Pole drop/ pole drop drills

[2011jrogers]

I need drills to work on the pole drop and pole plant aspect of my vaulting. So as i take it the the left hand/ bottom arm is centered at the chest, and to lower the pole you move the arm away from your chest and as the arm is moving away from your chest, the right arm is suppose to move up the right side of your body to a position above your head before it hits the back of the box, ideally leaving the ground the instant before it hits. So i need drills to work on developing and improving this part of the vault.

[crayford]

http://youtu.be/-SSah2B6Xnw

and for the more technical:
http://youtu.be/NGSBpOhasQs

[altius]

"So as i take it the the left hand/ bottom arm is centered at the chest, and to lower the pole you move the arm away from your chest = THAT SHOULD BEGIN SIX STEPS FROM TO - and as the arm is moving away from your chest the pole tip should come down until it is at head level - THEN OVER THE NEXT THREE STEPS the right arm is supposeD to move up the right side of your body to a position above your head before it -THE POLE TIP - hits the back of the box, IDEALLY LEAVING THE LEFT HAND HIGH WITH THE LEFT ELBOW BELOW AND OUTSIDE THE HAND THROUGHOUT THAT MOVEMENT- AND ideally leaving the ground the instant before it hits. YES INDEED.

I suspect that you will find the BTB dvd of more value than the other suggestions if you are relatively new to this. But whatever you learn you will need to do a few thousand repetitions - walking/jogging/trotting/running/sprinting/ sprinting and jumping to touch a bungy with your top hand - before you have it under control - and like IZZY on the DVD you will still continue practising the planting action even after you have set several world records.

[Vault101 Boy]

That video from the Reno summit is absolute gold. It literally spells out the pole drop then refutes the idiots who think pulling is benign/good. Lets just say the whiny junior high kids i occasionally help will have little chance to argue against this logic. Good find.

[tsorenson]

Yes, Butler's speech is great. I especially like his term "hug momma," the tendency for beginner vaulters to hug the pole at the plant. I use this phrase all the time!

But don't criticize what you don't understand. Proponents of the "instantaneous" botttom arm pull are not saying that you shouldn't push the pole first...they are saying that the pushing UP phase should be included as part of the takeoff, and that there is a delay between what we try to do and what actually happens, so the sooner you start to pull, the faster you will invert, covering the pole. This theory assumes that you already have a free takeoff with the arms up over the head...an assumption that is not even close to valid for HS vaulters like yourself or the "whiny middle school kids" you occasionally help. If you have a weak/late plant and or an under takeoff, pulling with the bottom arm to speed up the swing is impossible. This is an advanced aspect of technique that is not useful for beginner vaulters, in my opinion, until they have a free takeoff and an extended, early plant. I usually don't even tell people to pull, it just happens when they try to swing as fast as they can.

That's the problem with this message board...people read a few posts, watch a video or two, and think they have it all figured out, and then start to criticize. Think twice before you start calling names, it just makes YOU sound like an idiot. Respectful debate of technique is always welcome.

Keep an open mind, hold the negative comments, and realize that you will still be learning about this event for many years into the future. Someday you will have to give this same advice to a young vaulter/coach like yourself.

Cheers,
Tom

[altius]

That video from the Reno summit is absolute gold. It literally spells out the pole drop then refutes the idiots who think pulling is benign/good. Lets just say the whiny junior high kids i occasionally help will have little chance to argue against this logic. Good find.

IDIOTS incidentally who have forgotten more about teaching and coaching the vault than you are ever likely to learn. Remember young man - I am assuming your ignorance is because you are young and inexperienced, "The mind is like a parachute, it works best when it is open"