head/eye placement during the takeoff and drive
Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 11:29 am
by straightup
hey this is gonna be interesting what people post but ive noticed some thing interesting at take off. some vaulters right after they leave the ground are somewhat looking upwards and dont have as deep of a drive as vaulters such as derek miles and jeremy scott.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v44YoTf6 ... mQ&index=7 derek at 5:47. really looks forward until the last second. i was wondering who has some input.
Re: head/eye placement during the takeoff and drive
Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 12:48 pm
by CoachEric
I can't access the video you've posted, but I can tell you that the correct head position at takeoff is slightly above neutral. If the head position is lower, or if it stays fixed looking straight forward, it makes it more difficult for the vaulter let the hands move with the pole and go elastic. The tendency will be for the vaulter to row or pull, which breaks the swing.
The vaulters who are looking up at takeoff don't look like they have "as deep of a drive" because they are not forcing unnecessary compression on the pole. They will have a greater tendency to let their hands move with the pole as it rises. They are focusing more on pole rotation than pole compression, and therefore don't look to get "as deep." This is more energy efficient, and it reduces unwanted reactive forces from the pole, making it easier for the vaulter to swing and put more energy into the system.