i NEED TO MOVE UP A POLE 15' 9" or 16'

[nolevault]

The scenario sounds alot like a vaulter that really isn't getting off of the left, or bottom arm. I see numerous vaulters, in meets and at camp, that think they are blowing through poles, when in reality they are not letting the pole work. Making a jump from a 15' pole to a 16' pole is no joke. There are timing issues. The 16' pole is going to require more force through the takeoff, thus delaying the swing momentarily. If you jump the same way you are right now on a 16' pole, it may cause you to end up seriously short, possibly in the box if you're not careful. If you've vaulted at Earl's, you should call him and see what he thinks. He will remember how you vault and could save you money and injuries.

The young man that vaulted 16'2" holding 13'9" is Adam Sarafian. He is about 5'7" and his takeoff is fine. He did that running from 10 or 12 steps total. His gymnastic ability allows him to do things on a pole that I have never seen. He knows exactly where his body is at all times and it is a beautiful sight. Once he develops a consistent approach, he will be jumping 17' with no problem. He reminds me of one of my former FSU teamates, Jeff Bray. Jeff jumped 17'7" in hs and only held about 15'. That's some pole vaulting.

[mcminkz05]

The scenario sounds alot like a vaulter that really isn't getting off of the left, or bottom arm. I see numerous vaulters, in meets and at camp, that think they are blowing through poles, when in reality they are not letting the pole work. .

what do you mean by that?

[Bruce Caldwell]

The scenario sounds alot like a vaulter that really isn't getting off of the left, or bottom arm. I see numerous vaulters, in meets and at camp, that think they are blowing through poles, when in reality they are not letting the pole work. .

what do you mean by that?

flagging. (Or to get better inversion in the push phase of the jump.)
The ability to have apoel under you is crucial to getting the best push off. Often it is observed as blow through when one is away from the pole and cannot go upwards but goes towards the back of the pit. A stiffer pole coudl resolve this and one could jump higher with power.

[mcminkz05]

oh, i thought he was referring mroe to the takeoff and swing by that... which actually sounded like a problem im having if that is what he ment.

[lonestar]

The scenario sounds alot like a vaulter that really isn't getting off of the left, or bottom arm. I see numerous vaulters, in meets and at camp, that think they are blowing through poles, when in reality they are not letting the pole work. .

what do you mean by that?

Actually, what I got out of that was that the vaulter is blocking his left arm out too long in the vault and the pole is opening up with his hips underneath him. After hitting the pole at the takeoff by driving your chest forward and punching your left hand UP, not OUT, that left arm should not remain locked at the elbow as you're swinging, but break in so your hand is against your body as you extend up the pole and turn. By locking that left arm and blocking your swing, the pole stays bent longer and you can think you're blowing through since you're hitting the bar off on the way up, but is the left arm breaks in and you get inverted, the pole probably wouldn't blow through and you'd make the bar.

[mcminkz05]

hmmm.... thats the exact problem im having right now.... the blowing through part isnt an issue, the pole i have is right size, etc... iv got the not breaking the left arm in during the swing part of the problem.. i can do it find in short run stiff-pole stuff, but when i move back to a full run gripping high, the timing of when to break the arm seems to be a big problem for me.

[lonestar]

hmmm.... thats the exact problem im having right now.... the blowing through part isnt an issue, the pole i have is right size, etc... iv got the not breaking the left arm in during the swing part of the problem.. i can do it find in short run stiff-pole stuff, but when i move back to a full run gripping high, the timing of when to break the arm seems to be a big problem for me.

Very difficult problem to fix. I acquire a lot of "lock and blockers" in my club and while some of them fix the problem quickly, others take months to learn how.

Start by moving down a pole and narrowing your grip-width. Move your bottom hand up the pole 1 fist closer to your top hand. Also, when you plant, punch your head and chest forward and your hands straight upward over your head, instead of out in front of you. If your bottom hand is anywhere in front of your forehead or lower when you plant, you're probably blocking. When the pole impacts the back of the box, keep pressing UP with your hands and moving your chest forward, but DO NOT PRESS OUT in front of you with your hands. It may feel at first like you're under and your arms are getting jerked back, but what's really happening is you're unlocking your shoulders and allowing your torso to rotate upside-down.

Good luck.

[mcminkz05]

ya, it is taking me forever too fix, but after most of last season, and all of this season, i feel like im so close.. but my handgrip is ok, and i spent all of indooor season working on my plant, so yes im pressing up, not out. I think its just more of a timing thing.. because as i said, short run ripping at like 11-12' i got it down good, and have the feel for when to let my arm bend and such. Like i can swing up and get over a 14' bungee gripping 11' from 4 lefts... but when i mvoe my run all the way back, I dont really let my bottom arm flex at all wehn i swing, and im guessing its just a timing problem now?

[C-townvault]

14' jump with an 11' grip......wow, not many high schoolers that can do that.

[Robert schmitt]

Mcminkz05 are you going right from 4lefts to 7 or 8? Another thing lonstar does (I believe) that will help your timing issue is the jump and have prs for each left 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 etc... so the change is smoother. If your going from 4 right back to 7 there is a big difference in timing, so it will be easier to learn if you take it back a little at a time.

[lonestar]

Mcminkz05 are you going right from 4lefts to 7 or 8? Another thing lonstar does (I believe) that will help your timing issue is the jump and have prs for each left 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 etc... so the change is smoother. If your going from 4 right back to 7 there is a big difference in timing, so it will be easier to learn if you take it back a little at a time.

You're right Robert, that's exactly what we do in our training at LSPV. Everyone starts from 2 steps/1 left and jumps at bars, not bungees, until they max out their pr, then moves to 4 steps/2 lefts and max out there, and so on until they get to a point where there is no improvement from the next set of steps (Example: John Doe jumps 9' from 2 steps, 10'6 from 4 steps, 11'3 from 6 steps, 11'9 from 8 steps, 12'0 from 10 steps, but only 12'0 again at 12 steps. At that point where there is no improvement, we stay there and try to fix the technical problems until a pr is met, and if it isn't, we start the cycle over again. By going in this manner, you're forced to fix your problems through technique without speed and grip, then add a little speed and grip at a time until it doesn't help you anymore, and that's where you need to spend your time getting better. Going from 8 steps to 14 steps with nothing in between is like assembling a model car by going from step A to step Z without all the steps in between - your end product will be pretty incomplete!

[mcminkz05]

yeah, thats exactely what i was doin.. straight from 3 or 4 lefts, to 7. so i should keep moving back one step at a time, so i get the timing right, and eventually ill be back at 7? hmm, guess i was indeed skipping allot of steps, no wonder i couldnt get my timing right.