Summer Training Post

[meeisgood]

Powerplant suggested that I create a thread for my progress this summer. The first video is my jumping at states, the 2nd is 1-3 left sand vaulting, and one 80% drill. At states the heights are 12' 6" and 13', I was holding 13' on a 13' 6" 160lbs ucs spirit. I am a sophomore and I weigh 150lbs.
Sand- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xOObvmd-vw
States- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcdc5-1G ... annel_page

[powerplant42]

We have a lot of really simple things to correct with your run/carry and the elements of focus in the sand jagodins... I don't have time to detail them right now, but I'll get to it sometime later today I hope.

As for your actual jumps, you are clearly under... This is the paramount thing to work on at the moment! That's what the sand is for.

[powerplant42]

Ok, let's break it down...

80% drill:
1. Get your knees up higher.
2. The left hand must be to the right of your sternum and in CLOSER to your chest (to form a higher carry angle).
3. Be 'taller'... Run with the hips and chest UP.
4. Strike slightly more out in front of you (we'll get to this naturally through drills, don't worry).
5. There's something fishy going on with the top hand, but I can't quite place it...

Sand:
1. You are leaning forward pre take-off... This is causing a flat take-off (and so you have that 'sucking' motion).
2. The strides are long and slow... Make them QUICK and SPRINGY! Just like in a real vault!
3. You're 'feeding' your plant in the half carry jagodins (the over the shoulder ones). The hands are coming forward FIRST, then they're going up. Just push them straight up.
4. There are all sorts of problems with your regular plant... Firstly, the carry must be corrected (I mentioned that previously). But more separately is how far out your bottom hand comes... We'll fix that.

Vault:
All I can tell is that you're under and are compensating for that with a bent trail-leg (which then causes all sorts of other problems). Can you get some good quality video of your ENTIRE vault? That will be more helpful.

[meeisgood]

Sorry I don't, at states the tents were in the way and my sister wasn't allowed on the wall

[meeisgood]

Here are some more plant drills, I think my carry is getting alot better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap4xRN3AcfQ

[bel142]

I honestly Disagree with a majority of what Powerplant suggested.

Yes your knees could be higher and better, and to do this your hips can influence how this happens. (Obvious reference to "Without Limit") Tuck your pelvis up under you, you don't want to sit down and push down with your low back but you do want to tuck the pelvis and allow for the range of motion from the ball and socket joint to be in front. This will allow for a higher knee lift.

I would honestly not recommend trying to strike the ground in front of you with your foot and here is why. When running if the foot and leg lands in front of the body this activates the gluteus and the hamstrings. When this happens this engages the hamstrings and they start to pull the leg backward so the body can cross over the leg, this sounds all good becuase that is where the body is moving however, the hamstrings of most normal humans are not capable of handling this amount of force. You are very liable to blow a Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus or Biceps Femoris (Hamstrings' specific muscles). When practicing sprint tech you want that foot to strike directly under you, this helps make you a more efficient and safer runner. You do want a slight forward lean when you run (Not just from the chest above but a whole body lean, just slightly).

When carrying a pole I would not recommend putting your left hand to the right of your sternum. Sprinters/runners have the ability to pump their arms to help with momentum and balance. Vaulters are carrying a pole, on one side of the body so their arms can't pump. If you start with the pole even more on one side now you are running with unequal and undistributed weight the body. So when you run you are trying to fight the unequal weight and inability to move your arms. When carrying a pole you want to be able to pull the weight from your right side (or what ever side the pole is on) more to the center of your body so it is more inline with your body weight. This can be used to balance your body, it also puts you in a balanced position to help you drop the pole.

When you are dropping the pole, you were having your arms up then jumping, or then driving the knee. You want to start getting a free/freer takeoff, The order is not pole-hit Jump. It is jump --> pole hit. Everything needs to be more on time, arms (or back arm at least) need to be up and straight before the pole tip hits the ground and you need to be extending off the ground into your drive phase as the pole hits the ground. If you have access to frame by frame on your camera/computer, look the the back of your heal, ultimately you would like for the heal to be raised and you on your toes as the pole tip hits OR just in the air as the pole tip hits.

From what I can see you are lining your plant arm up behind the ear, on the back of the head, to help with pole angle and take off angle and movement of pole (If I was you, I am not.... But if I was) I would aim to line up the top arm with the temple, so your biceps is about a tick behind the eye brow. Anyhoo those are just a few things i am seeing.

Hope the helps,
-bel

[powerplant42]

I would honestly not recommend trying to strike the ground in front of you with your foot and here is why. When running if the foot and leg lands in front of the body this activates the gluteus and the hamstrings. When this happens this engages the hamstrings and they start to pull the leg backward so the body can cross over the leg, this sounds all good becuase that is where the body is moving however, the hamstrings of most normal humans are not capable of handling this amount of force. You are very liable to blow a Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus or Biceps Femoris (Hamstrings' specific muscles). When practicing sprint tech you want that foot to strike directly under you, this helps make you a more efficient and safer runner. You do want a slight forward lean when you run (Not just from the chest above but a whole body lean, just slightly).

Think about the biomechanics... The vaulter is carrying a pole remember! The center of mass is pushed FORWARD by the weight of the pole, therefore the strike-point should too. I'll quote altius:

Even when thet pole is carried efficiently, the centre of mass of the vaulter/pole system moves forward compared to a sprinter. If vaulters are to maintain balance and control and stay tall as they accelerate to maximum speed, they need to execute the strike of the foot slightly further ahead of the centre of mass than the sprinter does.

In essence:

4. Strike slightly more out in front of you

I even added an adendum saying that this should happen NATURALLY through the use of drills, rather than to go out and force it.

