PoleVaultPower.com

I've been asked by a couple of people to post a video of some of my jumps from back in the day. This is to help illustrate some of the things I have tried to describe in the Manifesto thread and elsewhere. My dad used to say that one "show how" is worth a thousand "tell hows." I think he was right, so I hope this helps. I am not saying this is the best way to jump; it is just a way that used to work for me.

I only have two videos of me from my whole career, but as luck would have it, I think they are pretty good ones. One is from practice, and the other is from a meet. The practic jump is about as good as I can do. In the one from the meet, I get a little under and don't quite catch up with the pole. If anyone out there has any more of me in competition, I would greatly appreciate it if I could have some copies - stuff to show my grandkids down the road and all of that.

I have to apologize for the bad quality of these videos. This is my first attempt at a video capture, but most of the problem is that this is coming off of a VHS tape that is thirteen years old and a VCR that is almost the same age.

Here are the stats:

The first one is a short run practice from 1993. I am running from 6 lefts.

The pole is a 15' 175 regular glass Pacer with 2" cut off the bottom to get it bending a little more in the handle. (I feel I must add this warning for anyone who might get the wrong idea from this: Don’t cut on your poles unless you know what you are doing. There are plenty of options out there for poles that will work great right out of the case.)

I am gripping 14' and I'm pretty sure the bar is on 17' I know I jumped that high in this practice because it is my 6 left PR, but I am not sure if this is that jump.

I am 5'8" and weigh 138 pounds. (Not anymore, those were the 4% body-fat days.)


The second video is also from 1993. It is from a competition in Oklahoma City. I am running from 10 lefts.

The pole is a 16' 185 Maxima designed for me by Bruce Caldwell. (Once again, to bend more in the handle.)

I am gripping 15' and the bar is on 18'5".

My physical stats are same as from the fist video.

Yes, I know about the mullet.

Yes, I run around in the pit like an idiot, but it was a last attempt, walk-off win against Huffman and Manson at my home place, so cut me a little slack on the goofy fist pump thing.

This is my jump, the best I could do. Feel free to tear it apart, make suggestions, observations Etc.

http://media.putfile.com/Practice-93-1710-

http://www.polevaultpower.com/media/vid ... .php#other

[quote="Tim McMichael"]My dad used to say that one “show howâ€Â

First off this is in no way to downgrade or disrespect Tim. From the video it is very evident he was a very explosive jumper. Could he have jumped higher if he used a different model. We will never know. From the video would I say he was a swing vaulter. NO I would say you were a pressure or power vaulter with some modifacations.


Watching this video and trying to slow it down as much as I could (windows media player sucks ) I would say Tim you were a first generation Modified Power vaulter. What I mean by this is that you performed the same characteristics of power vaulters. Upward pressure on the takeoff delayed swing to a more fold with the feet moving first then the hips. As you tucked back you went in a sitted position and ready to launch. Like Hartwig and some of the others out there today you got out of this position amazing. Shot your hips and got as tight to the pole as you could. Nice vault for what I think you were trying to do. Very impressive.


What I want all the young vaulters to notice is how well Tim stayed with the pole on top as he turned, went through extension and then let go. This is outstanding and my opinion why you could jump on such stiff poles for your weight. You allowed the pole to rotate completely into the pits. Maybe Tim was pulling as hard as he could on top only he will know. However, he perfected it. He perfected the fact that if he was indeed pulling as hard as he could he could do so while staying as close to his body as possible. This is key and if you get anything out of these post I hope this is it. If you stay with your pole and inline with it you will receive a much larger blow on top (for sake of better terms) as well as allow the pole to rotate into the pit completely. Thus you can get on a stiffer pole which will provide and even bigger blow. Pole Rotation Pole Rotation Pole Rotation over strength. Plus from the looks of the video you did have some wheels.


