What's the difference between a 6.00 and a 5.50 vaulter?

[KirkB]

50 centimeters!

But seriously, there's many, many 5.20+ vaulters in college now that have "fairly decent" technique. Some of these vaulters will eventually clear the 5.50 barrier (a few already have). But in all liklelihood, only a couple of them will ever clear 6.00.

So why is that? What does a 6.00 vaulter have in his "bag of tricks" that a 5.50 vaulter doesn't?

You might say "technique", but what if the 5.50 vaulter already has a "nice run, nice plant, nice takeoff, nice swing, and nice extension"? What then?

I think that to become "world-class" (5.80+ or 6.00+), you need more than good technique. You need AGGRESSION!

An AGGRESSIVE run! An AGGRESSIVE plant! An AGGRESSIVE takeoff! An AGGRESSIVE swing! An AGGRESSIVE extension! Be AGGRESSIVE.

At the UW Indoor Invitational in Seattle yesterday, there were 6 vaulters over 5.21+ - from UW, BYU, and UCLA. They all had "decent" technique, yet none were quite ready to go 5.50 - let alone 6.00. Why? They weren't AGGRESSIVE enough! This was quite apparent when I watched their takeoff feet/ankles, and also when I watched their hands during their plants/takeoffs. Just not enough OOOMPH!

And let's not forget that even once you leave the ground, the most perfectly executed swing/extension can still be vastly improved by simply doing it "more vigorously"! FASTER! More AGGRESSIVELY!

Sure, it's early-season, so you don't want to run so fast or jump so hard that you're out of control. You want to improve your technique first, THEN run faster and jump harder.

But it's early-season for Hooker too, and just look at how AGGRESSIVE he was on his 3 WR attempts!

Those were my thoughts after seeing the Hooker Milrose Games vid, and watching the UW meet.

And then last night I read this about Walker:

PRJ: You’re known as one of the all-time greats after setting the American-record at the Prefontaine Classic last year, what would you say is your best weapon as a pole vaulter?

BW: Aggression. The part that many people don’t fully understand, until you are a vaulter, is the fear of the pole vault itself. And actually it is never about how high you are in the air. The act of running as fast as you can control, having to leave the ground in about the space of a long jump board, all while pushing the limit of the biggest pole that your velocity and body weight can handle adds up to a pretty fearful event. One small mistake, you miss the bar. One big mistake you miss the pit. How high you are in the air is just simply a result of how well you can do the first part. So to answer your question, I feel as though I am one of the most aggressive vaulters and think that is one of my best weapons.

That's it, eh? ... AGGRESSION!

To read Walker's full interview, go to: http://preracejitters.com/preracejitterscom-exclusive-interview-brad-walker-superstar/

Kirk

[swtvault]

To quote Barto from a previous thread, "Its all about guts." Basically, most 5.50 guys grip around 4.80 or so, and most 6m guys grip at least 5.05. You can boil this down to runway velocities and take-off mechanics, but I am with KirkB and Barto 100%--it all comes down to guts and being really aggressive.

[powerplant42]

SAFETY NOTICE: JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO TRY TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD FORCE YOURSELF INTO DANGEROUS SITUATIONS!!!

Just in time...

I think you're right on KB. I'd bet a lot of people that are clearing 5.50 could definitely clear ~5.70 immediately if they stopped 'coasting' through the jump. But the trick is learning to control/channel the aggression to be a positive force... I often find myself trying to 'be aggresive' during my run, and when I look at the tape I'm appauled... Sometimes I even feel like I'm putting way 'too much' in AS I'm running!

[KirkB]

... it all comes down to guts and being really aggressive.

Let's differentiate between stupid, ignorant, and gutsy.

If you're setting the standards "too close to the box", you're either stupid or ignorant. If you know better, you're stupid. If you and your coach haven't studied "proper technique" - so you don't know any better, then you're ignorant.

If you stalled badly on your last attempt, but shook it off and kept the same pole and grip (focussing only on fixing the reason why you stalled), you're gutsy.

Fearless is another adjective often used to describe a gutsy vaulter.

If you're fearless, you might make some stupid pre-jump pole and grip selection decisions or midair decisions, so you need to temper that with your survival instincts.

