Angle of Takeoff

[advath]

In an e-mail to Dr. Peter McGinnis:

Dr. Peter,

In your article "Eight Elements of an Effective Takeoff" http://www.elitetrack.com/mcginnispv.pdf it says the average takeoff angle of elite male pole vaulters is about 18 degrees.
How much of that angle is affected by the pendulum action of the top arm? When the pole hits the back of the box, it causes the top arm to pendulum and lifts the shoulders, which raises the takeoff angle. When the pole hits the back of the box the pole acts as a lifting pendulum. That action lifts the body of the pole vaulter coming off the ground. How many degrees of the pole pendulum up is in the 18 degrees of the vaulter rising off the ground?

What is the actual angle of the top hand rising off the takeoff during the more efficient vaults?

The triple jumpers and long jumpers have no other outside forces (top arm pendulum or pole pendulum) affecting their takeoff angle. Those jumpers have to use their energy to jump at that angle. How many degrees of lift do those two forces subtract from that 18 degrees of takeoff of the pole vaulter? If the vaulter tries to jump with an 18 degree at takeoff, the vaulter will be jumping too much at takeoff because the pole lifts the body and the top arm pendulum lifts the body at takeoff.

On another front...If a non-elite pole vaulter takes this takeoff angle as an angle that he/she should be trying to accomplish, that angle is going to be way too high. The angle of the pole at the plant is doing to be much closer to vertical, therefore affecting the angle of takeoff even more. The difference between the height of the top hand at takeoff and the height of the top hand at maximum bend of the pole may not be very much or less.

Please read http://www.advantageathletics.com/polev ... mping.html and let me know what you think.

Hope to see you again at Jan's. Maybe we can talk about some mechanical experiments to do to find these answers.