can't swing up!!

[flipgirl]

I usually swing up to early which doesn't allow the pole to bend before I swing up so my coach told me to try to plant with my chest leading forward and keep my plant leg back. I am sucessfully getting deeper into the pit but now I can't swing up because I get stuck in that position through the entire vault. I don't know if this is a timing issue or not. How long should I be leaving my trail leg back??

[powerplant42]

This could happen for a number of reasons:

The pole you're on/grip you have is way too small/low to allow for time for a swing (perhaps the fact that you aren't skidding off the ground at take-off and are throwing the runway back with your take-off leg has given you a more powerful jump, so the pole/grip you had before is too small/short...)

You drop your drive knee, which slows the swing (might also increase your penetration)

You simply don't try to initiate a swing

You collapse your bottom arm at take-off

You pull with either hand

Any combination of these things

You should swing through with your trail-leg as soon as you finish your take-off. There should be no 'trying' to hold your leg back after jumping. What SHOULD be attempted is a jump that puts your leg way back due to the force created by the jump's backward shove of the runway. Does this help/make sense? Which do you think it might be?

[flipgirl]

I think that I am probably not initiating the swing because I am so focused on the "C" curve shape at take off that I don't have time to swing up. I will try swing my trail leg up sooner. What is the "backward shove" you are talking about? Does it happen naturally?

[powerplant42]

I'm just talking about throwing the runway back with your jump, instead of 'sliding' off the ground and not finishing your take-off. Anyway, do NOT focus on positions. Instead, focus on phases. Positions aren't a bad mindset for video analysis, but thinking about them when vaulting is bound to breed passive phases, points in time where no energy is put into/redirected in the vaulter-pole system. Chest drive and reverse C are common examples. Dig around through the 'pole vault manifesto' thread in the advanced technique forum and try to find where agapit talks about chest drive and how it is an unintentional and unwanted result of a good take-off.

[Haverford123]

what do you mean by collapsing your arm at takeoff?

i dont know if im missing the point but arent you suppose to keep the bottom arm relaxed?

[powerplant42]

The bottom arm should be pushing up assertively, but not rigidly, like one would do to 'lock out' to force bend. It should be relaxed, but not passive which would allow it to collapse into the vaulter's face.

[Haverford123]

ah thanks for that clarification