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I am a 5'10", 135 lbs vaulter.
I was previously using a 12 foot, 150 lbs pole, but recently I have moved to a 13 foot, 135 lbs pole. I decided to make this transition because I was clearing 11 feet with the shorter pole, and my coach and I have decided that it was time to move up. On the 13 foot pole, I am able to hold at the end and get very good bend, but I'm having issues with the timing of the swing. I think my problem is that I am worried about how much further away from the pit than I previously was. I am able to turn vertical, but the. I begins to stall out, and I have no more momentum to finish the jump. Any suggestions....?

Sanders7 wrote:I am a 5'10", 135 lbs vaulter.
I was previously using a 12 foot, 150 lbs pole, but recently I have moved to a 13 foot, 135 lbs pole. I decided to make this transition because I was clearing 11 feet with the shorter pole, and my coach and I have decided that it was time to move up. On the 13 foot pole, I am able to hold at the end and get very good bend, but I'm having issues with the timing of the swing. I think my problem is that I am worried about how much further away from the pit than I previously was. I am able to turn vertical, but the. I begins to stall out, and I have no more momentum to finish the jump. Any suggestions....?

Yes, when you raise your grip a foot, you suddenly need much more energy to be able to get the pole to move into the pit. This is why everyone can't just grab 20' poles, the higher the grip, the more energy you need.

I strongly suggest you drop your grip at least 6 inches. The pole will be a little less bendy, but you will find that you are able to swing much easier. If you drop it and are still not landing in the middle of the pit, keep lowering it until you do.

Stalling out means you are holding too high for the speed/technique that you used on that jump. The best solution is to first lower your grip, then work on improving your speed and technique. When you have the standards all the way back, and are knocking off the bar on the way up, then you should raise your grip, just an inch or two at a time.

You're not going to get any better advice than Rainbowgirl gave you regarding moving your hand down the 13' pole. To take it a step further, however, I suggest you develop better technique on the 12' - 150. Think about this.........11' on a 12' pole. Do you know how many HS guys are vaulting 12-6 to 13' on a 14' pole; I've stop counting. A great measure of vaulting is vaulting one's grip, i.e. 12' grip...........12' vault. To do that I suggest a 12' -135-140 pole at a short approach (perhaps 2 strides less than typically used) and focus on the top part of the vault. Swing to "cover" the pole continuing into a hip thrust (or Bubka) and pull/turn off the top into a more vertical position. And, as was suggested, keep the standards back.

vquestpvc wrote:You're not going to get any better advice than Rainbowgirl gave you regarding moving your hand down the 13' pole. To take it a step further, however, I suggest you develop better technique on the 12' - 150. Think about this.........11' on a 12' pole. Do you know how many HS guys are vaulting 12-6 to 13' on a 14' pole; I've stop counting. A great measure of vaulting is vaulting one's grip, i.e. 12' grip...........12' vault. To do that I suggest a 12' -135-140 pole at a short approach (perhaps 2 strides less than typically used) and focus on the top part of the vault. Swing to "cover" the pole continuing into a hip thrust (or Bubka) and pull/turn off the top into a more vertical position. And, as was suggested, keep the standards back.

Is 11' on a 12' pole good?

Sanders7 wrote:

vquestpvc wrote: A great measure of vaulting is vaulting one's grip, i.e. 12' grip...........12' vault.

Is 11' on a 12' pole good?

As Vquest said, vaulting any height above your grip is good. It's a measure of how good your technique is. Above your grip is good; below your grip is not so good.

Anyone that can't clear any higher than their grip is most likely doing what we call "gripping and ripping" - just holding high, running fast, hanging on for dear life, and praying that they land in the pit. Not a good idea.

So if you're gripping 11' and clearing 11'or higher, then that's good. It means that you're at least lifting your body high enough above your grip to clear the bar. When you stand above the box and measure your pole to the bar, you'll see that you're also going another 8" higher than your grip, due to the depth of the box. This is independent of how long or stiff the pole is. Just jump higher than you're gripping and you're "good"!

BTW, the advice you've gotten so far - first by RainbowGirl, then by Vquest, is excellent advice! Try what they recommend!

Kirk

Yes I plan on moving my hands down the pole. Thank you for all the advice. I'll try to post a video latter on.

rainbowgirl28 wrote:

Sanders7 wrote:I am a 5'10", 135 lbs vaulter.
I was previously using a 12 foot, 150 lbs pole, but recently I have moved to a 13 foot, 135 lbs pole. I decided to make this transition because I was clearing 11 feet with the shorter pole, and my coach and I have decided that it was time to move up. On the 13 foot pole, I am able to hold at the end and get very good bend, but I'm having issues with the timing of the swing. I think my problem is that I am worried about how much further away from the pit than I previously was. I am able to turn vertical, but the. I begins to stall out, and I have no more momentum to finish the jump. Any suggestions....?

Yes, when you raise your grip a foot, you suddenly need much more energy to be able to get the pole to move into the pit. This is why everyone can't just grab 20' poles, the higher the grip, the more energy you need.

I strongly suggest you drop your grip at least 6 inches. The pole will be a little less bendy, but you will find that you are able to swing much easier. If you drop it and are still not landing in the middle of the pit, keep lowering it until you do.

Stalling out means you are holding too high for the speed/technique that you used on that jump. The best solution is to first lower your grip, then work on improving your speed and technique. When you have the standards all the way back, and are knocking off the bar on the way up, then you should raise your grip, just an inch or two at a time.

So I found out today and yesterday that even when I moved my hands down on the 13' foot pole, I still don't have the momentum to carry myself past the pit. I think the solution to this would be to better my technique on the 12' pole, but I'm not postive.

Sanders7 wrote: So I found out today and yesterday that even when I moved my hands down on the 13' foot pole, I still don't have the momentum to carry myself past the pit. I think the solution to this would be to better my technique on the 12' pole, but I'm not positive.

What does your coach think you should do?

Did you follow RainbowGirl's advice? Her advice was:

I strongly suggest you drop your grip at least 6 inches. The pole will be a little less bendy, but you will find that you are able to swing much easier. If you drop it and are still not landing in the middle of the pit, keep lowering it until you do.

Have you done this? You need to be more specific on HOW FAR down the pole you dropped your hands. 6"? 12"? As RG says, keep dropping your grip until you swing into the pit! Have you done this?

And THEN you can focus on your SWING TECHNIQUE.

Until you're landing safely in mid-pit, you're just wasting your time worrying about which pole to use. Discuss this with your coach, but I think you need to learn how to swing into the pit - no matter which pole you use.

Kirk

Sanders7 wrote:So I found out today and yesterday that even when I moved my hands down on the 13' foot pole, I still don't have the momentum to carry myself past the pit. I think the solution to this would be to better my technique on the 12' pole, but I'm not postive.

Well, is the 12'150 really too small for you? Are you knocking off the bar on the way up with the standards all the way back on that pole? If that is not the case, you may need more time on the 12' pole before moving to the 13' pole. Then, when you go to the 13' pole, start with your grip at 12' and only move it up an inch or two at a time if you are landing deep in the pit.