Bad Swing needs help!!!!

[Antihero43]

Ok so im told by many coaches i have a good to great plant and take off. My problem comes after my initial start of my swing. After the very start of it i just tuck my legs to my chest and i dont stay long. This makes it pretty much impossible for myself to get completely inverted. My coaches tell me i need to keep my body and leg long and swing hard, but i cant feel what my leg is doing when i swing it. I can swing up fine on short no bend pop ups, but the bend like clears my mind. Does this this ever happen to anyone else, does anyone have any drills or advice?

[bvpv07]

I would go back (or forward, I guess) to a short run, like a three step or so. Start on your stiff pop-up pole and swing up so that you get inverted. Gradually move down poles so that you are still from the short run, but are bending the pole, swinging, and getting inverted. When you've got it down from three with a bend, swing, and inversion, move back to four. Start it again with a stiff pole, gradually moving to poles that you bend and can still swing up and get inverted. Continue to move back a step, keep on going with the poles, etc. until you're back at your full run. You might not have to do this for every step, but I think that it really helps. The main thing is to not go directly from your really short run to your long run...you need to numbers and gradual adjustment to get it down so that you don't get it at 3 (or whatever) then go back to your long run, do it like you used to, and then say "Crap, I still can't do it!"

[LPVG]

One way to ensure you have a straight trail leg from the time you take off to the time you mark on the top is to keep your trail leg toe flexed up. If you are doing it right, you will feel a tightness in your hamstring and it is impossible to tuck and shoot. Try that with everything bvpv07 told you and you should begin to feel an incredible leg whip.
Good luck.

[fx]

Don't think so much about pointing it up, but think about swinging from the toe of your trail leg. My coach used to tell me to imagine kicking a soccer ball. Doing Bubkas on a high bar helps.

[BrownVolvo]

Yean, inverting while the pole is bending is alot harder than inverting with a straight pole from 3 lefts. I guess it is harder because of that unbending force.
You can strengthen your swing by gripping on a high-bar, body straight and bring both of your feet to your hands. Do this without bending your knees. You can do a bubka when your feet touches your hands. You're pretty much in an L-position.
It worked for me.

[advath]

One way to ensure you have a straight trail leg from the time you take off to the time you mark on the top

There are many sequence pictures of pole vaulters in http://advantageathletics.com/2005/?cat=12 Can you find me one that has a straight trail leg the whole vault? Lifting your trail foot bending the trail leg after you come off the ground helps you keep your hips back as your face and chest drive forward. Driving the trail foot down (tapping the box) starts a strong fast swing. Bending and lengthening the trail leg as the legs and hips rise, is used as an accelerator for inversion. The key is to staighten the legs as they approaches the top hand. Read more in http://advantageathletics.com/2005/?page_id=71

For drills to strengthen your rockback see http://advantageathletics.com/2005/?page_id=72