Correcting posture on the takeoff step

[lonestar]

Anybody got any good suggestions on how to correct a long takeoff step?

I have a few vaulters who tend to drop their hand about 4-5 steps out from the box, resulting in a backward lean at their penultimate and a floating/reaching takeoff step. They're not necessarily under, just leaning back at takeoff and losing a lot of speed and energy transfer.

We've tried fixing it doing pole runs, and they do it perfectly then. We've also considered doing some long jumping. Any suggestions?

Kris

[PVJunkie]

Ya know, if beating your head against the wall is giving you a headache...........the way to get rid of your headache is not to do that anymore. So stop letting the top had drift back and your poblem is solved.

PRACTICE THE WAY YOU WANT TO COMPETE (train the way you want to vault) I say that constantly to my vaulters.......sometimes it takes something drastic to get them to understand. Try a towel on the runway (start with it on the track so they get used to it and learn NOT to look down at it). Put the towel down about 9" in fron of where you want them to take off from (you may have to adjust it slightly for differences in periferal vision acuity-hehe-depth perception). This gives them feedback during the vault as to where they should be.........do NOT look down at it, use it as a guide and remove it as soon as possible (dont let it become a crutch!!). Dont use a towel that is too thick so if they do step on it it wont become a hazard and make sure it is a contrasting color.

give me a call if you have any questions

later, B

[vaulter580]

i havent figured aquick fix for this one either, but what helps me is if i count the steps in my head
stress the left arm punch but get it as close to the head as possable
(the left bicep should be touching the side of your head at the plant)
for a right handed vaulter

[Steph]

I used to have this problem. It was hard to fix. Like Brad said counting works, but I do better when I count down, I think most people (I used to) count up. That way your plant is always on the same number no matter how many steps you are taking. Coach Fraley also made me put a cone next to the track (actually two) one where I started dropping the pole and one where I had to actually begin to plant. FOr girls from a long run the marks we about 55ft and 22 ft.
Steph

[VaultFreak]

Maybe they're trying to sprint too much. They should be "poppy". Use mini hurdles on the runway that will force them to pick up their knees a little bit more, if they're doing that, it'll feel too weird to lean back. Also they should be getting faster towards the pit so while they're counting, they should count to let them know when to plant and when to take off, they can say the last couple faster so you know when to explode. I don't know, I can't jump off the ground, so I'm counting, 1,2,3,4,5,and 6, AND 7! saying the last two faster. I don't know if you know what I'm talking about, but it helps me...

[wacky274]

yeah, we know what you're sayiong...i think....are you saying that by being taller at the plant it will help them not take a long last step....well being tall by keeping your last couple steps "poppy" right?

[VaultFreak]

Yes, thank you for deciphering that.

[swtvault]

PVjunkie wrote this a long time ago!

...........the way to get rid of your headache is not to do that anymore. So stop letting the top hand drift back and your problem is solved.

Heres my two cents. If you lock your right arm on your right hip while running a chain of events will happem.

When you approach the box, all the weight from the pole is so far out in front of your center of gravity, that the only way you can maintain your aggressive posture is to carry the pole really high to lessen the weight of the pole. Doing this causes you to lean back even worse than before because you have to suddenly slam the tip of the pole to make the plant! This may not be an issue with many vaulters, but for most of the elite the poles they carry are extremely heavy! That is why 98% of them will let the top hand come slightly behind the hip. so the pole rotates around the left hand in a pivot motion. It is a balance mechanism. Take a pole with a 21-23lb carry weight and lock that hand on your hip. How hard is it to run? What is the weight of the pole doing to your body? Now, try to let the top hand drift back slightly and see what happens! It is much easier because you have taken the weight of the pole closer to your center of gravity! Now you have reduced the practical carry weight of the pole significantally, and more importantaly, you are using the drop of the tip to your advantage. Even more important, you are able to RELAX!!! Being relaxed enables you to run faster and be in a better position.

The point of my rambling, the whole key to hitting good positions is to be balanced. Any flaw you have in your vault is a result of an imbalance that happened before you even noticed something went wrong. Look 6-8 frames before the mishap and ask yourself, "is the position I am in at this point causing me to lose balance?" If it is, there will always be a point where you will automatically compensate for that loss elsewhere.

As is typical with most of my technical posts, this reiterates alot of what I have previously said. I dont know everything, nor will I claim I do, but I do feel there are fundamental things that occur to cause loss of position throught the vault, and I strongly feel this is one of them. I dont mean to sound like a know-it-all here. I have learned more about this event every day for the last 8 years, and everytime I think I've got it, something new catches my attention!

[Robert schmitt]

what swtvault said-

I had a similar problem this summer and putting a shoe down at 9"infront of my take off-helped tremendously.

If thier step is right on when they do pole runs and it changes when they vault. I would say at some level they are uncomfortable or afraid. When I see this happening I stop what the kid is doing and put them on the pole or run that was working before so they don't start to form a bad habit from not feeling all that confident in what they are doing. Most the time they don't like taking a "step down" so I use that as a "carrot" or motivation to work on getting the take off right. I tell them that "I need to see your step quicken at the take off etc... before we can move up again." Some times they have to move down as much as 4-5 poles in thier progression and or go from 7step to a 4-5 step till they reach that comfort level again.

[Coach Butler of Rice Univ]

As Petrov states, "the plant begins with your first step out of the back".
Every drill, approach, or takeoff, whether from 2,4,6 steps out or from a full run, must be with an active pole drop with the pole tip slightly above horizontal (eye level) as the vaulter steps onto his/her left, three steps out from the box. As someone else mentioned, the top hand must "release from the hip so that the bottom hand is able to stay tucked close to the body. The pole must be carried with the bottom arm elbow tucked, wrist cocked.........and the top hand controls the drop. The pole tip must never "freeze" in it's movement. It does freeze when the tip gets stuck at horizontal just before the box. Watch the tip as the vaulter approaches...........there should be a fluid, smooth rotation down as the vaulter increases speed.......it shouldn't look like a clockhand pulsing as the seconds tick away.................The tip should move with the rhythm of the steps of the acceleration. Try various speeds & distances of run/takeoffs..............slow motion, skipping, slow jog, quick steps, and even longer approaches than their long run.........always being aware of the pole drop and position of tip...........also, always have a 6 step mid.
Coach B

[das_1971]

Anybody got any good suggestions on how to correct a long takeoff step?

I have a few vaulters who tend to drop their hand about 4-5 steps out from the box, resulting in a backward lean at their penultimate and a floating/reaching takeoff step. They're not necessarily under, just leaning back at takeoff and losing a lot of speed and energy transfer.

We've tried fixing it doing pole runs, and they do it perfectly then. We've also considered doing some long jumping. Any suggestions?

Kris

My bro does something very much like this. whenever theres a bar up he leans back. As far as I can tell, it looks like hes tring to invert before he leaves the groung. before his left foot hits, he looks up at the bar and sort of arches back, going about 6"-9" under. Sometimes we can fix it, sometimes not. hope that helps

[DFW-ELITEpv]

Coach Butler I agree. With the top hand to the hip. Is there a difference in bringing the hip to the top hand, will this keep you from pulling too early. Which do you prefer= hand to the hip or hip to the hand.

Thanks Luis