Bottom Arm Collapsing

[padow]

I think your pole carry needs some work. You are having to muscle the pole with your left arm during your approach. Try carrying the pole at a higher angle with your left hand being about parallel with the bottom of your pecs. Your left hand will not be across your body, but in the center. As the pole is lowered during the approach try not to lower the left hand, the right hand should be moving up and then the left. If you execute this properly you should see results. The next thing for you to work on would be your left leg staying long through the swing. This example will sound very elementary, but it works! As you takeoff think of trying to show the bottom of your spikes to someone behind you. Work on these and the rest of your vault will follow. Read BTB and watch elite videos!!!

[LHSpolevault]

thanks a lot for the input. my swing got better over the summer a bit, it's just my bottom arm (left) that im really concerned with. i've been told (numerous times) that its my main fault in the vault. i appreciate it.

[Mecham]

Does your face ever hurt after practice? lol just kidding.

Keep your hands high and straight, your left arm is never really in the position to keep the spacing you want. Watch bubka's 6.11m jump. His hands are straight at take off. The rest will come.

(when i say straight, i dont mean the left arm straight up in the air. I mean no true bend in the arm)

[fong520]

i think that if u tried to start ur plant a little earlier it could help..

[Tubaman]

I had this problem till that was all I focused on for about 3 weeks. Yes some of my other technique, but I'm not complaining. Went from 11' to 13' in the practice where I finally "got it".

[VTechVaulter]

This comment is not to be rude but your jump looks out of control. I know everyone thinks you need to be on long run to jump high, but if your working on your first 13 foot clear, i think a large part of your focus should be 5 and 6 lefts.

Things to work on
1.your right hand in your carry looks a bit low, keep it at your right hib bone and dont let it drop as you run, if anything slightly raise it as your pole tip drops
2. swing long, as was said before your left leg isn't doing much for you. really work on whipping it long and straight all the way to your hands.
3. your turning way way too late. even in your avatar you can see it, as soon as the shoulder begin to drop you need to take your right foot and cross it over your left. this will start your turn well. currently your leading the turn with your hips.
4. as far as your plant goes. your left arm needs to be higher before the pole hits. it currently is really low, and its causing a jamm off the ground instead of rising into your hands. thing about your hands holding up a rinig that your trying to jump through.

just a few things to work on. good luck.

[drcurran]

LHSpolevault
I can't add much that has not already been said. I think you got lots of good suggestions. The one suggestion I would make was when you take video for others to look at to make suggestions take it from about 20 feet back from the run way and at 90 degrees from your take off spot. Much easier for people to get a full "picture" of your vault. Good luck!

Dan

PS - really liked the water jumps!

[LHSpolevault]

Everybody, I can't thank you enough for all of this advice. And yes, I do agree, my jump is outta control.. I'm tryin to do the best I can watching videos, doing drills and everything on my own 'cuz I don't have a coach.. Thanks a lot!

[Onrutton]

I have to disagree with pole vault newbie. The collapsing of the bottom arm sets up for a weak plant whether you are on a 15 foot pole or a 12 ft pole. You want to keep the pole moving forward into the pit, and when you collapse the left arm (for a righty), it results in you being closer to the pole, which lets the bend recoil faster. You want to maintain good distance from your torso to the pole because it will give you more pole bend, allotting more time for a long pendular swing with the trail leg. (The left arm will keep the pole moving forward, and bent longer).

Hey, that Russian girl is no Bubka, so who cares how she is doing, she would be better if it was straighter.

How to fix it:
I had the same problem, but there was one drill that worked like a charm for me. Just from a 4 step approach, take a light weight pole for what your capabilities are. Run toward the box, plant, and press out the left arm. The light pole will make it easy to flex. I call it "the hang drill". Just mash the pole into the pit, and ride it out. There is no swing up in this drill. Just focus on keeping the left arm out there. But, you also want to think (punch the left arm up tall like the right).

I would be using a pole where you can hold at the top too. Then the flexing of the pole your using will be just right (the sailpiece is in its optimal position for the bending pole).

[fx]

"press out the left arm" kind of makes me think of locking it straight out from your body at a 90 degree angle. Dont you want to push it out, but more upwards, so its more like a maybe 40 degree angle with your head and neck?

[ADTF Academy]

Well with the other post Onrutton made about how to get inverted tells me he can't. This also tells me that his plant is limiting his ability to become inverted.

If you lock out the bottom arm you will never reach inversion. It must break. Your focus should be on uppward pressure and nothing else.

Easiest way I talk about it is simply this. if your bottom elbow at the plant is pointing down your apply forward pressure and will either lock out for face plant into the pole.

If your elbow is facing out you are in a position to apply pressure up with the bottom arm to work with the top arm pressing up. this will allow you to get into the power position with your chest leading.

If you lock out that bottom arm your vault is over and you won't become inverted unless your a freak of nature, but you will be thrown off the pole or should I say launched.

And if you have seen bubka jump enough and from different angles you will even notice that he does have a slight bend in the bottom elbow, but if the only videos you have ever see are from the side you can't tell. From the side it appears to be straight and locked out, but i will guarantee this is not his focus. From behind there is a slight bend or it would never allow his hands to move to the side of his head, his bicep would hit him in the face.

By the way just so you know that russian lady you were talking about her technique is pretty good and I would recommend any beginner to take a seriously look at what she is doing. She is showing any beginner male or female what is suppose to be occuring in the petrov model.

[BApolevaulter]

i had the same problem. im not sure if you know this but ill tell you anyways. i was told that when you plant you should actually let the pole slide to the end of the box instead of planting right into the back. and when i started doing this i found that my left arm quit colapsing. so if you didnt know this and you want to try all you have to do is move your steps back anywhere from half your foots length to the full length. so when you plant it should slide and then it hits, bends and throws you up.