PVJunkie wrote:pull ups are the exact opposite of bench..........push ups = bench........pull ups = lat pulls (mostly).
The best ans to the orig ques.............get out of the wt room and VAULT or get on a rope or a high bar and learn to swing.........If more young vaulters would learn to swing before learning to bend the pole 15' jumps would be nothing at the HS level.
On a side note................There ARE many very good coaches on this board with Yrs of experience at all levels. If given a chance they WILL post........the problem is none of us wants to have to defend our philospy to high school and college vaulters. This is why most of us do not post techincal advice. Its great to give advice lets just keep it all in perspective.
Ditto!!!
Race horses need to race to get faster and vaulters need to vault to jump higher. If you don't already have a good vault coach... find one. You may have to drive a good ways once or twice a week but it is well worth it. We have some vaulters that drive over two and a half hours each way for a two hour practice, and I'm sure many of the other coaches here have similar. Also, attend 2 to 4 day camps several times a year if you can. Let us know where you are at, what city/state, and we can recommend a coach if one is in the area.
In addition to practicing good sound imitative drills and vaulting, I really like the highbar. Bubka's, windshield-wipers, tap swings to Bubka's, free hip circles around the bar, free hip circles to handstands and front lever's.
Bubka's: From a hanging position (using a pole vault grip, left hand facing forward and right hand backwards for rt handed vaulters) with shoulders square with bar, swing up to where your shins are against the high bar. Your body will form a triangle and it is very difficult to stay in this position if you are not used to it. From this position push your feet and hips to the sky (slightly crossing over the bar for balance but fully extended), while dropping your shoulders up under your body. NEVER pull on your arms, ALWAYS hang. This should have you hanging upside down. The mirror image would be as though you were standing with your hands by your hips, your chin tucked and chest slightly concaved. Cheater Bubka's: If you can't do Bubka's correctly, cheat. Rt handed vaulters swing to the triangle position and place your rt leg on the opposite side of the bar so that the bar is between your legs. This will help you to balance easier until you can do it on your own. Everything else is the same.
Front Levers: Hanging straight down, keeping arms straight, begin a rocking motion pushing forward on your hands, then rock back through your arms, continue over and over with a tap swing at the bottom while simulaneously pushing forward with arms fully extended trying to raise yourself as high as you can. (I know this explanation stinks, it is a hard one to explain.)
Windshield-Wipers: Swing up into the Bubka position (triangle) with your feet against the bar. Now glide your shin down the highbar to the right, then back and to the left, keep going back and forth. Maintain the Bubka triangle position throughout. Remember to hang and not pull up on your arms. My back cracks like crazy everytime I do this one. It is also a great way to clean the bird droppings off the highbar.