Female collwick

[Robert schmitt]

I have a freshman girl level 10 gymnast that takes off like jason collwick. she has practice only practiced 8 times but I have not had any success getting her to take off like a normal human being. If she doesn't try to swing she will take off normally. But when she goes to swing it looks exactally like Collwick's TO.

[Barefoot]

Is she bending the pole?

[Robert schmitt]

yes,
she weighs 105 and is on a 11'' 120 gripping 9" down, from 4 lefts

[Barefoot]

Maybe Colwick is the new 6.50 model... You can take credit for coaching a whole new breed of "Crummy to Colwick" vaulters using the "Schmittov" style.

[Andy_C]

While I've never been in that situation before I would imagine that having her do lots of take off drills will definitely help.

8 steps running (4 lefts) and then take off. You can do this without the pole - jumping onto the PV pad or into the LJ/TJ pit. Don't worry too much about the landing in the sand pit, we're not long jumpers, just focus on the run and take off. You can do this with any number of steps really but just make sure she's stepping down rapidly over the last 6 steps. Personally I prefer 10 steps (5 lefts) into the sand pit, just so you can get them to feel the difference in cadence between the first 4 steps and the last 6 - be sure to emphasize that.

In my opinion you guys should then work your way to running, planting and take offs on the track with the pole. I personally like to treat the pole vault take off a lot like the long jump take off. There's a reason why long jumpers all take off in a very similar fashion - it's simply the most effective way to direct runway energy into a jump. While of course nothing replaces practicing with the pole, isolating the take off (without the pole) is very useful for improving technique. Sometimes you need to simplify things to the point where you have to take the pole out of the equation for a drill. I wouldn't do that very often for technique drills but for something as important as the take off I would. Then from there you can build up to doing running take off drills with the pole. I think it can really help in this circumstance.

All the best with you and your athlete!

-Andrew

[Barefoot]

It might be worth a search search to see if Coach Butler at Rice has some advice about Colwick style athletes.

[Robert schmitt]

While I've never been in that situation before I would imagine that having her do lots of take off drills will definitely help.

-Andrew

Your right, she has only had eight practices and only running from 4 lefts. what I find funny is she can take off fine if she doesn't try to swing. But as soon as she does her lead knee is behind her take off knee when she jumps off the ground. I think we'll get it fixed by just having more practices. I just had never seen anyone jump like that in person and found it intriguing that it she is a high level gymnast. She said she gets that from the vault in gymnastics. She just jumped 9' on a 11'6" 125 today from 4 lefts.

[KirkB]

I'm not convinced that this is a bad habit that she should get rid of as soon as she can. Maybe ... but maybe not.

Had I not seen the success that Colwick has had with his unorthodox technique, I wouldn't stick my neck out in saying this. But let's look at the facts ...

1. Colwick is a university/elite athlete that's had GREAT success with this technique.
2. Last year, Colwick was nearly unbeatable ... when he didn't NH.
3. This year, only Scott Roth has had more success this year ... and he's not pure Petrov either.
4. She's apparently a very good gymnast, which is why her present technique (or lack of technique?) has worked for her.
5. As a gymnast, she's probably quite flexible. Something that you need to avoid back injuries if you use the "Colwick C".
6. Dave Butler ... an EXTREMELY knowledeable Petrov Model coach ... has not changed his technique. If I'm not mistaken, he hasn't even tried. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. It looks like it's there to stay.
7. Thank goodness Dick Fosbury's coach at Oregon State never tried to change his unorthodox technique!

Kirk

[master]

7. Thank goodness Dick Fosbury's coach at Oregon State never tried to change his unorthodox technique!

I was under the impression (but this may just be an old guy's failing memory) Fosbury's coach did try for a year or two, but gave up when Fosbury couldn't achieve as good results with the traditional technique as he could with the flop.

[rainbowgirl28]

I don't want to hijack this thread and make it about my vaulter, but Robert, let me know if her lower half looks anything like my guy:

He vaulted last year with minimal coaching and picked up a really bad pulling habit, so we've just been focusing on that. He did a little gymnastics as a kid, but there is no gymnastics anywhere near here, so he doesn't have much of a background in it, but he definitely could have been a good gymnast if he had had that opportunity.

First meet, 10' =PR from last year
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=536409435626

Second Meet, 10'6 PR
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=536914298876

Fourth Meet, 11'0 PR
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=537228888436
and 11'6 attempt
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=537229152906

[Robert schmitt]

It's similar her lead knee is usually behind her take off leg, she has a very pronounced penultimate step, and she gets into much more of a C position. you wouldn't think she was going to rotate the pole until she swings on it then it bends some and away she goes.

The long jump coach said she jumps the same way in LJ. I have not seen it however, I have a hard time imagining her jumping 15'10" that way though.

[KirkB]

The long jump coach said she jumps the same way in LJ. ...

Colwick has demonstrated its advantages in the PV ... but I can't imagine any advantage in the LJ.

It's strange ... becuz even in the vault ... the gymnastics vault event ... I don't see how it's an advantage.

She's probably just done so many reps in the gym vault that it's a hard habit for her to break in any other event.

Kirk