forcing and controlling the bend

[between3and5charctrs]

about 3 months ago i broke my wrist, it has healed and i set a PR of 9'( previous was 8) after only 4 days of practice in 2 weeks before the meet. it feels good enough to start trying to bend again. at the time of my injury i was trying to use a 12' 145 and it was too hard for me to keep my left arm straight. yesterday i used an 11'120, i weigh 117, i was able to make the bend but it just shot me around and i could not keep my arm straight once again. this is from a 4 step, would it be beneficial to move to a 5 or 6? i can easily cap the pole and probably could go back to the 12 145 but im not confident enough in my arm to do it since i cant even curl a 20lb weight.

[GasPasser]

I'm no Dr., but you might want to give that injury more time to heal. A broken wrist is a pretty serious injury, but I assume your Dr. has cleared you to vault again.

I'd stick to short runs, and straight pole drills. Save the pole bending and longer runs for when you have more confidence in that arm. Your safety and health should be your top concern right now. Give it time.

Good luck.!

[between3and5charctrs]

my wrist is fine, its actually much better than my doctor said it would be years from now. the problem is my strength, im looking for a way to bend the pole without needing all the strength that i would normally have.

[KirkB]

... i was trying to use a 12' 145 and it was too hard for me to keep my left arm straight. yesterday i used an 11'120, i weigh 117, i was able to make the bend but it just shot me around and i could not keep my arm straight once again. ...

my wrist is fine, its actually much better than my doctor said it would be years from now. the problem is my strength, im looking for a way to bend the pole without needing all the strength that i would normally have.

Regardless of your current health, and assuming that you're right-handed, you are under an extremely false assumption if you think that the way to bend the pole is to keep your left arm straight!

The problem is NOT your strength at all. The problem is your technique!

If you're truly looking for a way to "bend the pole without needing all the strength that I would normally have", then try bending the pole PROPERLY - with the force of your run applied through your TOP hand, and not through your bottom hand.

This topic has been discussed quite thoroughly on PVP over the past several years. Search for it. Use keywords like "bottom hand bend kirk" The bend of the pole comes from the TOP hand - not from the BOTTOM hand. If you "keep your bottom arm straight", you WILL bend the pole - there's not doubt about that. But where your misconception is (and you're not alone - this is a very common misconception with young vaulters) is that the pole won't bend unless you force it to bend with the bottom arm. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

So if the bottom arm WILL bend the pole, why not do that? The answer is because a forced bend from a bottom arm will stall your swing, and prevent you from swinging upside down on the pole - into a handstand position. Instead, when you stall, you will get into a V position (hips down but legs up), and then you will either stall out or hit the bar on the way up. Sound familiar?

"it was too hard for me to keep my left arm straight. ... it just shot me around ..."

Sounds to me like you either stalled out or hit the bar on the way up - or both!

BTW, if you can't even curl a 20 pound weight, yet you say "my wrist is fine", then you're just nuts!

Also, I think your question belongs in the Beginner's forum, since you're at the 8 foot level. Intermediate level is at least 4 feet higher than that. I don't mean to be too tough on you, since you're obviously just starting out and desperately need help. Rather, I'm just giving you some cold, hard facts. Find a coach or older vaulter to discuss these topics with - you need hands on help much more than you need advice via the internet. Good luck!

I think I've given you the answer to the exact question that you asked. You can bend the pole with less strength by using your top arm to bend it - NOT your bottom arm!

Kirk

[between3and5charctrs]

i put this in intermediate because this coming season will be my 3rd. my coach taught me to bend with my left arm straight, maybe thats why i failed. he hasnt been around lately to help at at all. my wrist isnt injured, its just a lack of strength in my arm.

[KirkB]

i put this in intermediate because this coming season will be my 3rd. my coach taught me to bend with my left arm straight, maybe thats why i failed. he hasnt been around lately to help at at all. my wrist isnt injured, its just a lack of strength in my arm.

Fair enough.

I realize that you're still young, but I did not realize that you've already been vaulting for 2 seasons. It's unfortunate that your coach has given you such bad advice (to bend the pole by pressing with the left arm). I think that's probably held you back this year by a couple feet at least (and I'm sure your injury didn't help either).

At the 8 foot level, you actually don't need to bend the pole at all. You only need to learn how to swing properly, with a fairly stiff pole (it's OK if it bends a little, but the stiffer the better). I don't know your speed or grip, but you should be able to grip high enough so that you can swing into the pit safely without much bend at all. You MUST learn how to do this, before you even worry about bending the pole. It's called pole VAULTING, not pole BENDING! The most important thing is to SWING on the pole - not to BEND it!

Don't think of this year as a failure. Rather, think of it as a lesson learned on the road to success!

Now is the time to start thinking about training for next year. You can help yourself get ready for next season by learning how you should (and should not) be swinging on the pole, and by practising the drills that allow your body to SWING properly - once your mind understands what is to be done.

Pole vault is a great sport, and whether you vault 10 feet next year or 12, the challenge is in tackling a complex gymnastic movement to clear the bar. Think of it as a personal challenge to increase your PR (Personal Record), and don't worry too much about comparing yourself to other vaulters.

There is a wealth of information here on PVP, you just need to read it and understand it. And then TRY it yourself!

Good luck!

Kirk

[between3and5charctrs]

i was at 9 feet our last meet, and again at practice, im able to do good form for straight poling and my coach told me i wont get much higher without bending. the one day i was actually able to do it, i was probably doing around 11feet seeing as the bungee was at 9 and i was kicking it with my toes while in 12oclock position. trying to condense my questions into one, i thought of "how would you teach someone with very little strength, but good form to bend?"

[KirkB]

"how would you teach someone with very little strength, but good form to bend?"

Yes, that's a great question!

The answer is as I said - you need far less strength to SWING properly from the TOP hand (rather than from the BOTTOM hand)!

Again, it's pole VAULTING - not pole BENDING!

Kirk

[between3and5charctrs]

so i do exactly what ive been doing on a stiff pole?

[KirkB]

so i do exactly what ive been doing on a stiff pole?

If you post a vid of your stiff pole vaults, then we can answer that question.

Meanwhile, research the vids of other vaulters in the Video Review section of PVP, and look for examples of vaulters clearing 8-10 feet without much bend.

Kirk

[vcpvcoach]

I just had a junior boy clear 11' without bending his pole with a double leg swing. Go figure. Still working on driving his lead knee.

[between3and5charctrs]

do you know where his grip is? if mine exceeds more than around 11'6" on a 12' 145 or 12'6" 150 then theres a slight bend in the pole, unless im using the 11'3" 145, nothing will bend that monster. capping the 11' 120 i get a bend, but i cant control it anymore than i can control a bull