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Heres the deal. My first track meet of my life I got 11'6" in the pole vault, putting me 6th all-time at my high school. Im from NY and we dont vault much so dont make fun of me lol. I went over the bar in a laying down position and was completely horizonatal. I am 170 using a 13' 165 Pacer. The pole is bending great and my plant is pretty good in my opinion. Its just that once I get in the air I tend to just stay there in a seated position and end up hooking my legs and then my back over the bar like a feet first high jump. I am 6' and run a mid to low 11 second 100m dash. I bench 240 and squat 360. I have the body type, speed and strength to be a good pole vaulter (right?) I just need to get the technique down. I am a junior in highschool and I live about 100 yard from my schools vault pit and I plan vaulting 3-5 times a week all spring and summer. I will do anything it takes to get great and the first step is getting inverted. What can I do to work on swinging and getting upside down and then finally turning? Are there any drills, videos, books? Any pointers you guys can give me? Thanks!

Alright...if you're looking for books, really just check out Beginner to Bubka. It's awesome and it will show and explain to you the drills that you need to advance from your beginning level on.

DVDs? Well, not exactly instructional, but take a look at the ones that NeoVault has for sale (C'mon, Bring It, and A Pole Vaulter's Dream). Guaranteed to get you pumped up and it's always a good idea to look at how elite vaulters are jumping so that you can get the right picture in your brain (I'm a really visual learner, so that works for me).

Since your in high school, you need to get on a bigger stick (weight-wise) to be vaulting legally.

For inverting, work on doing turn-ups on a stiff pole from a shorter run...focus on getting a really powerful swing from your legs and using your lats. Once you've got it here, you can work on getting a bend and moving back.

Your enthusiasm's great...but just make sure that you've got someone there to watch you while you vault. If possible, look into finding a good coach (if you don't have one already) that can help you, or research any clubs in your area.

Oh, and the book and DVDs (along with many other things) can be found at http://www.neovault.com/. While you're at it, you might want to get a subscription to the site to look at even more film...and then just spend some time browsing the rest of this site and the links to learn as much as you can.

Good luck!

I have the same problem with inverting. I'm a sophmore in high school, only vault for 2 months, and can barely clear 8' (don't laugh, kk you can laugh). When i run down and bend the pole, I can't seem to invert. I don't know what happen but i usually knock the pole over. Any tips on inverting?

remember to use the search feature...

typing in "invert" I got 122 matches

Thanks. That helped a ton! Ill probably buy that Bubka book, I've heard nothing but good about it. I am using a 13' 165 Pacer, but I also have access to a 14' 175 UCS and a 15' 175 UCS. I can get the 13' 165 to bend great but I tried the 14' 175 once with the same grip as my 13' and I could hardly bend it. My top hand slipped off and the pole snapped back and knocked the wind out of me lol. I have a coach who vaulted 13' in high school and I feel he knows enough to get me started, which is where I am at now. I read that I should watch videos of elite women vaulters, because their styles are more similar to what I should be aiming for. What are some free resources on the net I should check out regarding technique? Also judging by my strength, size and speed do you think I am built to be a pole vaulter? I look at the olympians and they have similar body types as mine.

If you can afford it, consider attending one of Mark Hannay's camps at Slippery Rock this summer. It would fast forward your development and help you understand WHAT to practice and why.

TheBigMastodon wrote:Thanks. That helped a ton! Ill probably buy that Bubka book, I've heard nothing but good about it. I am using a 13' 165 Pacer, but I also have access to a 14' 175 UCS and a 15' 175 UCS. I can get the 13' 165 to bend great but I tried the 14' 175 once with the same grip as my 13' and I could hardly bend it. My top hand slipped off and the pole snapped back and knocked the wind out of me lol. I have a coach who vaulted 13' in high school and I feel he knows enough to get me started, which is where I am at now. I read that I should watch videos of elite women vaulters, because their styles are more similar to what I should be aiming for. What are some free resources on the net I should check out regarding technique? Also judging by my strength, size and speed do you think I am built to be a pole vaulter? I look at the olympians and they have similar body types as mine.

There are a lot of articles on here about technique, some better than others. Also check out www.pvei.com

Check out this chart so you can understand that it is a LARGE jump from a 13'165 to a 14'175 http://www.skyjumpers.com/articles/reli ... _chart.htm

Also www.skyjumpers.com has some useful video and articles.

Thanks. I dont really have time or money to spend on a camp, but I am fortunate that I have a pit right next to my house. Thanks for the sites rbgirl. I only have a 13' 165 and a 14' 175 so I will have to eventually make that change. How high should I be getting on my 13' 165 before I try to move up to the 14' 175?

Learn about pole progression, before you get hurt mentally and/or physically. You sound like you can be a very good pole vaulter and have no fear trying bigger poles, but going from a 13-165 pole to a 14-175 is probably not a great idea. Find out about clinics and/or camps to go to become a better pole vaulter. Purchase the Beginner to Bubka book soon. Always remember to be safe and have fun.

rainbowgirl28 wrote:

TheBigMastodon wrote:Thanks. That helped a ton! Ill probably buy that Bubka book, I've heard nothing but good about it. I am using a 13' 165 Pacer, but I also have access to a 14' 175 UCS and a 15' 175 UCS. I can get the 13' 165 to bend great but I tried the 14' 175 once with the same grip as my 13' and I could hardly bend it. My top hand slipped off and the pole snapped back and knocked the wind out of me lol. I have a coach who vaulted 13' in high school and I feel he knows enough to get me started, which is where I am at now. I read that I should watch videos of elite women vaulters, because their styles are more similar to what I should be aiming for. What are some free resources on the net I should check out regarding technique? Also judging by my strength, size and speed do you think I am built to be a pole vaulter? I look at the olympians and they have similar body types as mine.

There are a lot of articles on here about technique, some better than others. Also check out www.pvei.com

Check out this chart so you can understand that it is a LARGE jump from a 13'165 to a 14'175 http://www.skyjumpers.com/articles/reli ... _chart.htm

Also www.skyjumpers.com has some useful video and articles.

What's the cheapest site to buy BTB? Hopefully I can find a good camp in NY.

TheBigMastodon wrote:What's the cheapest site to buy BTB? Hopefully I can find a good camp in NY.

www.neovault.com for BTB.

www.polevaultpower.com/network for clubs and camps in your area.

thanks.