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I'm sure you all know about the new landing area that will be placed on the mat. If you don't know its a square placed on the mat, and the vaulter has to land a body part in it each vault and if you don't it counts against you and you only get 3 total per competition. What do you think about it? Personally I think that it is another thing to have to worry about which is something vaulters really don't need. I think that safety should be handled and taught at practice not in a meet. I mean its pole vault not target practice.

I kind of like it. You won't get many makes not landing in this area anyway, and if you do, your probably gonna be the one who hurts themselves anyway. Overall, I think it will be benneficial for coaches making adjustments in practice or a meet. Lon

I agree that if you aren't landing in this area you probably aren't making many bars. I just think that a coach has the responsibility of having his or her athletes land in this area through proper coaching and proper pole selection, but I know that is asking too much, only in a dream world would that be done. so I guess it is a good idea to enforce the landing box. It might make some of the mediocre programs and coaches learn about vault and coach safer vaulters.

I think it would be great for the high school level where there are so many unqualified or unsafe coaches.

Where did you hear about this rule? I invented and wrote this rule and submitted it to Jan Johnson a year ago to pitch to the safety committee and nobody seemed all that interested in it. I called it the "3 Strikes Rule" and the basis of it was to disqualify vauters for landing outside of the coaching box 3 times in a meet to prevent unsafe vaulting. Is this just something you read about on a bulletin board or is it posted by an official governing body somewhere?

I'm not sure where I heard it, I think it was from a coach, but I kinda passed it off like the helmet rule until I started to see UCS advertise their mats with the box on them. As far as I know the box is being implemented this season. If I'm wrong correct me, but I know that alot of high schools are having to purchase new pits. I'll look for more information about it just to make sure.

Okay as of June 20th 2002 the box wasn't an official rule but that was last season so I dunno if there have been changes since then but for all who don't know the rules here is the site:

http://www.ncaa.com/releases/makepage.c ... 2001ru.htm

I would like to know so if any of you coaches know the future of this rule can you let the vault community know for sure.

OH the imfamous "coaches box" or better termed the "preferred landing zone. There is only ONE organization in the world where it is mandatory to have that on the pit and no one has been told how to use it although those who know how to use it dont need it. That organization is the Big 10. So only 11 schools in the world HAVE to have it, and as soon as the give us the instructions on how to implement it I will share that info with the world. Kris is right, he was the originator of the 3 strikes idea but it is no closer to being a rule now than it was when he emailed it to JJ. You are correct in the idea that it is similar to a helmet, there is no research to say that the size and position of the box is right. Currently the size and position were a guess by JJ. Is it the head, torso, arm, foot etc.........what has to land in the area painted white?!?!?!?! What happens if you dont get what your supposed to in the area.......NOTHING, because no one knows. It increases the cost of pits (even more) and if you dont know why its there or how to get your vaulters to land in it (proper technique and progression) its just a waste of money!! Land in the big fluffy things, the closer to the middle the better, too far to the edges, back or box........your doing one of 100 things wrong that only a decent coach can help you fix. The BEST way to reduce risk is proper instruction/supervision.

I have agreed with Kris on this idea for coaches, I think it's a great visual aid, I also agree with PV Junkie that it's an added burden. The majority of track meets most high school vaulters will compete in will be officiated by the math teacher, retired principal or volunteer parent that drew the short straw at the scratch meeting and HAS to officiate the vault. Here's a news flash for some of the younger vaulters, the pole vault is not a prime choice for most officials, that's why they may seem a little cranky to you. This isn't true of USATF or AAU and some high school meets, but the vault is tricky to officiate in the first place and is usually the longest event running at a meet. Adding one more rule for a novice official to look for is asking for more hurt feelings and confrontations at the pit. I really think what pole vault power has started here is a great place for education to begin, UCS and their pole vault educations site is another, education and PATIENCE, it takes awhile to learn this event. Coaches and vaulters, communicating and sharing ways to jump high, Lon you don't have share your secret move, but keeping this event alive and kicking will be squarely on our shoulders, the athletes and coaches, by landing in the soft stuff and still jumping high.

landing box is a great tool to use for practice but should not be enforced during competition. Would you not count a new national record because a vaulter landed a few inches shy? What about learning the proper way to land? With this landing box, a vaulter may try forcing their bodies inside and it may not look pretty.

for the most part, i do believe that the preferred landing area would be a good idea....yes it does have the drawbacks of being a burden, but i think that it will be useful to new coaches especially....even if they do not know much about the vault, if all the coach knows is that if you are too close to the front of that box, the pole vaulters needs to lower grip or smaller pole and vise versa, i believe it can save a lot of injuries. i do not know about using it in competition, because i do know personally if i set some new record and they didnt count it cause i was two inches out of a box, i'd be pissed....i'm sure anyone would... well, we'll have to see hwo this "rule" develops and then we can really pass judgement

Aside from the Big Ten (11 - good math) - the famous box does show up in the ASTM standard for pits as a recommendation and for use as a coaching aid - nothing said about using it for anything other than a coaching aid. It is also mentioned in the back of th HS Rules in the same vane. The concept is not bad - but just like a lot of other things like Helmets, most of what you see or read is opinion not true research or test based.

PS. I prefer to officiate only two events HJ and PV.