PV]

It is really a matter of what you are trying to accomplish. If you are trying to "get in shape," do them with little rest, maybe a minute or so. If you are hitting full speed (as you would on the runway) or really trying to be consistent with your take off step, you would want more time in between.

The rest that you take will (more or less) govern the energy system that you use to complete a task. For an intense, short bout of exercise (like the pole vault) you want to be around the 3 minute period between reps. However, given that most high school meets do not use a "five alive" system in meets, it would be most advantageous, in my opinion anyway, to complete 2 pole runs with little to no rest (<1 minute) and then wait 3 minutes and do 2 more... then 2 more...

[vault3rb0y]

You can kill yourself with speed workouts without a pole.

I do pole runs to work on run technique and pole carry first. I will do about 30m of "form run speed" with the pole almost completely vertical, with no drop or acceleration to full speed. THEN i will work my cadence and pole drop while jogging in place. Finally i do a full approach and count my steps, and imagine i am in a meet scenario. That means full recovery between runs and even catching a step to make sure you are running the same every time. That is definitely the point of pole runs. To work on raw speed i will usually take an average running workout, lets say 6 200's, and substitute pole runs for 2 of them, then finish off the sprints with the rest of the guys with less recovery time.

[altius]

I sometimes wonder why I bothered to write BTB2, when questions like this come up. There are 16 pages detailing the qualities of a good run up and indicating how to build one, in that book. However as I indicated in another forum you can keep reading pole vault power - and eventually -say in ten years or so - you will put together much of the information you need to become a decent vaulter - but it may be a bit too late then.

I know I will be criticised for 'advertising' but it should be pointed out that since Gutenberg, books have been a valuable source of information, knowledge and even wisdom for everyone to access. Valuable as Pole vault power is, it will not give you a coherent and sequential explanation of this event in the way that a book can. Of course if you are just blogging for the sake of blogging then I realise that none of that matters. And I know that poor old 3po would have nothing to do with his spare time if he did not contribute here on such a regular basis.

[LHSvaulter]

By no means am I trying to make this like my own personal blog. I did this to get a little bit of advice. Not having a credit card makes it hard to be able to purchase BTB2. Unless there is someone with multiple copies in south eastern Connecticut, I'll have to wait until my birthday in September to get it. I've wanted it for a while and I have heard excellent things about it-not just on pvp, but from people at meets as well.

[rainbowgirl28]

By no means am I trying to make this like my own personal blog. I did this to get a little bit of advice. Not having a credit card makes it hard to be able to purchase BTB2. Unless there is someone with multiple copies in south eastern Connecticut, I'll have to wait until my birthday in September to get it. I've wanted it for a while and I have heard excellent things about it-not just on pvp, but from people at meets as well.

I take checks, or if you have the cash for it, you can turn that into a money order at your post office or most grocery stores. My address is on the page I am selling it.