vballswimvault wrote:hi, i was reading though the posts on here and i couldnt really find what i was looking for so hopefully nobody minds me asking...
im a first year sophmore
pr 9'2''
ive finally gotten onto our 12' 130 pole this week
thats my weight
my height is 5'8''
and im gripping at about 11'
although im happy i got as high as i did in a year, i am quite aware that there is a lot more i need to work on.
The first major thing is how to use the bend of the pole to your advantage. i always seem to go farther instead of higher when i try and run faster and put more energy into the pole. Any ideas on how to fix that?
The other major inhibitor is that i do not get upside down what so ever. when i go over the bar, i am perfectly perpendicular to the ground. i def dont wanna say i have the strongest abs ever, but i know they are strong enough to hold me up there, as i am able to do rope drills correctly (on a good day
) i know i could hold myself upside down if i just learned how to get there! should i have a stronger driving knee to circle me up there or something of the sort? i am told it is really all about abs, but my abs are strong enough... perhaps its a thing one has to figure out for themselves? any tips on this would be greatly appreciated.
thanks a lot!
oh man, you are a coaches dream, haha. Ok lets start from the top. You are on a 12' 130 holding at 11'. For every foot you go down on a pole its approximately 20 Ibs stiffer, so its more like jumping on a 150, which is a good spring for someone just in their first year, just getting on that is an accomplishment, good job!! Second, if you are going farther horizontally than vertically it means you are "driving through the pole". Basically, it means you are ready for a bigger/ stiffer pole.
But before you make this transition, id suggest fixing some problems you most likely have as a first yaer vaulter, we all go through it! Line up your take off to get your "step", the final foot you take off the ground with. Just stand with the pole in the box and get your foot slightly farther back than your top hand, with your top arm fully extended, be as tall as possible. You should look almost perpendicular with the ground, with your take off foot slightly farther back than your top hand.
Then make your run backwards on the runway, then go the right way into the box, and be tall just like when you were getting your step. Have someone check it, because if you are "Inside", which is usually the case for first year vaulters, it will almost destroy your chances of getting through a pole and getting a good swing. Make your your step is right on and be tall, dont drop the drive knee, stay long all the way through the vault.
Your take off leg should be behind you at this point, as you have just taken off the ground. From this position, you actually use your hip flexor and core muscles to swing the leg as hard as you can so that your shins hit the pole between your hand grips. If you can get to this point, you are in great shape. From there, ideally you actually swing past vertical so that when you drop your shoulders back to the pole, you keep shooting straight up. As you can already tell, there are a ton of physics involved with bending the pole, getting through on bigger poles, and swinging, and if you go into the "technique" forum, and search anything like "swing" "drive" "free take off", you will find a ton of posts on physics. Ive been basically studying the physics for 2 years and i still have a ton to learn, so heres the main things to think about to help you.
1.) you want to be as tall at the take off as you can, never pull in your top arm, that ruins all force you are putting into the pole.
2.) Make sure your step is on, have someone catch it every time you take a jump.
3.) when you jump, think about throwing the runway behind you, this will give you more force and set you up for a nice swing.
4.) when you swing, swing from the toe and keep the swing leg straight if you can. Practice this on a short pole just keeping the pole straight. Im sure you have done these, called pop-ups. They help a ton with trying to get inverted. Just hold low, throw the runway back, and swing and long as you can. If you search this in the technique forum you will find a lot there too. Any questions, im sure you might have a few, haha, feel free to ask.
It might seem overwhelming but every step is fun to work on, and before you know it you are up at 12 feet having a blast!
but i'll try to explain it better. you do turn as you push off, but it might be easier to try this.
