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I read that poles are not supposed to be gripped in the top ten centermetres, as the glass there is thinner and not designed for the stress.

Therefore I was wondering, what region of a pole should you grip in order to best fit the design of a pole.
ie. a 16 foot pole should be griped between 15.2 and 15.8, or a 16.5 shold be gripped between 15.5 and 16.1.

Thanks for any help.

MadeinTaiwan wrote:I read that poles are not supposed to be gripped in the top ten centermetres, as the glass there is thinner and not designed for the stress.

Therefore I was wondering, what region of a pole should you grip in order to best fit the design of a pole.
ie. a 16 foot pole should be griped between 15.2 and 15.8, or a 16.5 shold be gripped between 15.5 and 16.1.

Thanks for any help.

Horseshit - we routinely "cap" poles all the time and have no problem with breakage. Go to "www.stabhoch.com" and look at how far the elite vaulters are gripping from the top. Not to say that everyone should grip the pole there, you should grip the pole where you're getting the right amount of bend and pole speed to land safely in the middle of the pit every time. The effective grip range of a pole is from the top to about 18 inches down, but I've found they work most efficiently if you're gripping within a foot from the top.

The problem is, most people jump on poles too long for them. Just yesterday at a meet, I saw a girl gripping 11'0 on a 12'4 pole and it wasn't working at all for her. I dropped her down to an 11'6 pole with the same grip and she jumped 10x better.

[quote]Horseshit - we routinely "cap" poles all the time and have no problem with breakage.

I wasn't stating it as a fact, I was asking a question.
What i really wanted to know was, since sail pieces are designed to redirect stress throughout the whole pole, I am guessing they work best when the pole is held at a certain height in relation to the poles length, I was just wondering if anybody could tell me what is too low and if there is a "too high"(unless thats "horseshit")

Thanks

MadeinTaiwan wrote:

Horseshit - we routinely "cap" poles all the time and have no problem with breakage.

I wasn't stating it as a fact, I was asking a question.
What i really wanted to know was, since sail pieces are designed to redirect stress throughout the whole pole, I am guessing they work best when the pole is held at a certain height in relation to the poles length, I was just wondering if anybody could tell me what is too low and if there is a "too high"(unless thats "horseshit")

Thanks

Yeah, I know you were asking a question - my comment wasn't directed at you. It's the handhold band rule they came up with, which, I understand, was a safety thing to try to prevent high schoolers from gripping too high, overbending poles, and either getting launched off the back of the pit or breaking them. What it doesn't take into account though, is that you could be holding 2 feet down on the pole and STILL be holding too HIGH OR be capping a pole and still holding too LOW - grip should be determined by where you're landing and how much the pole is bending. Even the manufacturers don't agree, so Gill's max handhold band is about 3-4" from the top, currently Essx is about the same, but used to be 1" from the top, Spirit is 6" from the top, Altius just added more pole to the end so you could hold at the top (ie: 13'3, 14'3, 15'3).

I personally feel that 90% of poles work best when held the top, provided you're not overgripping for your ability. Another coach I know feels that Essx poles have a sensitive threshold about 3-6" from the top where they just mush out and don't respond, regardless of stiffness because there is much less glass in the top of the pole than at the bottom. (I'm sure Bruce will chime in here )

I do think there is a too low, and it varies from pole to pole, length to length, brand to brand, depending on if they have a sailpiece (many small poles do not), the shape of the sail, and its location. We generally don't grip anyone down more than 16" from the top, or we'll simply go down a length on pole size. They just tend to be a bit too twitchy gripping below that.

lonestar wrote:Altius just added more pole to the end so you could hold at the top (ie: 13'3, 14'3, 15'3).

Pretty sure that's what size his poles were before that rule.

rainbowgirl28 wrote:

lonestar wrote:Altius just added more pole to the end so you could hold at the top (ie: 13'3, 14'3, 15'3).

Pretty sure that's what size his poles were before that rule.

I talked to Paul, and he personally told me he added length to his poles so that they could be held near the top.

Thanks for the info about the different brands

My coach says 2 things.
#1. You should never hold higher than the band that is 3-6" from the top of the pole (different lengthes depending on the brand)
and #2 the pole is most effective no more than 18" from the top and no higher than the band that the pole manufacuturer puts on WITH the label that says don't hold higher than this.

So i would say not to hold lower than 18 inches from the top and no higher than the maximum grip for that pole.

FlyerChick4 wrote:My coach says 2 things.
#1. You should never hold higher than the band that is 3-6" from the top of the pole (different lengthes depending on the brand)
and #2 the pole is most effective no more than 18" from the top and no higher than the band that the pole manufacuturer puts on WITH the label that says don't hold higher than this.

So i would say not to hold lower than 18 inches from the top and no higher than the maximum grip for that pole.

That's exactly what the manufacturers and NFHS want you to believe and so is published, so unless you have experience otherwise, no reason to think differently.

To start with, my poles work perfectly fine and I have NEVER held above the band. Also I don't know why you are so bent on breaking the rules NFHS set. They are set for a reason and that reason is our safety. Yes people do "cap" their poles, but I won't be one of them because I know rules are there for a reason. I would also strongly suggest that you fellow vaulters follow those rules cuz they are there for your safety[quote][/quote]

FlyerChick4 wrote: Also I don't know why you are so bent on breaking the rules NFHS set.

Not everyone has to follow those rules. A lot of people on here graduated high school a long time ago.

The important thing is that you are holding the right grip height on the right pole for your speed and technique.

Weight bands are there because the high school federation requires them. Look at the poles the elites are using. Many of them do not have weight labels, especially for the guys. My poles didn't have weight labels when I got them.

Watch the elites and you'll see them gripping a variety of places on their pole. They grip where their speed dictates they should, not where a label tells them they should.

rainbowgirl28 wrote:

FlyerChick4 wrote: Also I don't know why you are so bent on breaking the rules NFHS set.

Not everyone has to follow those rules. A lot of people on here graduated high school a long time ago.

The important thing is that you are holding the right grip height on the right pole for your speed and technique.

Weight bands are there because the high school federation requires them. Look at the poles the elites are using. Many of them do not have weight labels, especially for the guys. My poles didn't have weight labels when I got them.

Watch the elites and you'll see them gripping a variety of places on their pole. They grip where their speed dictates they should, not where a label tells them they should.

Thank you - nuff said.