tucking

[talley33]

i have a problem of once i get over in the air i tuck my legs under and it always depleates me of hight. any suggestions?

[KirkB]

... once i get over in the air i tuck my legs under and it always depletes me of hight. any suggestions?

Don't tuck!

Seriously, for advanced vaulters: Run. Plant. Jump. Split. Whip. Extend. Fly. Clear.

For intermediates: Run. Plant. Jump. Swing. Extend. Clear.

For beginners like yourself: Run. Plant. Jump. Swing. Clear.

No matter what your level of experience, THERE IS NO ROCKBACK OR TUCK!

It's really that simple!

Kirk

[learning to fly]

if you have access to rings or a high bar, doing drills focusing on a drive knee and straight trail leg can help you when it actually comes time to vault. also practice short run or pop ups focusing on the straight leg. how you practice is how you will compete

[nitro]

THERE IS NO ROCKBACK OR TUCK!
Kirk

There is if you are Jeff Hartwig or Brad Walker.....

[powerplant42]

THERE IS NO ROCKBACK OR TUCK!
Kirk

There is if you are Jeff Hartwig or Brad Walker.....

And if you'd like to model your vault after them, then you should indeed rockback into a tuck.

But at the same time, .

[Andy_C]

THERE IS NO ROCKBACK OR TUCK!
Kirk

There is if you are Jeff Hartwig or Brad Walker.....

The gentleman seen here obliterating 6.01 meters did not rockback or tuck


And to answer the original question, there are two good possibilities why you're always tucking:

Either:
1) Your swing is underdeveloped and you will need to do gymnastic drills as Learning To Fly indicated.
or
2) Your takeoff is not good, placing you in a bad position for the swing. Consequentially, if you're in a bad position after the takeoff you can't swing properly and hence you have to tuck to get your legs up. This is usually a huge problem for people who take off under. Basically, you're tucking to compensate for something else you're doing wrong.

These are just possibilities but they're probably the most common culprits I'd say.

Edit: Let me also add, there are also other reasons. Tucking is usually a problem for taller vaulters since it's physically harder for them to be very good gymnasts. Also, I think many elite vaulters choose to tuck because it's just something they've developed and stuck with over the years. Truth be told, I think there are a million ways to vault and a handful of different ways to do it successfully, people have shown that. I'll admit that I certainly don't know everything about the pole vault but any time people start arguing about what's the best way to do it... I just sit back and look that picture.

[KirkB]

THERE IS NO ROCKBACK OR TUCK!
Kirk

There is if you are Jeff Hartwig or Brad Walker.....

Nitro, I agree full-heartedly if you're Hartwig. And add Joe Dial, Tim McMichael, and Jack Whitt to that list too, and many others. I see Walker's "tuck" as more of a "pike". It's not pure Petrov, but it's not the Drive Model either.

In the interest of balanced reporting (my theme-of-the-day), I need to clarify that my tagline signifies the way I think and the way I coach. Quite frankly, I wouldn't know how to coach a rockback/tuck/shoot technique. I first saw someone "load the pole" only 5 years ago (yeh, I was living in a cave!), so this technique (which goes along with the tuck/shoot technique) is completely foreign to me.

However, that does NOT mean that I'm a bigot in favor of the Petrov model. I just don't understand any other model. That does NOT prevent me from marveling at the performances of Tim Mack, Jeff Hartwig, Derek Miles, Brad Walker, Tim McMichael, Jack Whitt, Jason Colwick, or Yevgeniy Lukyanenko. They're ALL phenomenal athletes, with PV techniques that I have a hard time comprehending ... because I have no personal experience with their technique.

Notice that I didn't place Steve Hooker on that list. The reason is that his technique is such a slight deviation from "normal" Petrov technique that it's really just a different style ... a variant ... from pure Petrov. He's still SWINGING in a continuous chain. It's easier for me to imagine how that vault would FEEL, even tho I've never done it exactly that way. And no one would suggest that Hooker loads the pole before takeoff, rocks back or tucks.

What I'm trying to say is that even tho I don't UNDERSTAND techniques other than the Petrov model and its variants, that doesn't mean that they don't exist, and that doesn't mean that they have no merit. When I say "THERE IS NO ROCKBACK OR TUCK!", I'm referring only to the model which I understand best ... and recommend to all that will listen.

But quite frankly, I'm still puzzled about how non-Petrovers can vault so damn high! I think Tim McMichael has come the closest of anyone to explain this phenomenon. And I respect Tim's coaching expertise A LOT! Behind every good vaulter is a good coach. Just look at Jack Whitt!

Kirk

[learning to fly]

Your takeoff is not good, placing you in a bad position for the swing. Consequentially, if you're in a bad position after the takeoff you can't swing properly and hence you have to tuck to get your legs up. This is usually a huge problem for people who take off under. Basically, you're tucking to compensate for something else you're doing wrong.

agreed. very good point