PoleVaultPower.com

I have a meet on friday and we are only gunna practice one more time before the meet. Since we have a portable pit (it suctions to the ground), we are unable to full jumps in the gym. I do pop-ups and work on my plant and invert. My coach says i have a perfect invert and the next step is adding the turn. I only tried the turn on one jump and it was pretty disastrous. If i cant get the turn down, do you think it would help me get higher heights by doing the invert and a sort of variation of the turn? or not even attempting a turn and sort of 'free balling' it over the bar?

If you are good at landing on your back, practice turning just a little toward the pole right before you land and landing on your side. When you can do that, turn a little more and land on your stomach.

Jay wrote: ... or not even attempting a turn and sort of 'free balling' it over the bar?

My vote is for this method.

With a 9 foot PR, I wouldn't worry to much about turning yet. We discussed this issue just yesterday on this thread http://www.polevaultpower.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=17597&start=36.

BTW, you and AJ are NOT intermediates, so I don't know why you're posting on the Intermediate Technique forum. I'm not sure of exactly how high you need to jump to become an intermediate, but I would think it's at least in the 3.50 or 4.00 range (depending on sex) and/or at least a full season of experience.

Kirk

If you swing correctly (or invert "perfectly"...) then the turn is almost completely a non-issue. It will happen practically effortlessly, pretty much second nature.

In conclusion, work on the swing.