Softer or stiffer...longer or shorter?

[Javi_TX]

I would like an opinion on the following:
I've got a sophomore goin' 12-12'6 holding at about 13. The pole (14 foot 130 skypole, he weighs 125) is soft and gets him up slow, but he keeps shooting out rather than getting into the inverted position. In other words, he goes from a "decent" rock back, into a kind of "U" where his ankles are by his top hand, legs stretched, not bent. On the rope, he goes right up. On pop-ups..same thing...they're good...upside down, pull/turn. Should I put him on a stiffer pole or make him practice until he gets it. One excersie I use is to kick the bar at 16...I thought about lowering his hand grip for practice jumps (really low, but still bending) and putting a cross bar at or higher than his hand grip...The kid is clearing his top hand...but I want better form. I've got about a foot left on the pole...but raising the top hand is asking for trouble...I think, in the long run. Thanks for takin the time!
-j

[rainbowgirl28]

How deep are the standards when he is clearing bars in meets on that pole?

[Javi_TX]

Between 25 and 30 in. The problem is that when he does get fully inverted...which is rare, he'll come down on the bar at the meet because he didn't shoot out. He's consistently going at the bar...so I pushed the standards back...
this is a cool website by the way
-j

[Robert schmitt]

two things.....I typically don't move a kid up in length until they are jumping 25lbs over thier body wieght or jumping well above thier grip 18-24" (this is also dependant on what poles I actually have) If they are not jumping above thier grip it's even harder to develope the tech to allow them to jump above thier grip on longer poles.

If you guy stalls out when he does get inverted (comes down on the cross bar) His take off needs to improve. Another reason not to go to a longer or stiffer pole until he can move that pole to verticle with the satndards all the way back and swing and time up with the pole to jump well above his grip.

[Javi_TX]

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[ADTF Academy]

Coming down on the crossbar is not always to do with the takeoff. Though it is a major reason.

Is he flagging his arms/hands on top. If he is moving his hands and the pole back in the direction of the runway rotation ceases. Normally when his heels come down he must move his arms/hands back of the pole will hit the crossbar. Once he actually gets into an inverted position his hands still do what they do previously.

So here is the question what came first the chicken or the egg. Do you keep him working on going inverted and come up short or do you work on the hands and blow into bars?


If you do the latter not only can you get on stiffer poles to slow them down but once he gets the inversion it will be a smoother transfer into proper technique.

[gtc]

Drop grip an inch or two and bury the standards