Take off problems

[Jungm1420]

Ok. So i know i have been posting a lot on here. But i have no coach and a ton of questions. But i think i narrowed all of my problems in my takeoff an up top down to one thing today. At my take off i am always under about a foot. But yet i feel right on. And when i back up to make my step right on i feel outside and drop the pole and run through. I guessed right what it was. I had sum1 video me and i seen it. When you run with correct form your foot should hit right underneath your body ad u run. At take off it is infront of me so my step is under but my body and arm are in the right place. And since i am under i cant swing and use the momentum to invert. Does anyone lnow how to fix this? Just running form drills?

[Jungm1420]

My take off right now isnt the greatest. Its okay. But thats not what i want. I want to achieve a free take off or pretty close to it. Right now my step is normally a ft to 1 1/2 ft under. I havnt jumped above my handgrip yet. Ive cleared 11'6 using a 13' 150. But that is with my bad take off. I want to get the free take off down to help my swing and invert. How can i do this? What drills can i do to work on this?

[WiscoVaulter]

Try to get to a pole you can bend from four lefts. Make sure to start with the tip of your pole just above your head and when you go, steadily drop your pole down and make sure to jump as high as you can off the ground. Try do something uncomfortable, in the aspect of doing what you are not used to, because you are used to being right on with your step. When you do it right it will feel weird and it might feel like you should bail. Just lock your arms out and ride the pole into the pit. Do not swing up until you can consistently do this with sufficient penetration. Start to swing up with a full vault. Make sure you have someone catch your step every jump and check it. If you are still under then try to jump earlier or move your step back. This is not a good drill to do with high winds because of possible inconsistent runway speed.

[Jungm1420]

Yea i did that yesterday in practice. Today i went to a guy in KC and he showed me the mid chart and got my take off where it ahould be and i jumped onto a bigger pole and jumped a 12'6 bungee!

[dj]

hye

good job making a change...

i was going to suggest that you move your "MID" forward so you could "shorten"/chop.. the last six step and takeoff out..

sounds like that simular to what you did with the correct "MID"....

dj

[Jungm1420]

Yea. He has my mid at 41'6" take off at 10' and start at 74'6" for 7 lefts. And he explained to me about how to adjust my start if my mid is off and if my mid is on and my take off is under then i am striding out at the end.

[vquestpvc]

I believe the best drill of all drills to do is what I call "runovers"; probably numerous other names for it, but is what I call it. Simply, one vaults on the flat ground and swings through to the take off foot. With runovers, one has to perform a free take off. Well, maybe not every time, but he or she might get tired of falling to the ground. The grip starts at a point where an individual can jump up from a standing position and touch the pole when it is resting on the ground in a vertical position. This is a starting point. Then, I suggest using just 4 steps (R-L-R-L for a left foot take off), carrying the pole to the side as if one was vaulting, bringing the hands up, placing the tip on the ground and swinging through in a "figure 4" position landing on the take off foot. And remember as you swing through, keep that top arm straight. Is this too elementary? Not at all! If done correctly in a straight line, you've done a free take off. There is however, no bumping the pole with the trail leg! Because, there is no bumping of the trail leg when vaulting! Now, as one gets better at the drill, move the top hand up. How can you tell if you're getting better? If when you land and your speed is good, move the hand up. The objective is get the hand up (progressively) the pole as high as one can while still able to move the pole forward. Now, because you can move the hand up you are getting better at a free take off. More Importantly, you're learning to jump up a take off.

Which brings me to the problem of being "under". Pole vaulting is a jumping event. One must learn to jump just as in the high jump or long jump; take off angles are just a little different. So, the runovers help teach you a better jumping take off. Many vaulters "run through" the take off instead of jumping up on the pole.

After the ground runovers, go to the pit using the same 4 steps only now raise your hand about 8-10" up the pole (8" for the depth of the box). And, if you trully want to vault better, don't be lazy or cut corners. In this instance, have a tape measure set along the runway starting at about 6-7' from the back of the box. Now, determine the distance from your projected take off point at 4 steps and run back; many are at 20-22'. Turn to the box, run 4 steps and essentially, do a "runover" into the pit. Nothing is different from the ground runovers except your hand is higher up the pole. Oh, and should you go back to 6 total steps, nothing is different from the runovers on the ground, 4 steps or 6 steps except you will hold a little higher on the pole and run a little faster. But again, have a consistent starting point and take off point for 6 steps also. If you don't have a consistent take off point, ask yourself: "am I jumping up at take off". And with either 4 steps or 6, continually move your hand up the pole challenging and improving the jump.

You should be able to execute a reasonably good free take off holding up to a hand grip of 12-6 or 13'. But don't fret, there are soooo few high school vaulters that vault above their hand grip and are able to clear heights of 13'-14'. what someone like you needs to do is work on your approach and developing a good, high hand take off where you're jumping up on the pole. Once you get more accomplished at the approach and take off, the swing will progressively follow. but, one needs to get a lot of good reps

Sorry for being so long winded, but trying to help someone who seems to be eager to get better. There is no magic and requires a lot of work. Good luck and be smart which will keep you safe.

[Jungm1420]

Thanks alot for the feedback! All that right there is exactly what i did at practice and it helped. Then i also got a smaller pole to where i could grip at the top and it would bend from 4 lefts and just hold the take off position working on jumping. Then saturday i went to a guy in K.C and he showed me the Mid Chart. We got my start point, mid mark, and take off all down. And i was actually takeing off from 10' on most of my jumps and actually jumping. So within like 3 jumps of the good take off he put me on a 13'3 155 from the 13' 150 i was using and i went from my PR of 11'6 to clearing a 12'6 bungee probably w/o touching. Like i figured once i fixed my take off my swing happened much more easily and i jumped at my top handgrip with another 6" grip left on the pole maybe.

[Jungm1420]

The mid chart i have says for a bar height of 12'6 and using a hand grip of 12'7 on your pole that your mid hould be 42'. So im guessing your right. He probably moved it up 6" so i would chop my last steps more.