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I am a decathlete and I long jump and high jump off of my right leg but I pole vault off of my left leg. I was wondering would it be more beneficial to vault left handed?

Not at this point, no way! That would've been something to decide right off the bat, not after already having jumped 12'6"... Unless you just started vaulting this year? If so I would try some basic drills left handed and see how it feels, then ask, "Is it worth the work to overcome the awkwardness for the sake of the extra power, or not?"

I think you should play with it in the fall. It will feel VERY awkward at first, but over time it gets easier. See what your coach thinks though, it would take a fairly big time investment, and he may not think it is worth it for a decathlete.

What is your competition PR??

12 feet
I was just thinking that because i'm a 23 foot long jumper off my right foot that by switching hands my whole vault would change because I would have a more powerful takeoff.

Training time is critical -would not change - unless you are completely imbalanced, your left leg should not be much weaker than your right. Just work to improve your run and plant - at 12' I suspect they could do with some improvement! Suggest you consider a 16 step run to make better use of your speed.

altius wrote:Training time is critical -would not change - unless you are completely imbalanced, your left leg should not be much weaker than your right. Just work to improve your run and plant - at 12' I suspect they could do with some improvement! Suggest you consider a 16 step run to make better use of your speed.

As a 23' long jumper that only jumps 12' how would a 16 step help? Someone that has the long jump ability to go over 23' should have enough speed and pop to 8 step 12'. Sounds like he needs to learn to control his speed and learn some technique.

Altius also said, "Just work to improve your run and plant - at 12' I suspect they could do with some improvement!"

In the perfect world, he probably wouldn't want to move his run back too quickly. In this world, especially as a decathlete, it's REALLY worth the points to move back to 8 if you're fast! The technique will catch up.

Who am I to argue with an obvious expert but I say =humbly of course -- (having coached 8 OZ junior champions in the Decathlon - two senior champions and two Olympians - one the deaf world record holder with 7994 points) that - the pole vault technique of a lower level decathlete is always a work in progress. So in the chase for points - and with limited time - you have to make use of what you have got - and you have speed. So while you should always be trying to improve your technique -as should every vaulter - you will quickly jump higher using the strategy I suggest - always ensuring that your speed does not create danger.

Just for the record in 1980 I had an athlete win the Under 18 decathlon title here with a jump of 4.00/13'1" going over the bar feet first in a sitting position, to land safely on his face!

As most folk who use this board regularly know, I have been a major proponent of developing a sound technique to avoid injury and to improve performance - however with decathletes my experience indicates that the rules must be loosened a bit.

The question I have is: why do you long and high jump off your right foot, but vault off your left foot? One of America's greatest female vaulters (world for that matter), Stacy Dragilia, vaulted off her right foot. Find out why and this might give you some direction as to if you should change to taking off your right foot. Oh, frequently I will have the more proficient vaulters switch to take off their opposite foot just to make them reconnect with technique that they sometimes mindlessly practice; it's also fun to have practice vaulting competition this way too.

good morning,

STOP.... already

no need to re-invent the wheel………. You can already vault.. "clean up" what you're already doing

I have coached many, many decathletes form beginner to world class… some Olympians I actually introduced the vault to…

Just practice "correct" vaulting as a right handed vaulter.

The most difficult issue for a decathlete learning to vault IS that they usually have 18+ foot speed and 10 foot technique.

The best way to move forward is to use the "Bubba Sparks" method…go to the "percentages" on my chart.."

If you are a 12 foot vaulter right now… set your run up, 5 lefts/6 lefts?? With a 41 foot six step "MID"… grip 12-3 and vault.. repeat this vault, mid and grip, ten or more times.. use the pole that stops you from "blowing" through. Remember keep the 12-3 grip and a 41 "MID.

If you are jumping on a stiff/none bending pole…with the standards at 70/80 move the grip up and the "MID" back…. Continue this process, day after day… until you have a eighteen step run, 18 foot vault, a 15-9 grip with a 53 foot "MID"… I will bet good money your technique will be pretty "clean" by then.

dj

[quote="vquestpvc"] One of America's greatest female vaulters (world for that matter), Stacy Dragilia, vaulted off her right foot."

Was that because she was a natural left hander? Don't know -would like this clarified. Izzy is lefted hand but vaults right handed so it is not a simple issue - but still suggest you keep it simple and do what I suggest.

1776! Is this a significant number????