Pole Pushing for newbies

[souleman]

I'd like a little input on this pole pushing deal. I just started with a 7th grade girl today and was doing the 2 and three step drills off the BTB2 video (chapter 10) with her. She was doing alright with it but she was always planting off to the right and therefore going off to the right with all of the exercises. By planting to the right I mean she would take the pole and push it about 60 degrees up and away from her right ear instead of out in front and above her forehead. Obviously her body would follow putting her on the right side of the pit. I was fiddling around with pole push myself today so I suggested she try it herself on her drills. She still pushed her hands out to the right but not as bad, and the more she did the drills with a pole push the closer the plant became straight and up and the closer to the center of the pit she would land. (Hope you guys can visualize what I'm saying here). My question is, how long do I let her do things like this? She has jumped a little but I consider her a "1st dayer" and I did get her a couple of inches over her height like the book says Alan does with his newbies. I video taped masters vaulter Trevor Richards at the Drake relays last week. He uses the pole push technique. What impressed me about it was how it set him up for a very effective tall plant. A little discussion on this would be appreciated. I'm sure it is with every coach that when we go a little bit outside of the norm we question our selves as to whether or not we're doing what's best for the vaulter. Thanks in advance................Later............Mike

[master]

Hey Mike,

It seems to me that when Alan has new kids do short distances drills he has them just hold the pole above their heads, almost in the plant position, and then reach up to the plant position at the appropriate time. It is only after they can do the drills reasonably well that he complicates the drill by having them include the full planting motion. Am I remembering this wrong?

- master

[altius]

Spot on Doc - in fact in the dvd you will see two beginners jumping over a bar from 8 steps using this method.

[altius]

Sorry - forgot to add that the real planting action is difficult and takes a lot of practice for mastery. The solution mentioned allows youngsters to jump over bars - above their own height - on the very first day. They can then continue jumping like this in subsequent sessions - while also working on the correct planting action. I believe that this is a better solution than pole pushing because the start position replicates that where the pole would be on the penultimate step of a real vault -indeed again the dvd shows IZZY doing a drill to position the pole there at that point.

[souleman]

I'll move her back next Sunday. Or try to anyway. We spent as much time on getting off on the left foot as much as anything. We started out doing the stuff just like on the DVD. No matter how we tried she'd push that pole up to the right with the hand hold like on the DVD. As I mentioned, when she pole pushed, the pole would end up above her head (or closer to it). She did the whole day from 3 to five steps. I don't have a sand pit so we did do all the drills on the pad. I think she's going to be a good one. I had her brother (who's a ten sixer and a 9th grader) doing pretty much the same thing. With both off them I have to incorporate "correct" with "get by" work. Both are in the middle of their seasons and need to make heights at meets. I have told them both though that come June 2nd or so...."they're all mine" and no more "get by" vaulting. This is my first shot at "from the ground up" coaching so I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions. Thanks for your input.................Later..............Mike

P.S. In reference to Izzy, is that the walking high knees plant drill or the running plant drill.........or both.

[ladyvolspvcoach]

Mike, along with Alan's comments you might try to get her to try to "push" her hands up and towards the back of the pit. Often the falling to the side is as much a result of just jumping onto the pole and asking it to pick them up as opposed to an active upward impulse off the ground...

[dj]

hye

i feel pushing the pole creates the wrong plant action.

i think the vaulter needs to learn to move the pole tip down and the top grip up... with the left wrist higher than the left elbow.. and without reaching forward with the left hand.. from day one..

i'm sure some benefit can be gained for some vaulters, at some minor level, but don't know what it would be..

the vaulters i have observed "sliding" tend to "reach" the hands to far out in front, which creates posture issues at takeoff, doesn’t have to but I have observed it has in most cases.

dj

[altius]

Agree totally with dj. Pole pushing does not introduce the correct use of the left arm in the plant.