pushing off the pole

[asaleh]

Hello, i have been hitting a plauteu latley at 13. I believe that its a problem with the fact i cant push off the pole when i turn. I am looking into gymnastics to help me but is there any way to fix that problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Oh heres a video of a 4 left day trying to fix the problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC1Z1TpNQjM

[KirkB]

I believe that its a problem with the fact I can't push off the pole when I turn.

This is a very common assumption that many vaulters in the 13 foot PR range make. You seem to think that if only you could improve your push-off, then you'd go much higher. But what you ASSUME is that you literally just need to PUSH OFF a little better.

The fallacy here is that you make or break each attempt in your run, plant, takeoff, and swing. NOT by whether you push off effectively or not.

Bubka is a great example of this. You will notice that he hardly pushes off at all. In fact, he even seems to be releasing his pole before he even gets a change to "push off"! Why? How can he do this?

It's because of his run, plant, takeoff, and swing. Even if you think that your run and plant are perfect (they never are, not even for elite vaulters going 19 feet or higher), what you do in your downswing (the first half of your swing) will drastically affect your upswing and push-off. In Bubka's case, his downswing is FANTASTIC! So his upswing is quite easy, and his push-off is almost non-existent (he doesn't even need a push-off)!

The lesson here is that if your push-off appears weak, it can almost certainly be traced back to something in the first half of your swing. And if the first half of your swing is weak, then your takeoff is probably weak. And if your takeoff is weak, then your run and plant are probably weak. You get the idea.

In your vid, I couldn't see too much of your plant and takeoff because of the camera angle (a side view would have been better), but from what I could see, you didn't jump off the ground at all - with any vigorous force. Instead, it seemed like you just let the pole pick you off the ground. Am I right? Are you trying to jump? Or are you just letting the pole pick you off?

Lastly, your problem has nothing to do with when you "turn". Done right, you will be doing all of your important swing and extension work on the pole BEFORE you turn. In fact, once you turn, you will almost certainly "flag out" over the bar. As you gain confidence, and as you improve the lower half of your swing (and takeoff and plant and run), you will start to purposely POSTPONE your turn until you've extended as high as you can go. Then you turn at the last split second, just to clear the bar (not before). This is an action that you can simulate on rings, by quickly crossing one foot over the other at the last split second, once you swing and then extend on the rings. The quicker you can turn this way, the later you can delay the turn. However, don't get side-tracked by this turning technique - it's NOT your main problem. Your main problem is in the lower half of your vault - and before!

Kirk

[asaleh]

Thanks for giving your input. And yes my takeoff is very weak and my downswing is hevily affected by it. I do know how to fic my takeoff (its gotten better since the last video ) but im not sure how to supplement the downswing. I know a high bar will help but is there any other way to supplement it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[CoachEric]

It's really tough to see in your video, but I noticed two very common problems.

1. Your pole tip falls below eye level
2. Your arms are tense mid-swing, and you're rowing a bit

The pole tip should cross eye level at the instant that you hit your left to begin your plant. Start your run with the pole tip much higher, near vertical. Keep the tip up higher until it crosses your face when you plant. This will improve your speed and posture at takeoff.

Practice keeping the arms high, extended, and relaxed while you swing. You can improve this with lots of straight pole vaulting. Here are a couple drills.
- Use a close grip, from six steps (3 lefts), plant, do not swing, and "belly bump" the pole as you rotate it to the back of the pit. Do this by planting high and focusing on allowing your hands to move up and back over your head. If you get a soft "belly bump" against the pole, you're doing it right. If you get a painful "crotch ram" your arms are tense. Raise your grip by small intervals and challenge yourself to hold as high as possible from 6 steps.
- Put a bungee up and place the standards back at 45 inches. Challenge yourself to vault as high as possible from 6 steps on a straight pole. Keeping te standards way back like this forces you to make the pole move by getting tall, staying extended, and swinging with the arms up. If you tense up or pull, the pole will not rotate to the back of the pit.

If you post videos of these drills, you should be able to get some great feedback on your technique.