Vaulting heights

[J.lay]

Hey guys! I'm a new vaulter that just started this winter. My name is Jonathan Lehe and I vault for Lake Norman High School of North Carolina. I have been blessed with an amazing coach and have seem some good improvement this year and want to check my progress and see how to improve. I started obviously with nothing but I peaked at 13, just BARELY missing 13'6 at regionals and 12'6 at states. How are my heights compared to other high schoolers and sophomores in the nation? Am I about average? I also have some other questions about my vault. I have been working on my plant and run with my coach and i'm working on 14 feet but there are some mall details that I have not been able to address with my coach. In my vault, when I get upside down, I shoot up but it looks like more of a kick then flying up. When I watch pros and good vaulters in my region, they all get upside down and stay upside down and shoot really high and I just can't figure it out. I will try and upload a video later so you guys can see! I also have a problem that I get over the pole, then hold on while I go down to try and throw it, a habit I just can't break. It has caused me to miss lots of bars and really frustrates me. Instead of letting go on the way up, I hold it coming back down and I don't know why. Is there a way I can practice this without actually vaulting? Our season is over so I have very limited access to actual vaults. I want to fix this problem but I cant find a way to practice top-of-the-pole work on the ground. Suggestions? Thank you so much!!!

[treykristianPV]

If you started this previous winter and you're jumping 13' already that is quite impressive! As a sophomore those are decent heights, but there's no need to compare, just focus on getting better!

To really determine what's going on with your vault, a video would help immensely, so if you could get one up as fast as possible that would be great.

I would recommend finding a club or a place where you can continue vaulting so you can keep improving!

-Trey

[J.lay]

[quote] would recommend finding a club or a place where you can continue vaulting so you can keep improving! /quote]'
Thanks a lot for the tips! I am vaulting with some friends at a local pit. Its not a club but we can vault and they have plenty of poles to progress on. Ill work on getting that video. Thanks again!

[treykristianPV]

Good news to hear!
You're welcome too!

-Trey

[J.lay]

https://drive.google.com/a/iss.k12.nc.u ... sp=sharing
This is my attempt at 13'6. Let me know if it does not work.

[KirkB]

This is my attempt at 13'6.

That was a good attempt at 13-6, especially considering that this is your first year vaulting. Your technique is definitely above average for your first year, and as a sophomore!

However, don't let it go to your head - there's so much room for improvement.

First, what I like about your vault is that your plant is high, you're keeping your lead knee up, and you're swinging (fairly well) to an invert. You also have a bit of a forward lean on takeoff (not much, but a bit). That's all good.

Now, what you need to work on is ...

1. Your takeoff is "in". It needs to be further out. Your pole wouldn't be bending prior to takeoff if it was further back. You should strive for a "free takeoff".

2. Although you're not getting jerked off the ground on takeoff, and you have a slight forwards lean, you're not driving your chest forwards and up. This is because you're applying pressure with your bottom arm, which prevents your chest from driving thru. If your chest was driving thru, then your trail leg would be back more, your body angle would be more of a forward lean, and you'd subsequently have a much more powerful swing. So powerful that you would FLY off the top of the pole!

I will guess that you're pressing your bottom arm because you're convinced that you need to do that to bend the pole. That's absolutely not true! The pole will bend on its own if your takeoff is "on" (or "out" a bit), and if you drive your chest forwards and upwards, without stiffening your bottom arm.

This is where you're losing your swinging power, which in turn prevents you from flying off the top of the pole.

3. I see what you mean about holding onto the pole too long, but I wouldn't worry about it. It's only because you're not yet flying off the top of the pole. Next year (or even this summer), with some improvement in #1 and #2, this problem will just disappear.

4. You should grip a little lower so that you land further into the pit. You're landing too close to the box. What were your standards set to? They should be at 80cm (31.5"), so that you don't have to worry about a safe landing - and you can focus just on your technique.

Good luck!

Kirk

[J.lay]

Thanks Kirk! I'm hearing a lot of what my coach has been telling me to work on. I have moved my step out a little, that jump was in. I ended up changing my form just like you said to get my chest up and shattered that pole. Thanks so much for the advice, I will definitely try work on it! What do you recommend for working on top of the pole stuff while not vaulting? I have been told that I need to keep both arms straight when I vault, and I may be misreading your comment, but are you saying to let it be flexible, or that I need to collapse it. I was told that the bottom arm needs to be straight out and not to let it fly to my head.

[KirkB]

What do you recommend for working on top of the pole stuff while not vaulting?

You really don't need to focus on the top of your vault - it will improve as your bottom half improves. But one drill you can easily do - just to get the feel of shooting straight up - is to sit on the ground in a prone position with the pole next to you, as if you're starting to shoot up. So as you lie down from the prone position, pull with the arms and then "throw" the pole away from you (releasing the top hand last). The important part of this drill is to delay the pull until the last possible moment, then pull all at once. If you don't know what I mean here, there's several vids that demonstrate this drill on youtube.

Here's a vid of what I described, but they use a bungee rigged up to apply resistance to the pole as you "throw" it. You really don't need the bungee - the drill works fine without it. Just go thru these motions, but faster! And let the pole go (literally throw it)!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJoJiAIy4zA&list=PLUHPJ91-UfmLik0XszO3R8aYunJmzJVn_&index=6

are you saying to let it be flexible, or that I need to collapse it. I was told that the bottom arm needs to be straight out and not to let it fly to my head.

Let it be flexible. As you drive the chest forwards and up, the bottom arm will just naturally collapse. That's OK, as long as you start with a good (forwards leaning) body angle.

Kirk

[J.lay]

Thanks so much! This is exactly the kind of thing I needed!I think I have some spare bungees around that I could throw in, and next time I'm vaulting ill make sure to work on the lean and my arm. Thanks again!

[KirkB]

I think I have some spare bungees around that I could throw in ...

Actually, I think the bungees aren't necessary AT ALL. You will notice that the 2 girls got a bit confused with the bungee attached to their ankles. And then they try to move their leg as part of the drill. But it SHOULDN'T be part of the drill!

As I said, you don't need the bungees to get the feel of how to extend (fly) straight up off the end of the pole. Instead, you just need to keep the pole pointed straight behind you. If you throw the pole off to the side, that means you're not aligned with the pole.

And when I say to literally "throw" the pole, I do mean that you can (it will slide along the ground), and if it doesn't slide like an arrow (straight behind you), then you're not aligned. But most of the time, to be honest, I just held onto it (instead of actually throwing it), because I could then do multiple reps without getting up to retrieve it.

Kirk