Full Run TROUBLES:striding, posture, hands....

[Lilmicmike]

hello my name is Drew, quick bio about me; i am a college freshmen at a large d1 sec school. jumped my pr of 17'2" back in highschool. always been a consistent vaulter(never no heighted, alwasy cleared atleast 3 bars). recently ive come to college and gained tremendous strength and speed that i didnt have in highschool. my short runs(4l-6l) are feeling great. clearing 5m with ease from 5l on a 15ft pole. as soon as i try to get back to competetion full runs i cant seem to get my run down and i take off a foot under at the minimum. i jump on 5m poles due to a strong, consistent run and a good takeoff but now i cant get my grip past 15'6. my take off needs to be around 13'10 -14' and i am 12' on the dot. i do pole runs 3 times a week and hit 14' consistently with no problems. once i actually go on the runway i start consistently but the last 3l or so are leaning back, low hips, decreases speed, and forcing me to heel strike. my hands tend to be a tad bit late aswell. i have no heighted in 4 of my last 6 meets... only cleared my opening height of 16'3" so far. I am trying to understand and fix what is wrong because i am not the vaulter i know i can be. here is a link to some of my previous jumps and current jumps. please cretique and criticize as much as possible. any cues, drills, or mental thoughts are appreciated thank you. https://youtu.be/cgoIqpUNknQ

[CoachEric]

Hi Drew,

There's two issues. First, use DJ's mid mark chart to set your mid. Your first jump in the video, you took of on, but you were over-striding to get there, so you were actually a bit out. For a 15'6" grip, you should be hitting 52' at 6 strides out, or within 12 inches of that mark.

The second issue is your pole carry and resulting plant motion. Your left hand drops too low before you initiate your plant, and you push the pole forward when you plant. This is a long path for the hands to take, so your feet slow down to time up with the hands, and you are off balance before takeoff. It also probably feels a little bit difficult to get the plant all the way up.

Instead, try carrying the pole with the left arm underneath the pole, with the left wrist cocked so the fingers can point upward. Keep the left hand high, near the sternum, with the left forearm close to the torso. As you approach the takeoff, focus on lifting your right hand behind your ribcage, so both hands are higher before you initiate your plant. This allows the hands to reach a high plant position much more quickly, so you don't lose the tempo in your run, and you will take off more balanced.

This also changes the axis of rotation of your pole as you plant. Ideally, the pole should rotate about its midpoint while you plant - the top of the pole rises as quickly and accelerates as the pole tip falls toward the box. If you were to identify the point about which your pole is rotating during the plant, it would be on the top half, near your hands. This means you have a shorter section of the pole rising while the bottom section is falling, thus you have to work harder to get your plant up, and it ultimately will not be as high, and the pole will not be rotating as fast as you take off. Keeping the hands high before your plant, and allowing the pole tip to actively fall into the plant motion will make the top of the pole rise more easily and improve your plant position, posture, and power at takeoff.

[Lilmicmike]

@CoachEric
thank you for your advice.
we have been stressing on the hands for some time now. i can feel my left get long and slow and with that, i feel the deceleration at take off. i jumped today with same results of striding and low pole carry from fulls. i am running poles runs tomorrow to get the feeling of chasing the pole into take off freely and not forcing it. and to answer your mid mark question yes my mid is 52'6. thank you for your great comments

[KirkB]

Keep the left hand high, near the sternum, with the left forearm close to the torso. As you approach the takeoff, focus on lifting your right hand behind your ribcage, so both hands are higher before you initiate your plant. This allows the hands to reach a high plant position much more quickly, so you don't lose the tempo in your run

As usual, Coach Eric gives great advice here.!

The advantage of having your top hand already so high just before you pass it "through" the shoulder is huge! Try it while standing or jogging, and you'll realize how quick it makes your plant. Your right shoulder will be turned for only a split-second.

I too noticed that you're reaching forwards into your plant with your bottom arm straight. The bottom arm shouldn't become straight until your top arm is straight - above your head.

Instead, try to do a through-the-shoulder plant, as Coach Eric described, and as I've described in my Bryde Bend technique: http://www.polevaultpower.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=15483&hilit=bryde+bend Post #3 and http://www.polevaultpower.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=15483&hilit=bryde+bend&start=12 Posts #11-12...

I planted the pole “through the shoulder”, which is actually an impossibility, but is how I thought about it. A curl-plant (beside the shoulder) would put me off balance, and a forward plant would be – well – too far forward. So “through the shoulder” really meant just in front of the shoulder, but so close that it felt “through” the shoulder. I did lots of stretching/flexibility excercises every day, on the ground (sitting inclined, reaching arms behind me, and applying pressure) and on the rings, high-bar, and chin-bar (skin the cat, then stay in stretched position). These exercises also helped to drive the chest through, whilst the top hand stretched back – not a natural position without good shoulder flexibility.

My Post #11 describes my pole drop, and #12 describes my plant.

When properly executed, you will find that a weightless pole drop allows you to run into your takeoff with a slight forwards lean. But it also requires a through-the-shoulder plant, so don't expect to perfect the pole drop without perfecting the plant. With a better forwards lean, you won't be striding out. If anything you may chop your last couple steps a bit to hit your target takeoff point (which can a good thing), so you might even need to bring your run in a bit. Yes, in.

Sidebar: I noticed that Shawn Barber chopped his steps on his third attempt clearance at 5.75 in Portland 2 weeks ago. If he hadn't, I think he would have been under, and missed.

Between an improved pole drop and an improved plant, you might find that you're not striding into your takeoff as much, because you're not leaning back as much.

As to hitting your mid-mark and your takeoff, DJ's and Coach Eric's advice is far better than mine.

Kirk