Videos from States

[Cooleo111]

Here are some videos from the end of this season...though I'd throw them out there and see what people think!
(Information is next to each video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ_2GncW4G0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVogjvsKbE8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJnBuSQGhAA

[sooch90]

hey, what's your weight and height?

I feel like you might be overgripping just a tad bit, and may benefit from gripping down, but maybe moving up a pole?

[KirkB]

Cooleo, looking at your 4.80 make, you have a fairly good plant and don't appear to be under TOO much, but in your C you're leaning too far back, and your trail leg is bent WAY too much. You'll get more power out of your downswing if you can have better forwards-leaning posture on takeoff, and if you can have a longer trail leg during the downswing.

You do WHIP your trail leg into a fully-extended position, then tuck it in very quickly after you pass the chord. That's not bad for 4.80 technique. However, to go higher, you should focus on getting a longer and stronger downswing. Once you do that, you'll discover that you don't need to tuck your trail leg in after the chord ... nearly as much as you're doing now. That will keep energy stored in the pole a little longer ... until your upswing gets you more inverted and you're ready to use that energy.

Part of this is "scaling up". LIke I said, your technique's not bad for 4.80, but as you scale up past 5.00, you'll need to make both the downswing and the upswing longer and more deliberate. This starts with a more forwards-leaning takeoff and C angle.

Kirk

[Cooleo111]

Thanks for the feedback!

Sooch - I am about 5'10 147.

Kirk - My coach and I agree with you. I have been struggling to hit a good takeoff position since high school, and I am trying to work on that currently by long jumping. If you have any other suggestions for this problem, I am all ears! My coach also wants me to have a less-flexed trail leg, and I'm not sure exactly how to go about changing it. I played a lot of soccer when I was younger, so I think my swing is derived from that. I am working on my flexibility, as well as the strength of my hip flexors, and hopefully that will get the job done. Again, any other suggestions are more than welcome!

[KirkB]

I have been struggling to hit a good takeoff position since high school, and I am trying to work on that currently by long jumping. If you have any other suggestions for this problem, I am all ears!

Yes, LJ will help. After all, if you're over the board on your LJ takeoff, it's a scratch. You just need to have the same mindset for PV. Consider being "under" a scratch, and don't even try to finish the vault if you're under. You need to learn this from short runs and work your way back.

There's a danger that you'll hesitate on takeoff if you're worried about being under, and that will cause your technique to be bad, but you need to work thru that. If you consider your current technique as already "bad", then you'll force yourself to learn a free takeoff ("on" or "out" a bit).

It's all about training your body to do what your mind intends for your body to do. It takes lots of self-discipline, but if you decide to do something, your mind should win out over your body. But if your mind tells you that it's OK to be under, then you'll never break yourself of the habit. You're not under that much, but I'm also referring to the better forwards lean on takeoff. They go together.

My coach also wants me to have a less-flexed trail leg, and I'm not sure exactly how to go about changing it. I played a lot of soccer when I was younger, so I think my swing is derived from that. I am working on my flexibility, as well as the strength of my hip flexors, and hopefully that will get the job done. Again, any other suggestions are more than welcome!

Just get on the highbar or rings and do lots of reps of the Whip Drill. I've talked about this drill on oodles of other posts, so just search for it with the keywords "highbar whip downswing drill". You'll get 14 matches, so go nuts!

If you're not quite sure what I mean by the Whip Drill, just do them like Amy does! But remember that the downswing part of the drill is all that's important.

Do about 10,000 of these, and you're guaranteed to rid yourself of that pesky bent trail leg habit!

But ... and this is very important ... especially for you, Cooleo ... when you "go elastic" in the stretched position at the START of your downswing (on the highbar), be sure to straighen your trail leg AS SOON AS you begin to swing. Don't wait until halfway (or even quarter way) thru your downswing to straighten your leg. That's too late! Straighten it IMMEDIATELY, and keep it stretched right thru the chord. When you train this way, you'll feel the increased power advantage of downswinging this way ... and after your 10,000 reps ... you'll transfer this muscle memory to your doownswing on the pole! You'll discover new muscles in your lower back, groin, and upper thigh that you didn't even realize you had!

Kirk