To me this is not what I am referring to when I talk about a swing vaulters swing to inversion. The feet moved first therefore the hips had a passive moment and stayed back. It might have only been like .05 of a second but they still where held back and moved second. Would this have made a difference in Tim's vault. It probably would not have helped him do to his planting style (upward pressure). The delay in Tim's hips allowed the pole to begin its process of rolling over into the pits further so he would safely get in. Swing vaulters do this action in a different way by stay as close to the pole cord the entire time and not pushing themselves backwards. Pressure/Power vaulters do this. They push themselves backwards away from the pole at takeoff and during the initial swing. Newton said for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you are applying pressure into the pole with a striaght bottom arm. The pole is applying the same pressure back through your arm pushing your shoulders backwards. BOO in my opinion.

For me less upward pressure would put you in a better position to utilitize the swing with more power from the upper abs down. As it stands with this style of vaulter as is on the video all you swing with speed and power is your leg. Not your hips. Your hips are caught in a position of catchup and not continuously moving.

Tim is an exception to the case and we will always have exceptions. He could get out of the tucked position with great ease and efficency. Most young vaulters and college vaulters for that matter can't. They jump there mid to high 17's with this technique than realize they can't go any higher and quit even before their 26th birthday. If I recall correctly from discussions with Tim Mac when he finished at Tennessee what I just described was him. He almost quit after college. He then started to change his vault and model he used and the rest is history.



By the way I like the little dance at the end. Shows you have emotion.

ADTF Academy

Thanks for the insightful critique. I think the distinction between a power vault and a swing vault is accurate. You are also right about the need to stay as close to the pole as possible on the top end of the jump. It took me several years to learn to do it while still applying power with my arms.

Aah the old Myriad runway. Sadly I heard the current coaching staff at OU chopped it up and threw it away. Brings a tear to my eye.

Tim i have the one from ou when you and joe were jumping. you made 17, 17'6, and 18 all on your firsts, and you had two good attempts at 18'6. and i have the two olympic trial videos with you in them.

does the number 1710 at the end of the video link indicate the year that the video was shot in????.....lol...jk....no disrespect, cause even if you were 230 years old, I couldn't touch your technique.

Yep, I'm getting up there. The big 40 is just around the corner.

good morning

tim... is there a chance i have film of you and pat manson jumping in orlando.. as jr's or high schoolers???

those jumps are not unlike what i see t-mack doing... proper application of force...

i believe jeff buckingham was the "style" of jump we were aspiring for ..
i know mike tully, jeff and i had that conversation indoors in LA.. after seeing bubka jump and determining what needed to be done to catch back up... and that type of takeoff was the way bubka was going...

cory tarpening and tom hinthaus had "free" takeoffs but jeff, joe dial, you and pat had the extention through the takeoff that "loaded" or shortened the radius of the pole...

shortening the radius of the pole and moving that shorter radius to vertical is actually what we are trying to described... and accomlish..

oponion: the run and plant forces seem to be used to "bend" shorten the pole with maybe a small amount of force left to add to penetration... say until the pole cord is at a 45 degree angle, as rick said, then the swing of the body... moves the pole the remaining distance to vertical.. and while this is happening the pole is coming back to it's full length...

use the high bar analogy... the swing will bend the bar down while the body is below the bar and then it will bend up as the body moves above the bar...

yes the swing adds force.. and yes a long body can add more force if it is moving as fast... but a shorter accelerated lever can add the same amount .. it's kinda' like "pumping" a back yard swing.. you have to bend the legs and "pump" at the right time to make it work...

i've rattled enough..

later

dj

Man Tim, seeing those jumps make me want to get after it again. that myriad jump gives me goose bumps...i'm making a comeback!!!

Tim McMichael wrote:Yep, I'm getting up there. The big 40 is just around the corner.

Well, the big 60 happened for me last March. But I'm still a youngster when it comes to learning about the vault. Your posts are among the best on PVP and I personally have learned a lot by reading them. I appreciate your detailed and well thought out descriptions, and the courtesy you extend to all vaulters as they have dialogue with you. That being said, the videos you posted are awesome! Thanks for getting them out and sharing them.

- master

Master,

Thanks for the kind words. I love this sport and really would like to contribute something to it. It has broken my heart at least five times, but I can't leave it. I don't want to get too personal, but I paid a very high price to learn what little I do know. It has been gratifying to have my thoughts appreciated.

Thanks again.