I'm confused by this:

When carrying a pole I would not recommend putting your left hand to the right of your sternum. Sprinters/runners have the ability to pump their arms to help with momentum and balance. Vaulters are carrying a pole, on one side of the body so their arms can't pump. If you start with the pole even more on one side now you are running with unequal and undistributed weight the body. So when you run you are trying to fight the unequal weight and inability to move your arms. When carrying a pole you want to be able to pull the weight from your right side (or what ever side the pole is on) more to the center of your body so it is more inline with your body weight. This can be used to balance your body, it also puts you in a balanced position to help you drop the pole.

Can you name a vaulter over 5.70 that has their bottom hand on the OPPOSITE side of their midline?

[VaultPurple]

1) If you are going to do pole runs in tennis shoes, make sure you are running like you are in spikes.... ie. do not roll ur feet
2) There is not much help that can be given to your vault by just looking at your take off, the run is pretty important
3) Hate to say it but I agree with PP a lot here.... GASP (ok, just a little more than usual)

As far as running goes I do think you need to try to run infront of you, weather it happens or not I think that is marginaly important. But you need to try to pull the ground towards you instead of trying to push yourself foward.

And I do not think the run needs any type of lean foward. Look at any professional runner after they take a few steps out of the box, or they are long jumping, or pole vaulting, body is straight up and down.


In your case, I just think you need to really revise your drills. You are doing some good ones but you are doing them bad.
Practice does not make perfect, practice makes permanent.

Your last drill video is decient but you are being really lazy with a lot of things.

-When you are doing your high knee pole runs do not lean back ( I like the drill, do it myself a lot). You want your knees up high but you may have to feel like you are hallowing out your abdominal area to keep your back straight, but you need the knees high and do not lean back because that slows you down and will mess a lot of stuff up at the end of your vault

-Now your second frill you are doing a walking plant drill. This is the one that I didn’t like because you were doing it lazily. For starters when you are walking you still need to walk with the high knees just to get that implanted in your head. Then you almost look like you should be planting the pole on your second to last left because you get it over your head then you do these two more steps that are really lazy, have no knee lift, and just look weird. Then when you plant the pole you are driving your top hand behind your head like you are under (there is no box here, you should not be under). Thant hand needs to be driving UP!, you really want to push that pole into the pit, not drag it. I also think what might slightly contribute to you leaning back and putting your top hand up behind your head is that you are looking at the ground throughout the whole drill. You want to be looking forward at all times, maybe with your head down it is throwing off your perspective of what straight up and down is.

-Your jogging pole drill looks a little better but you still look like you are leaning back a little as you plant and your knees drop some as you are dropping the pole. And you are still looking down. If you look at your last left you can also see it looks like that one reaches for the ground instead of turning over. This is probably because you are not making your last steps quicker. That last left should be the shortest step in your run so that you can really pop your hips under you and jump up as high as you can.


-When you are doing your high knee pole runs do not lean back ( I like the drill, do it myself a lot). You want your knees up high but you may have to feel like you are hallowing out your abdominal area to keep your back straight, but you need the knees high and do not lean back because that slows you down and will mess alot of stuff up ant the end of your vault

-Now your second frill you are doing a walking plant drill.

[golfdane]

"Practice does not make perfect, practice makes permanent."

The most important mantra when it comes to training. Repeatedly making the same small mistake only ingrains this mistake, making it harder to get rid of. Doing technical stuff REQUIRES that you try to do them as perfect as possible EVERY SINGLE TIME. Do not get sloppy!!

You need to find a valid reference, as to how to do the drills, and someone capable of correcting you. BTB2 (book and DVD) should be mandatory curriculum. Also, Rick Bagget's makes some DVD's (find clips from them on Youtube).

[vault3rb0y]

It's easy to memorize BTB and be a little Launder clone running around telling people how to do things. Thats not a bad thing if you have good advice for general situations. But there is a difference between taking that information and putting your spin on it in certain situations (ie. coaching an athlete to do certain things when you've never actually seen those certain things work first hand with other athletes). That's where a coach with years of experience (IMHO) MUST guide the drills and progession of the athlete. I am not that coach, i have only been jumping and studying the vault for 6 years and have not ever coached an athlete through an entire season, i only give tips here and there if someone asks me for it. My learning curve was quick for the biomechanics portion of knowledge in the vault, but it HASNT EVEN STARTED for the coaching portion.

Having said that.... you need a coach that is going to harp the basics with you until you can do them right, especially in the summer. The sand vaults didnt start out too bad but you went back to 4, 5, 6 steps waay before you should have and you just look uncomfortable and sloppy with them. I am doing the same things this summer and I am having a hard time getting to 6 steps doing things right- just look at my videos. You have a lot of work to do from just 2 little steps in the sand. That will allow you to really feel the jump--->hit or "free take off" Bel was talking about. Forget about grip until you are well off the ground from 2 steps literally feeling yourself in the air before the pole hits the sand. Your hips should stay back and you should feel tall and smooth. You need an experienced coach to tell you when that happens and when you can go up grip. The vault is really about mentality. We can tell you what to look like, but you gotta learn what it should feel like and what you are striving for each jump to feel like before you can get better.

[vault3rb0y]

"Practice does not make perfect, practice makes permanent."

The most important mantra when it comes to training. Repeatedly making the same small mistake only ingrains this mistake, making it harder to get rid of. Doing technical stuff REQUIRES that you try to do them as perfect as possible EVERY SINGLE TIME. Do not get sloppy!!

You need to find a valid reference, as to how to do the drills, and someone capable of correcting you. BTB2 (book and DVD) should be mandatory curriculum. Also, Rick Bagget's makes some DVD's (find clips from them on Youtube).

I couldnt agree more.

[rainbowgirl28]

Oh yeah, I am selling Baggett's DVDs now. I will try and get the store updated sometime soon.