Top hand slipping

A forum to discuss pole vault technique as it relates to beginning vaulters. If you have been jumping less than a year, this is the forum for you.

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Unread postby craigmtb » Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:20 pm

CrossBarHOpper wrote:My friend used to always slip his top hand no matter what the grip was so one day joe dial tapes his hand to the pole. my friends was so scared


Now that's funny, real funny ;)
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Unread postby reggiereeves » Wed Apr 19, 2006 11:52 pm

yesterday, i tried going from a 120lb to a 140lb the next size up i could get my hands on. half way through the vault my lower hand slipped completely off the pole and the pole recoiled and pouched me 100 fold....then my top hand slid 3 ft down the pole and stole my fingerprints...does anybody know where i can get some new ones?

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Unread postby un poco loca saltar » Thu Apr 20, 2006 12:14 pm

I don't think it's really the matter of the forces aplied or anything likie that.....
my plant's fine: I'm getting it high and fast, my run's looking alot better too.
thing is, when I do plant and I'm in the air trying to get my feet up and myself upsidedown, my top hand slips, which is really freaky as hell *pardon my language*. So it's not like I'm not going anywhere... it's just difficult to do everything correctly when it *my hand* slips...

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Unread postby LHSpolevault » Thu Apr 20, 2006 12:49 pm

try some Stick-Um spray or chalkkk

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Unread postby master » Thu Apr 20, 2006 12:54 pm

If your hand is slipping down, you are not gripping tightly enough for the combination of things that exist on that jump. If you are not already gripping as tightly as you possibly can, then change that as the first thing. If you still slip than consider any of the many options regarding improving the gripping surface on your pole. When that aspect is OK and if you still slip (and if your plant and jump and take off angle are OK as you indicate), then you need to reduce the forces acting on your hand. That can be most easily done by lowering your hand grip. Try lowering it a large amount, like 8 inches or so, adjust your approach run accordingly and try the jump. If you still slip, your original hand hold was much too high for the pole and your vault ability. Lower it until you don't slip. From that new starting point, raise your grip about two finger widths worth when you are comfortable your jumps are doing well. Keep gradually raising it only when you can successfully (no slipping) jump with the grip you have.

If you have to lower your grip so much that you are no longer able to bend the pole properly, then you will likely need to change poles to one lower in weight rating.

Although you have said your plant is OK, one of the most frequent reasons for a vaulter's hand slipping is they have taken off "under". That is the toe of their take off foot is toward the pit from a plumb line dropped from the top hand when the pole is held as would be at take off.

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Unread postby Tim McMichael » Fri Apr 21, 2006 2:20 pm

I was at a camp once when Joe Dial taped a kid's top hand to a training pole and actually made him jump with it. He had to carry that pole around with him all day. NOT a solution I reccomend, but it actually happened.

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Top hand slipping

Unread postby ladyvolspvcoach » Fri Apr 21, 2006 6:16 pm

Your top hand is slipping because you are taking off under. It is compensating for the take off by releaving pressure on the hand. It is sliding down the same amount you are under. If you start with the grip after your hand slides down you will be "on". That is of course assuming that your run mechanics are correct. Once you get in with the lower grip, you can make adjustments to the start of the run up to get your grip back up (if that's where you should be gripping).

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Unread postby Robert schmitt » Sat Apr 22, 2006 2:36 am

un poco loca saltar wrote:I don't think it's really the matter of the forces aplied or anything likie that.....
my plant's fine: I'm getting it high and fast, my run's looking alot better too.
thing is, when I do plant and I'm in the air trying to get my feet up and myself upsidedown, my top hand slips, which is really freaky as hell *pardon my language*. So it's not like I'm not going anywhere... it's just difficult to do everything correctly when it *my hand* slips...


It sounds like your hand is slipping during your swing and not at the moment of takeoff. I see this happen when kids are not swinging properly and as thier legs past horizontal they let thier top hand slide down a bit. typically its 4-6". this lets thier shoulder drop and get you upside down. but obviously it's not how you want to get there. You need to lower you grip and work on developing a more powerful swing.
An optimist is one who sees a light in darkness....a pessimist blows it out.

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Unread postby un poco loca saltar » Sun May 07, 2006 5:04 pm

okay, i got it fixed! thanks for all ur responces and help!
what i did to fix it:
i lowered my grip considerably, then mycoach and i came to an agreement that that wasnt helping me at all, so we raised it again. it took quite a few practices and many uncomfortable ways of trying to fix it that didnt work.
eventually it came down to last tuesday. we were getting alot of rain up here and my coach decided that we should still practice in it, besides, who knew what our next meet's weather was going to be like?
after an hour of us standing our in the light, drenching rain, my coach decides to change all of our tape on our poles.
and guess what?
my hand stayed.
the tape on my pole must have been a few months old because there was NO friction at all on it. as soon as i started vaulting with the new tape, it was like there was super glue on my hand. so i got to move my grip up and im doing much better now.

now if only we had thought of that a few weeks ago...

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Unread postby AKell » Sun May 07, 2006 6:41 pm

that tape must have been REALLY bad!
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Unread postby un poco loca saltar » Sun May 07, 2006 9:06 pm

AKell wrote:that tape must have been REALLY bad!


it was. it was compleatly brown and it came off really easily. so it really must have been on for ages and we just didnt think to replace it. *stupid*


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