critiques please

[roxie]

my son has pr'd a foot and a half so far any thoughts on his jumps

[powerplant42]

He needs to start out with a more vertical pole carry. That'll give him more runway speed. Also, he isn't hitting the chord of the pole with a long trail leg, which causes his inversion problems. Good job with the PR though!

[souleman]

He needs better posture during the run. He's dropping the pole too early. Not a big deal at 12 feet but when he starts moving up in height he will really notice that part of it. The take off looks a little under (DJ's mid mark chart would help here). His grip is too wide and it looks to me he's pushing out with the bottom arm trying to make the pole bend. That's really not good. If you haven't bought him the book Beginner to Bubka please do. What good athletic kids like yours need more than anything is a good perspective of the techniques needed to progress in the sport. The book will help him a lot. He's doing alright but many things could be improved all the way from the top of the runway till he gets into the pit. Good job with the PR. Keep it going! Better overall technique will get him there. Later.............Mike