Short step decisions...

[patybobady]

Hello, I have a high school senior who as a junior was in the mid 13's using 14' 165-170 from a 6 left - 72'ish, while weighing 155-160. He usually held 13'3" or a tad higher. As I begin this season of jumping and training, I wanted to use some short approach and smaller poles to help certain aspects such as explosive takeoff, driving knee, etc.

I am having a hard time figuring out a method or a progression...How does this look, this is what we started to do this week:

7 lefts - 14' 170 & 15' 155/160, holding 14'+
6 lefts - 14' 165, holding 13'6"
*5 lefts - 14' 155, holding 12'6"
*4 lefts - 14' 140/145, holding 12'-12'3"
3 lefts - 14' 130/135, holding 12'

* = So far what we have tried

From 6 lefts on the 14' 165, towards the end of last season, he started to get to the back of the pit and he went up poles and a left in the summer...however most of last year he was in the middle of the pit or a little shallower. When we practiced yesterday. he was going from 5 lefts, on the 14' 155, holding 12'3/6" and was slow and low (first day jumping, I expected this), and he seemed to squish the pole a little and landed shallow (prob 20 inches if standards were there). Now this seems to be his style, slw and low. If he is more explosive during the run/takeoff, will his bend be less and higher in the pole and will he roll the pole to vertical quicker or will he just squish the pole more and should move up a pole (yet landing shallow)??? I'm sort of confused in deciding which pole to use/which step, etc.

Arg, thanks.

[achtungpv]

I would start at 2 steps and max out on grip before moving back to the next step. IMO it's too difficult to guess where someone should grip and on which pole based on the number of steps without progressing up to that number of steps.