PoleVaultPower.com

Hey guys, I just got back from practice. It was awesome. We had a coach from Idaho come and show us a drill that blew me away. We went into the wrestling room. took a really small pole and from 3 lefts ran and planted and took off where the ground and wall meet. It was mind boggling to see how many things i was doing wrong. Well i should say not fully correct. I had lots to work on with my plant. My coach says i have the best plant and take off he's seen in a long time, but still i had tons of mistakes. Have you guys done this drill? I saw it on Jan's SkySystems 5 video for like 20 secs. but thats all i've seen of it. What about you guys?

So you are running and planting and coming back down on your feet on the ground? Do you have anyone spotting you?

I have a teammate that does that. I don't like it, it looks like a good way to break your neck.

Mecham, If rainbow is correct, that drill is a great way to teach you some really bad habits--ie locking and jamming the left arm. I would avoid it if this is the case. Being real heavy on that bottom hand will make it real tough to get a good leg whip swing going, because you never really allow yourself to utilize the stretch reflexes in your shoulders. By this I mean getting under your left hand (some call it the pocket, or seeing daylight behind your head.) This is a crucial move to fully utilizing your swing, and in my opinion any drill that contradicts this action has no place in our training. Some good exercises are Bubkas on the rings or high bar. The rings are easier, but the high bar is where its at. If you can learn these concepts from the get-go you will be better off, and your learning curve will be reduced significantly.

We called those Hip drills. I think they are allot of fun, but Im not sure how beneficial. As nameless agapit says you shouldn’t train passive phases of the vault for his 6.40 model (whether we will be jumping 6.40 Im not so sure but it helps to be on the right track )>

I found a similar drill a little more helpful, get the small pole, from 3 steps (at a pit) which will bend a good bit, and practice driving the right hand forward as hard as you can (remember to stay up right the whole time). This lets you practice your plant like the stationary bend drill but also lets you know what to do next.

MightyMouse wrote:I found a similar drill a little more helpful, get the small pole, from 3 steps (at a pit) which will bend a good bit, and practice driving the right hand forward as hard as you can (remember to stay up right the whole time). This lets you practice your plant like the stationary bend drill but also lets you know what to do next.

Yeah, i can see where all of you guys are coming from now that i think of it. I think the drill was mainly meant for when it is raining really hard. But the drill in an actual pit makes a lot of sense too. Since you can include the rest of the vault

We do the "push plant" drill ( I call them Johnson drills, after Jan). My kids run from 2 or 3 lefts using their competition pole or bigger. they run , plant and takeoff. I stand at their takeoff and spot them once they take off. This is great for working on the plant, hitting a good takeoff, and getting yourself in a good position to swing (the "C"). When they first start, its hard for kids to keep their hips back once they take off, so I spot by putting a hand on their stomach and one on their back. Once they can keep their hips back, then you only need to spot with a hnad on the back.

I absolutely love this drill. I loved doing it, and I love spotting my kids doing it.

Back in ancient times we used to do that drill a lot. Our version was designed to see how far up the wall we could get our feet after taking off.Thus forcing us to get our hips above our hands and used to being somewhat inverted. Most of what was done back then was based on getting up quick (from the old metal pole days) . The difference was, for the most part flagging out was more forgiving then than it is today and that's what I see the problem with the excercise is for todays vaulters. Watching Bubkas 6.11 jump you can actually see his legs parralleling the bar as he inverts and goes up to push off. This "up against the wall" excercise that I think you are talking about forces you to step on the wall therefore flagging you out instead of teaching your brain what it feels like to "slide your body" up the pole inverted. For a new vaulter just learning it might not be bad but I think it would be counterproductive if you've been doing this for a while.Just my thoughts.........later...........Mike

ashcraftpv wrote:... When they first start, its hard for kids to keep their hips back once they take off, ...

ashcraftpv - Can you help me understand this please? Thanks.

master wrote:

ashcraftpv wrote:... When they first start, its hard for kids to keep their hips back once they take off, ...

ashcraftpv - Can you help me understand this please? Thanks.

often when people start doing these drills, they are used to swinging up right away so when they do plant drills their body still tries to swing even when they are stationary...i dont know if that makes sense, so i hope it helps

I love those drills because it really makes me focus on keeping my core tight.....that is why a lot of new vaulters get sucked under.....keeping your hips under you is very simple when you have a good plant, and solid core strength.....and ashcraftpv, I have always heard them called Johnson's too.......was he the first to really popularize them?

Ashcraft: got a question for you

You said that you got the kids on their competition size poles or bigger from 2 or 3 lefts. Is this holding at a grip they would be using during competition? I dont see how they could get on the pole, even with some hardcore spotting. If they do get on the pole, what is the purpose of using such a large pole, because will it even be bending?

fx wrote:Ashcraft: got a question for you

You said that you got the kids on their competition size poles or bigger from 2 or 3 lefts. Is this holding at a grip they would be using during competition? I dont see how they could get on the pole, even with some hardcore spotting. If they do get on the pole, what is the purpose of using such a large pole, because will it even be bending?

yes they are all usually using a max grip for that pole and yes, the pole should bend. the focus of this drill is simulating the plant and takeoff phases in a controlled manner where we can do lots of reps. focus should be on timing of the plant, making sure the takeoff step is exactly on. having the body in optimal position at takeoff, achieving a good takeoff angle, and "finishing" the takeoff so the body is in prime position to swing after takeoff.

if you are planting and taking off correctly, then its not that hard to use those size poles for this drill. plus, we don't want to penetrate all the way into the mats, so in my years of doing this drill, competition sized poles work the best, not that all vaulters should start out that way.

my last pieve of advice is to remember to communicate to the kids that we're working on the things outlined above and NOT just on bending the pole!