PVDaddy wrote:So to sum it up IMHO these are the 5 key components of the Pole Vault TAP that we as coaches should be looking for.
1.) Great penetration and position post take off into the full body stretch (reverse-C) while..
I believe other than the fact that this increases the swings range of motion, the elevation of the trail leg also has the added benefit of serving as a counter weight to improve the vaulters body position. (Note these are my own thoughts and I have not read about this anywhere).
3.) The most vigorous downswing (Whipping action) the vaulter can possibly generate (If I was listing order of importance this would be number 1 by far!) while..
4) The bottom hand is re-extended both upward and forward with the pole (I believe the top hand also gets extended to a small degree as the elbow is very slightly flexed). IMHO I believe this moves the vaulter further away from the pole which makes the lever longer and more powerful with great coil range through shoulders and arms , assist in getting the shoulders back and the hips up,lowers the vaulters COG toward the feet and maintains constant pressure on the full body coil and the pole throughout the downswing.
5.) Complete extension of the entire body from the top hand to the swing leg heel, by stretching the swing leg heel to the pit. This is the culmination of the Pole vault foot tap and is termed Active-I.
Many believe there also exist a second opportunity for the vaulter to perform another tapping action at the top of the swing as the gymnast does at dismount and is the subject of my future research.
What I find most comical of this is your name PVDaddy. That is because if I were to ask my father to come up with a technical model this is what he would come up with. Parents generally notice a few key figures they think are massively important in the vault.
Things I commonly hear:
You need to make that BIG C shape position all the good guys are doing!
BEND THE POLE MORE! Just straighten your left arm!
I rarely hear a parent mention swing speed though, they seem to think you can magically go from the BIG C to upside down. As it appears in your theory. if you push the left arm up and forward along with slightly flexing in the top arm I am going to bet most athletes you coach have a problem keeping that long swing into a vertical position and usually flag off or 'block'. That is because there is too much delay from trying to hit that massive C and they are not elastic enough to swing through to the proper positions.