Summer Training Post

[meeisgood]

First off thank you for all that have commented. Bel142, and those who commented about pulling with the feet; in Bubka's 6.01 or 6.40 jump he seems to try to pull with his feet, but he is moving so fast that the foot ends up under him. This is the same with isi for her 5.01 jump. As far as leaning back for my high knee drills I will concentrate more on a straight back, instead of the backwards lean i seem to have. For my walking plants this week I will do some were I will hold the 2nd to last step, as PP does in his plant video, and I will try to make it a little behind my temple. I will also plant with the pole held in the air as Isi does to emphasize the pre jump. As for a coach I have limited access to one this summer. I would think it is better to do the drills and have someone tell me what I'm doing wrong, then try to fix it; instead of doing no drills. I will get BTB and as far as my sand plants thank you for your positive comments on my two steps (vault3rb0y). When I do my grass warm ups I will work on jumping then the pole hit. I also have a high bar. Thank you again.

[vault3rb0y]

I would think it is better to do the drills and have someone tell me what I'm doing wrong, then try to fix it; instead of doing no drills

Thats true, but realize that the only thing drills do is to emphasize correct muscle-action memory for the jump. It it crucial to visualize the drills' correlation to what you need to do in the vault. Just video your drills so we can all give you sound advice. You can do some 6step vaults to try to put together all the parts, but at this point i think working the parts in isolation will allow you to get them down easier ie. drop, plant, carry, take off etc. (i dont consider 6step stiff vaults a drill, because drills are something you should be able to do perfectly with some practice, and that are easier to master than the actual task, and 6step stiff vaults can be more difficult than 6step flexible vaults. they are just too complex)

Use that high bar to build core strength. Lift your legs to parallel and back down as many times as you can, and control it. You will be suprised at how quickly you develop those muscles. Then play around with it- go to the top of the bar/extend/hold at several different positions. Then show up all your friends that think they have strong abs .

[bel142]

The problem with sprinting without a lean, because the center of mass is pushed forward with a pole, you now have an opportunity to use the weight of the pole to pull you forward and add energy into the run. If you are standing without a slight lean (up straight) you are counter balancing the weight of the pole. With a forward lean and the weight of the pole's mechanical advantage places you in a position (in terms of weight distribution) of running down hill. When running down hill if your heal strike is in front of you you actually have a breaking force in your step, the same is true in pole vault.

Now (to play devils advocate) when running many people over stride placing the heal strike in front, and many of those people who don't have hamstring problems. However if you think about sprinting form (with a pole and without) striking directly under you makes you a more efficient runner, there is no energy that is needed to pull body forward. The paw action happens in the air with no resistance. Once the foot strikes the ground the bodies' energy is already moving forward and not needed or wasted to pass over the foot. The leg goes under and into energy acceptance, cushioning and into extension.

Now most individuals in pole vault use a 20 step (10 Strides) or under run. Generally the run has about three stages in the pole vault, the initiation of the run, the full speed approach, and the plant. On the initiation vaulters start from zero and starts to run while standing, the full speed approach is most like sprinting, then the plant as the pole drop happens counter movements in the body influences changes in stride length (hence the argument some people have against the shoulder drop/lean at the end of races). So the time periods of true sprinting form in the vault are short. If you are looking at elite vaulters' plants when their foot is way out in front of them for a free take off, this happen not because of sprinting form but more of the "getting ready to vault". As the pole drops and stride length changes foot placement also changes and speed is decreased slightly. Hence getting the highest amount of speed possible is important, and why coaches try to get vaulters to "accelerate through the plant".

[powerplant42]

We have opposing views on this, but this is not the place to settle it... We are getting a little too tangential, I feel. This is a thread to give practical advice to meeisgood!

[meeisgood]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYXtUz5eQbw
Here are more grass jumps and plants. The 2nd grass jump I am clearly off the ground before the pole hits the ground. Thank you

[vault3rb0y]

Grass looks good. I hate to get back to running technique but in order to do those drills better, its gonna come down to your legs-

You will find that even from 2, 3 steps that if you are quick and high with your steps, your feet will end up right underneath you. This is a more athletic position for a free take off, and you will find yourself "jumping over the pole" in a sense that your take off angle will be much better.

This stands true for most of your drills. Try this speed development drill to get a sense of the action that I believe a proper stride should be-

stand against a wall/fence and hold on with your left hand. Stand on your left leg and have your right leg driven up as if running. Your thigh should be about parallel with the ground. In a quick motion, extend your right heel outwards, then pull your toe towards you and underneath you. At this point your leg should be extended and underneath your body. Sweep it under your body and then flex your toe toward you again. Bring your foot up over your knee and back into a drive legged position. This drill simulates the exact motion of your leg when running. Unless you were to bend your left leg, your right leg cannot strike in front of you. This is good- it keeps you taller and gives you a move athletic run. Try to make this action quick, but only if you are hitting the right positions on it. we used to do 3X10 on each leg, pausing after each strike, to simulate running technique. The key is to SWEEP under your body but not out in front, then to bring your toe up over your knee back into position.

[powerplant42]

Just like I commented on your video... You're definitely getting better! For the grass, remember it's all about QUICK and EXPLOSIVE... BOOM! UP! HARD! STRONG! All good words. I like the way you're staying behind the pole though, that's something most people that are new to the drill don't do very well at all.

Vault3rboy, maybe you could help me try to get his plant more 'on'? It's tough to 'talk' about it, maybe another perspective would give him a better idea? What do you think of his recent plants compared to his older plants? I think they're much better all around (especially the feet), but the elbow/arm needs to be a little bit 'smoother'. Do you agree (and understand what I mean)? Also, what do you think of his 20/20's?

[vault3rb0y]

Personally, i would pause at each important "step" in the 3 step plant and hold it before going to the next. Just watch what isi does in btb2 near the end. Im talking about this:

1st of 3 steps- top hand moves half way up torso, Bottom hand stays at chest level. top hand stops when your take off legs' knee is up. pause and hold this position.

2nd of 3 steps- top hand moves next to your ear, bottom hand begins to move upward depending on how long the pole is. You want the exact center of the pole to stay at it's level and rotate around that point. So your bottom hand would be approx at your chin level. Your drive knee should be up. Hold this position again.

3rd step- both hands move up as the pole tip lowers to the ground. Simultaneously you step down with your drive-knee leg and lift your take-off leg up to high-knee position. Hold THIS position before taking your final take off step.


The point is to be planting the pole a step ahead of your "take off"... so when i say 1st 2nd and 3rd steps i am talking about pausing BEFORE you take those steps, while each leg is still up. Look at isi on b2b to know exactly what im talking about. You gotta pause in each of this positions and check your alignment before doing it in a fluid motion, but that will come very soon after.