Review my vault

[TMcClain5]

I would like some other opinions on what I need to do in my current vault to continue improving and jumping higher. I'm looking forward to seeing what others have to say about my vault.

https://youtu.be/mLKHeXIAWi4

Steps: 3 lefts 42'
Pole: 14' 150
Gripping: around 12'6"
Bungie: little above 13'

Thanks

[KirkB]

You show above average technique, speed, and strength. Based on what I see here (and knowing nothing else about you), your PR should increase this year by quite a bit.

What I don't like is your pause after takeoff, and your pressing of the bottom arm. It seems like you're trying to bend the pole, rather than letting the pole bend naturally. I fear that your pressing action against the pole with your bottom arm will lead to bad habits that will stop you from getting a good, natural swing (like Bubka).

I also don't like your pause - which is a delay that you're imposing with the intent of staying low and letting the pole get to near full bend before you bring up your legs and raise your CoG.

A better thing to practice is to IMMEDIATELY downswing (and then upswing) - without hesitation. You'll be surprised at how good that feels, and how well it works!

And it's something that you MUST learn on short runs - it won't be possible to apply this technique on full runs if you haven't got it working well first on short runs. You have the talent to try this - so give it a go!

I like your trail leg action on your downswing, but it's next to nothing on your upswing. This is due to your pause and your pole press. Your downswing proves to me that you could develop a REALLY GOOD upswing (past the chord), but you won't be able to develop that unless you get rid of the pause and the pole press.

A couple other unrelated things (that basically just bug me) ...

<rant-1>No matter how short you run is, you should NOT be vaulting into a pit where other people are lounging. This is a safety concern. In this case, should something happen (not that you'd land on them, but for example if your pole snaps), these guys are in a danger zone. And the way they're laying on their backs, their reactions wouldn't be fast enough to get out of the way in case something weird happens. Just get into the habit of safety first! <end-of-rant-1>

<rant 2>Get into the habit of starting your run CONSISTENTLY, by NOT taking a stutter-step when you start off. This bugs me even when I see Lavillenie and other elites do it. I don't see how you can be precise in your steps if you stutter-step your first one. And even though this is just a 6-step short run, you should always practice your run to simulate your full-run competition vaults - to avoid bad habits and inconsistent steps. <end-of-rant-2>

[TMcClain5]

What I don't like is your pause after takeoff, and your pressing of the bottom arm. It seems like you're trying to bend the pole, rather than letting the pole bend naturally. I fear that your pressing action against the pole with your bottom arm will lead to bad habits that will stop you from getting a good, natural swing (like Bubka).

I see what you mean by pressing with my bottom arm. How should I go about fixing this?

I also don't like your pause - which is a delay that you're imposing with the intent of staying low and letting the pole get to near full bend before you bring up your legs and raise your CoG.

I have started working on trying to swing with no pause and also continuing my downswing into my upswing while keeping my trail leg straight throughout the swing from a short approach. I do this very well on a highbar now just trying to transition it to the vault!

[KirkB]

Sounds good. Show us vids of you on highbar, as well as on the pole (when your technique improves or you get a new PR).

Kirk