Remember that the best way to improve your PR is to stay healthy. NOTHING is more important than your health. Every injury sets you back. (Believe me, I learned this from bitter experience.)

Kirk

[powerplant42]

Every injury sets you back. (Believe me, I learned this from bitter experience.)

And as I am learning now...

...There is a lot of ignorance in my area... Most kids have their standards set at 15-20 inches! The ones that have them at 15" would probably like to bring them in CLOSER if they could! NOT safe!

Does anyone have any articles on aggression in athletics? (I could sift through millions of results, but I bet someone has something saved on their computer that would be really relevant... I may end up sifting nonetheless!)

[swtvault]

I think most people can differntiate between stupid ignorant and gutsy--especially at the level we are talking about. I really don't think we need anyone to spell that out for us. Besides, we are talking about elite and sub-elite vaulters--not run of the mill high schoolers . I can tell you as a former 5.52 vaulter that I certainly could and the mentioned items are part of the reason I never made it to the next level. I could hold over 5.0 meters, but mentally I could not do it agressively and with conviction. So naturally I never gave it a good run and went with it. When I had my big breakthrough to the 5.50 level, it was indeed all about guts and having the confidence to raise my grip and try bigger poles WITHOUT HESITATION. That is where the guts and aggressive nature come in. You have to have that confident, take no for an answer approach when you get to the grips and poles that the 6m guys are on.

[KirkB]

Swtvault, I certainly did not intend to insult your intelligence with my follow-up post to your "it all comes down to guts ..." post. And I'm sure you didn't intend to insult me by saying you didn't need definitions for stupid, ignorant, and gutsy.

However, I purposely erred on the side of caution, just in case any HS or college-level vaulters might not be absolutely clear about the differences.

Our careers are over ... it's not about us.

Sure ... be gutsy , but not fearless, stupid or ignorant .

If that statement wakes up just one vaulter that's hovering on the fence between these (whether he recognizes it or not) - and saves him from injury - then I'm happy to have made my point. It's too important of a message to go unstated.

So I guess my remarks weren't aimed at the "most people" that you refer to. They were aimed at the minority that might need a wakeup call.

Re you personal situation, holding 5.00 to vault 5.52 might be gutsy, but it's sub-optimal, don't you think? To inch your way to higher bars, perhaps you could have LOWERED your grip a bit and improved your pushoff? Then, after improving your technique, aggression, and "conviction" (as you say - another good word), start inching your grip back up?

I realize that you're retired, so I'm just using your situation as an example for others. I hope you don't mind.

Kirk

[swtvault]

I am perfectly OK with you using me as an example, and perhaps I jumped to conclusions and misinterpreted your intentions
from the original reply. I think this is an extremely interesting topic that doesn't get much thought. Most people I think will say lack of ability or speed, but I think it goes a lot deeper than that.

In my case, holding 5.0m to vault 5.50 is absolutely sub-optimal. During the majoirty of my collegiate and post collegiate career I gripped around 4.75-4.90. I could effectively hold 4.95 and on one occasion 5.0m. but mentally I was not there--Always hesitated and backed off. I guess the point I am really trying to illustrate is that had I been more aggressive and a little more gutsy, I could have pushed 5.70 on a couple occasions, and maybe broke through to another level. But gaining this extra confidence and aggression comes from another level of dedication and commitment--all of which I certainly lacked in the last couple years of my career.

Really, I think most of us place ceilings on things, and become comfortable and complacent with what we are doing. The ones who go on and become great don't have these ceilings, and don't place limitations on what they can do. You have to believe, and believing manifests the very things that we are talking about--aggression, guts, and determination. Another major factor that contributes to 5.50 guys moving to the next level is consistency. Consistency as in sticking to fundamental technical, and training objectives for a period of 2-4 years and not getting injured along the way. I think this is one reason Earl Bell has so much success with his athletes. Like Kirk said earlier, staying healthy is probably the #1 way of setting a new PR for anyone--no matter the ability or age.

So to sum it up, these are some of the reasons I got stuck and never moved on. I would be really curious to see what some of the other vaulters have to say about this and why they think they did not make it to the next level.

[KirkB]

Well said, Swtvault!

Kirk