who do you guys think the best pv coach is??????

[achtungpv]

I'd add Yuri Volkov and Boris Volkov to the list. Yuri coached several 19' vaulters including his son Konstantin and a dozen or more 18' vaulters. Boris didn't coach many vaulters but he was Tarasov's long term coach and Tarasov was arguably the most consistent world class vaulter ever.

[Bubba PV]

No joke DJ! How could you forget "B"?! He's in my top 5 for sure!! Bubba

Off to close up for Rita. I'm in The Woodlands, 45 miles north of Houston. Looks Like it may go east a bit so we're still on for Texas Senior Olympics Sunday in Austin. Later. Bubba

[ladyvolspvcoach]

DJ I've gotta say you're a pretty damn amazing coach your own self! I've seen your act and it's pretty impressive.
D

[dj]

hey

dad..volkov is one of the "unknowns' i spoke of..

i saw konstantin in 1979 jump really....... high .. and that changed some of my thinking.. wrote and article called 19+plus.. published in europe and later in the usa.. boy did i screw the europians up!!!!! heheheh

bubba.. get out of the way........... they are not fun.. charley almost got me...

thanks ladyvol...

later

dj

[altius]

DJ - Glad to see that you at least appreciate that there are or have been a few good coaches outside of the good ol' US of A. The name Maurice Houvion springs to mind, as does Jean Claude Perin - both French coaches of Olympic champions and world record holders I believe. Houvion is particular was successful over a long period, probably culminating in Galfione's winning performance in Atlanta.

However i would like readers to make a distinction between 'Most successful" and "best'. They are not necessarily the same! The 'context' in which a coach operates has a huge bearing on their 'success'. Petrov is clearly a great coach - in my view 'the best'- but in Donetz he had the perfect coaching context and was always going to be successful - in Formia he has an outstanding environment for developing high level athletes. When i first met him he told me he had 10 vaulters in his squad who could jump higher that the Australian record. My immediate thought was i would like to see him achieve the same thing in the Australian context where a coach spends as much time imrpoving the infrastructure and fundraising to buy poles as they actually do coaching!

A simple question. Is it easier to coach vaulters in Southern California or in the wilds of Wyoming? Why?

With this in mind i wonder how many coaches could operate as well as Dr. Mark Stewart does in the track and field backwater of Melbourne.. A department chief at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology - with limited time and little external support, Mark has developed a world record holder in Emma George -whose 4.60 still looks good, and more recently Stephen Hooker, who jumped 5.87m earlier this year. Equally important, Mark spends time teaching beginners and has a large squad of young athletes. In addition to coaching, like all Australian coaches, he has to improve facilities, raise money to buy poles and promote the event.

I am not suggesting that he is the most successful or the best but I doubt that many -if any -coaches could achieve what he has achieved in his 'context'.

The point is that we should value everyone who makes a real commitment to helping young people enjoy this great event and worry a little less about who is the best.

[lonestar]

The point is that we should value everyone who makes a real commitment to helping young people enjoy this great event and worry a little less about who is the best.

Great point Alan

[dj]

good morning

excellent post..

i have coached in florida, arkansas, california, texas and arizona.

Earls’ place is the best setup… and next was perin in colombes, france…

Socal was not very user friendly. You didn’t always have a place to jump at the times you needed or wanted to jump.. It took tully and I 12 hours from hitting the freeway to completion of a jump session.. and that was just before the games. With no help what so ever from the us federation.

Actually a controlled environment with a minimum number of poles.. and a good selection of athletes helps..

The population in socal (74 middle schools in a 9 mile radius) gives it “potentialâ€Â

[JCvaulter17]

I doubt anyone knows who he is but my coach Jim Veilleux from santa rosa california, he's been my coach for the last seven years and has coached me to where iam now which is inches from 16 feet, he's totally revamped his home life to support the local pole vaulters, has a pit and runway in his yard with a rope swing and every apparatice u can think of.

[dj]

thanks jcvaulter17

these coaches need to be included. because that is what makes the vault successful and will help keep it successful..

the summit has proven that.. year after year.. when the right athlete, right coach and right opportunity "jell" all/any of these "little' pockets of training can produce a gold medal...


i don't know if maury sanders was mentioned.. but being an arkansas boy.. i can tell you he has "put up some numbers" with his kids..

i don't know that many states have matched the quality and quantity.. (no earl is not the only arkansas coach)

dj

[CrossBarHOpper]

My personal favorites are Dave Elliot he coached a top four finisher in Ok state every year for like 18 year or so and two state records and an indoor national record. Then also Joe Dial he s got his stuff down

[Texasvaulter07]

Don Hood, Sr - coached former American and World Record holder Billy Olson, Brad Pursley, Dale Jenkins, and a few other assorted 18' and 17'ers at Abilene Christian)[/b]

Totally agree on that one kris