Wisconsin Rescinds Mandatory Helmet Rule

[dj]

good morning,

helmets are not the answer... one helpful solution would be to place 9” gymnastics mats around the outside of the pit.. beginning just past the standards.. I have actually used football blocking dummy padding before..

the most important time was for practice when vaulters were learning and had a greater chance to “mess” up. Then at meets place the pads just past the standards.. that was/is the main area that the vaulter can go to if they “make a plant/technique error.”

We also should check the box.. sometimes they can be put in slightly “tweeked” to one side .. I have seen boxes send world class vaulters to the side..

Check the pole 8” from the bottom.. that can tell you how bad the plant is and if the swing rhythm is incorrect. Force bending call cause the pole to slide to the corner and depending on where you are in the swing it can send you to the side instead of down the middle. The poles bend qualities combines with your action will determine where you land.

The main issue is to teach and learn correct technique… and understand it is an event of “PHYSICS”… what and how the energy is put in…. is what comes out.

When we changed from steel to fiber glass 90% of the world changed their thinking from the event being a “swing” vault to a “catapult”… HUGE difference in what can happen on the pole…

With steel your mind set was you had to do the work and “jump, swing and even thrust yourself high above the grip…

With fiber glass, even world class vaulters start to think that the pole “throwing” them is the answer… Gatalin said to me.. “give me a very strong pole.. a very fast pole.. and I will set the world record”… the company made that pole for him.. it “stood him up”.. he threw it aside and never used it again.. and went away thinking he was not man enough to match Bubka’s record.. but he was, he just had the wrong concept and wanted the wrong type of pole.

This is the concept that is hurting the vault. Both technically and from an injury stand point.

so bigger poles are harder to bend so you have to “force bend” sending the pole into the corner of the box while you are still in the “plant/drive” phase and as you swing past the pole (if you don’t tuck a lot) you will swing away for the pole to go around the bottom hand.. sending you to the right if you are a right hander….

Bottom line… there are going to be “mistakes” but minimize those by learning and practicing the correct technique. The correct technique (I believe) is being taught by Alan, by Kirk, by Roman’s “model”.. IF it is being taught to Physics…

You should never have to “force bend” a pole.. period.. you should NEVER think that the pole is a “rocket” and you need to wait and let if shoot you to the moon. Companies should not be designing poles that are “rockets” and designed to “throw you”, “catapult you” or designed to give you “big air” by throwing you!

You are not only working against physics you are making the vault more unsafe…

dj