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Does anyone know any good penetration drills?
Im on a 13'6 150lb Pacer FX, and i weigh between 140-145lb.

I'm having A LOT of trouble getting into the white because I always land around the front of the white, and today I hit right above the box on my tailbone.... :[

Probably out of, 3/10 jumps I will penetrate in the middle of the white.

Thanks~

Hold lower or borrow a pole that is a little shorter.

But won't holding lower, will make the pole stiffer?
And it will be harder to get into the pit

Holding lower will always allow you to penetrate more easily. It may be stiffer, but your body doesnt have to goes as high in the air to make the pit. Take our word for it, or better yet, get a smaller pole. If you are making pit 30% of the time it is not only dangerous but counterproductive to your training. you NEED to find a smaller pole, and if oyu cant , you NEED to hold lower.

CHOBOOO wrote:But won't holding lower, will make the pole stiffer?
And it will be harder to get into the pit

It's always better to make it in the pit on a pole that is not bending than get rejected on a bending pole.

I usually don't like to teach penetration drills, because it is really a result of doing other things correctly, particularly the takeoff and swing.

One primary way to achieve deeper penetration into the pits is to increase your takeoff angle, or the angle the pole makes with the ground as it contacts the back of the box. This is why it's easier to penetrate with a shorter pole (or a deep box). You can also improve the angle by having a free takeoff or simply reaching higher when you plant. Your body should be fully extended when you plant and stretching to push the pole to its maximum height at impact.

The 3 step plant drill will help you get the timing down. This is a good site that explains the drill and has a little video to visualize the takeoff angle. Just make sure you are getting as tall as possible at takeoff.

Adding an aggressive swing can help you penetrate by increasing your horizontal energy as you vault. However, I'd start with the takeoff angle first.

Until you nail down the proper technique, make sure you're staying safe. Gripping just a few inches lower can make all the difference.

Move down your grip. I had the same problem for a long time. I just gripped lower, but as my speed and form got better, i was able to move my grip up again and land into the middle of the pit safely.

It's simple physics. Moving mass up the pole (gripping higher, pulling up in the arms), steals away your polespeed. Just like a skater doing a piruette (sp?) can slow down the rotation by extending the arms out (not up ).

If you don't wanna grip lower, you got to increase speed or get a more powerfull takeoff (or both).

And remember to extend your top hand as high as possible at takeoff......

Dont be afraid to grip lower on a softer pole in practices. Its way more important to do things right, on whatever pole you have to use to do it right time after time, than to hold too high on a stiff pole that forces you it hit everything perfect to make pit. As the season goes on, you will get more consistent and you can go up poles and work on quality more than quantity, but until you can do it right time after time, dont try to get on bigger poles.

Wow
gripping it lower did get me in more into the pit :]

Thanks for advice and tips!!!



and also

people tell me
when i go up, i bring my legs up
basically almost an L position but an \ instead of _ .
but now im having trouble pulling
only thing i know about pulling is to keep your body tight as possible along with the pole while its unbending. like put your top hand to your crotch as long as possible

you shouldnt pull, rather you be taking a almost rowing action.