Please Critique - Swing Hips up and Drop Shoulders

[marbaugh]

I am currently coaching a college sophomore vaulter who consistently jumps 12'. I am looking for critique on her vault. I believe she needs to get her hips up and drop her shoulders quicker to come off the top of the pole. Please feel free to provide me with any advice you may have.

https://plus.google.com/photos/102173975699700762311/albums/6015947185158114273

Thanks in advance.

[CoachEric]

She cannot drop her shoulders because she breaks the pressure and pulls too early. Look at the change from image 5 to image 6. The angle of the shoulder closes, and at that point the swing is dead, and she has to muscle the rest of the vault.

In order to keep swinging, she must keep both hands and elbows over the head.

There are two technical errors that she is making that prevent this swing condition:

1. As the vaulter leaves the ground, the arms should stretch over the head and go "elastic," opening the shoulders and allowing the chest to move. The position is correct when the left hand is directly over the head. She doesn't quite get there, so she is blocking her swing.

2. As the swing is initiated, the vaulter "realigns," forcefully applying pressure overhead in a hollow-body position. The result will be that the vaulter swings powerfully and will be momentarily aligned with the chord of the pole. From the images, her swing looks a bit sluggish. If she hollows out, her swing will be far more active, and the hips will be able to rotate around the shoulders. Once this pressure is broken, the swing stops.

To teach her these points, I would suggest cueing her to be generally more relaxed. She looks tense, and these points are all about being fluid and moving with the pole. Unfortunately there aren't many great drills for learning "elastic" and "realignment," so I suggest putting her on a small pole that she can comfortably land deep in the pit with, and work the issues one at a time without a bungee.

Also, I saw the other photos that are up on your profile. Please don't "tap" athletes to help them into the pit. Instead, drop their grip to a point where they can land in the back of the pit on their own. Tapping is a short cut that prevents athletes from learning how to move the pole to vertical, and it screws up their swing timing. It's fun for them to hold a foot higher than they otherwise would, but it's hurting their progress and it's dangerous. I know this was already mentioned to you in an earlier thread, with comments about "pushing" vs "spotting." I do not spot my athletes at all, because they ALWAYS land in the back of the pit. As a rule, the standards are always at 80cm (or farther depending on the drill), and this rule holds for all levels. Teach them to move the pole to vertical, don't do it for them.

[GasPasser]

Nevermind, CoachEric has got you covered. Great place - Weaver Stadium @ PU!

[marbaugh]

Thank you very much Coach Eric for all of the excellent pointers and tips. I appreciate your time in replying and we are working on the issues!

[IAmTheWalrus]

I actually would have provided almost the opposite recommendation, that being that she should initiate her swing via a forceful left arm pull, sooner in the vault. It seems that she delays the swing too long and sacrifices valuable time. I am very aware that left arm action is highly contested on this site, and I won't debate what method is best (there are literally 25 threads in the advanced forum dedicated to that discussion). However I will say that it is certainly a viable option, and I have seen much success with a left arm pull both for myself and for the athletes I coach. Below is a video of myself vaulting at UMBC a couple of years ago, right after I began utilizing the left arm pull. The jumps are by no means perfect, especially the takeoff, but I believe it illustrates the effect pulling can have on the speed and timing of the swing. Note: prior to this point I have never jumped higher than 14' on this particular pole, in the video I am clearing 14'7 and later attempting 15'7.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2CEdnr ... LiypYN0crg

If you're interested in this at all I would turn your attention to the threads in the advanced forum which were authored by Agapit. Definitely a good read.

Lastly, I live in the Baltimore area. If you ever want to discuss this more, feel free to PM me.

Good luck!