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Hey everyone, i'm a 17-year-old vaulter from NJ and I have a problem. i have a good run and my plant is usually good (on time and on step) but i always drive INTO the pit, really hard. So this causes me to get a low bend on bigger poles and they therefore spit out, onto the mat. My coaches always tell me that my problem is that i never LEAP at take-off. After an explination, i totally understood what he meant; and it makes total sense. the fact that your hips rise, with the pole, translates to a much better transfer of energy and a higher bend, oppossed to driving into the pole and getting a low bend.

So I understand the concept...i just can't do it haha. i can jump just fine off of one leg, and when i do pole-runs, i stay upright and pop up just fine. but when it comes time to vault...i just can't do it )=

so can anyone help me with this?? like, drills and what not?? this would be a real help cause this is the thing keeping me from gripping higher and getting on bigger poles.

Thank you all. -Joe

Mark on the runway where you should take off with one of your smaller poles. Then put something (I used plastic bottle, shoe, person) you can see as you are coming down the runway off to the side where you take off at. Then when you are vaulting, just pretend you are long jumping and that is the takeoff board. I know this helped me by giving a visual aid to where I needed to jump at because when I was running fast without the aid i would get confused and just run right into my plant with no jump and have a really low bend in the pole.

I've heard of this... but I personally do not like it... here's why. If you put something on the runway at your take-off mark, you will be inclined to look at it... that is, down. We must look UP. I would actually bet that THAT is the reason why you 'drive' into the pit instead of jumping up (although there are many other possible reasons). Do you sand vault? It is not as easy to do what you're doing with a stiff pole in the sand. Try that, 2-3 lefts, focus on keeping the head up. It's the sand, so your plant can be wherever.

i agree with powerplant 100%. if i put a marker on the runway, i'd look at it too much. but to answer your question, no, i don't look down. i used to, and i couldn't even get off the ground

i went through this phase, not too long ago, where i was looking down (long story as to how i started that habbit btw) and i would plant late. but after much drilling, off the runway and in the sandpit, i fixed it. so i can get off the ground now, i just get a low bend.

so yea, i do sand-pit drills but it wouldn't hurt to drill them, even more, focusing on leaving the ground, right before the pole tip plants in the sand.

any other tips???

Try this drill (it will help you keep keeping your head up, as well as your 'driving' problem): Take one of the standards and tie a bungy to an 11'-12' peg. Then tie the other end low on the other standard or on a hurdle or something similar. We want a big (but wide) slant to work with here. Get your competition pole, and do a pole run (3 lefts and out) towards the apparatus. Try to touch the bungy with your top hand (while still holding the pole) as you take-off. You can go left or right (up or down) as you feel you need more of a challenge or less of one.

(By the way, you can still jump very high with a flat take-off. Isinbayeva has set numerous world records with a WAY below average take-off angle... but she HAS increased the heights as her take-off angle has improved over the last year or so. )

PP, I guess what you mean is to tie the bungy to the standard on one side, and to a hurdle on the other side, ON THE TRACK - NOT ON THE RUNWAY, and then do run-thrus / jump-thrus, landing back on the track, right? Or do you mean sand vaults?

No, on the track. I took this drill right from BTB2. "Bungy Bar Drill"

yea, i was coached my alan once and he told me about this drill. i've been meaning to try it. now's the time i guess haha. i'll try it tomorrow (which i guess is today now haha) at the track

It takes time to change anything the body is used to doing. You must persist with the basic drills.

One thing I'd like to add from my own experience, is that there is a difference between leaping at takeoff, and trying to do so. Sounds obvious? Let me explain. Last season I made large strides in getting my step out to a much better spot, as I had formerly been a flat, inside takeoff, vaulter. I also tried to focus on "popping up" off the runway at the takeoff, in order to avoid that flat takeoff. The problem, was that my vision of what I was trying to do wasn't coinciding with what I actually did. I though I was leaping up off the runway well, but what I was actually doing was decelerating at the takeoff and decreasing the amount of force that I can deliver to the runway through my take off foot.

My advice is that leaping up at takeoff is the RIGHT WAY to do it, but don't sacrifice the amount of energy you can put into the takeoff, for a slightly better trajectory. Work the long jump drills, do lay ups, and practice jumping up while going at full speed. Also, I have done the bungee drill PP suggested, awesome drill, do that one a lot! Take care. Peace.

A related post is the "Finding take-off angle" post here: http://polevaultpower.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=15675&p=113126&hilit=kirk+bungee+jump+drill#p113126

In it, I proposed the "Bryde Jump Drill". This drill didn't get much traction (yet), but I still think it's a good one. It has similarities to the BTB2 drill that PP explained above. The main difference is that it's proposed as a MEASURABLE, competitive drill. This way, it's more fun, and you can track your progress.

The trouble I have in watching vaulters take off is that you can't really SEE how hard they're jumping. Are they getting picked off, or are they JUMPING?

And if you're analyzing your own vault, you can FEEL how hard you're jumping, but it's not MEASURABLE. It would be nice to QUANTIFY your progress.

The proposed Bryde Jump Drill makes a game out of this.

Kirk