altius wrote:"But IF the bottom forearm is ACROSS your chest" - if it is then it is not in line with the Petrov model.
Fair enough. I'm not saying that my way was the Petrov way. (How could it be, eh?) I'm only saying how I did it, and it worked well for me. In fact, I wouldn't trade it for the world.
If I was coaching today, I wouldn't FORCE a vaulter to do it my way ... but I'd get them to try it ... along with the Petrov way ... which I've just learned ... and encourage them to carry it how it feels comfortable to them. I suspect that the most comfortable way might very well be the Petrov way for MOST vaulters today. But I don't know about that, as I've never tried it. I just carried it in the way that it was most comfortable to me.
And Tim, I'm quite sure that my vision was all to the right of the pole (I vaulted left-handed). This would be distinctly different than what you describe.
Kirk