Video - Pole Vault - Conceptual Physics

[willrieffer]

https://youtu.be/yH3JdGb0znc

This is one start in an ongoing project. That the applicable physics of the event is presented accurately. There are repeated misconceptions about the physics of the event that are repeated over and over either out of ignorance or for personal gain.

Even in the allotted time many considerations are left out. The further project is a book, which I have started, which will elaborate and clarify on the presentation given in the video. This is to say it's not complete and there are points and considerations which are absent or which I do not specifically point out. I will try and answer any questions presented. It is however a start towards an understanding which I have repeatedly found to be absent in the vault community.

The video written introduction.

"This is a one and a half hour lecture on the conceptual physics needed to analyse and understand the pole vault from a physics perspective. It was written by me, Will Rieffer, and presented at the PVSTL winter recruiting blast.

I learned to vault from Rick Attig and vaulted at Ohio State University where I studied Engineering Physics. I then went on to study Math and Science education at Missouri Baptist university. This gives me the background to accurately present pole vault analysis tied to proven academic physics.

While I could have made extensive use of math and formulas in the analysis given for this video I have instead tried to tie the necessary conceptual physics relative to the vault with visual and tactile demonstrations, drawings, and familiar real world examples. The purpose is so that those without an extensive physics background interested in the event can better understand its mechanics and that coaches and athletes might improve their performance through a better understanding of those physics principles tied to the event. Having looked over much published information on the vault in the past as well as having discussions with the vault community it was shocking just how poorly the event was understood in that community in terms of proven physics with many conceptual errors being repeated widely and often. I hope this brings some clarity to the those issues including energy considerations, "energy loss/destruction", kinetic and potential energy relations, force considerations, and successful and unsuccessful trajectories as they relate to technique."

Will

[Tim McMichael]

I love your work. What you have done here is enormously valuable.