souleman wrote:Thank you both for the explanation. So basically, if I understand this right, all poles "roll", just some better than others. Ex. My old 15'cat-a-pole, with me holding down 2 1/2 to 3 feet from the top "rolled" (cause I always got in the pit) but even back then, if I would have had say a 13 foot pole, same weight, that I could have held on more towards the top, it would have "rolled" better, right? With todays equipment that's a focus to get better performance out of the pole. It's also the reason that back when I was jumpin' my crossbar placement was at most 9 inches to a foot into the pit and I've read here that some of the vaulters place their crossbar 24 to 30 inches into the pit. Am I gettin' it? Later.........Mike
Souleman, you're doing great! That is exactly what we're talking about. Holding down as far as you were on your 15' pole was putting your grip onto the sailpiece (thicker part of the pole), so it was limiting how much bend you were getting, and that's why you had to have your standards up close. Simply raising your grip would not have fixed the problem, but instead would have had you landing even more shallow. What you need/needed was a shorter pole at approximately the same stiffness which would have allowed you to grip more above the sailpeice, allow the pole to bend a little easier, and roll over better. And yes, most elites have their standards at 80cm (31.5") - deeper is better as it allows you to not have to rush your swing and you land deeper in the pit.
