What Pole should I use?

[newPVer]

I mean a true and correct pole vault jump where you can actually clear a bar and land in the middle of the pit.

[sooch90]

I mean a true and correct pole vault jump where you can actually clear a bar and land in the middle of the pit.

Oh I see. But I still don't understand why I have to use a 145 lb pole, when I'm only like 130?? Can't I just use the 130 lb pole and hold higher up?

[vault3rb0y]

Ok heres a little lesson on poles.

Do you know how they determine the weight maximum for a certain pole?? Its called a flex number, and its the measurement (in CM or IN) of the bend in a pole when a set force is applied. At the beginning on this video you can see the process a little bit at the beginning on this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVaQSNwf7Ls


(thats also a really sweet video)

But the number of inches or Cm the pole bends is called the flex number, which you might see next to your poles maximum wieght. SO if you think about it, the lower a flex number, the stiffer to pole is.

A 145 pole, depending on the length on the pole, has a range of flexes that can be considered 145 Ibs. So when you say you could just go down to the 130 because that how much you weigh, that really has no relevance, because it is the very MINIMUM someone should weigh and be able to get on that pole, based on the flex number.

What all vaulters are trying to do is get on the pole that will use their energy in the most efficient way to clear the bar. At your stage of vaulting (and mine as well) that means getting on the stiffest pole we can based on our hand grip on the pole.

Moving your grip up on the 130 will get you a higher hand grip, but the pole will be VERY soft and you will have a very hard time jumping over your handhold, as well as controlling the pole, which is the next step in your progression of vaulting.

If you go with the 145, there is less pole from your hand grip, giving you more control over it, and it will "spring" you with a lot more force than the 130.

Talk with your coach, but different coaches have rules such as "you cannot move up your handgrip until you jump [BLANK] inches over your handhold". This is to progress in a certain way.

So in summary, yes you could go on the 130 right now and raise your hand grip, but in the progression on vaulting, it will help you a lot more to go on the 145 until you are clearing over your handgrip.

[sooch90]

Hey thanks man, that really cleared up alot of questions I had.

So basically, I should try and clear my hand hold (let's say 11'6") on the 145 pole first, and then I can move my hand grip up? What if when I move my hand grip up, I don't make it to the center of the pit? Then what should I do?

Here's what I still don't quite understand. You said that by using the 145 lb pole, I'll have more control of the pole and it will spring me with more force, but can't you just say that with every pole? So when I start holding at like 12 ft+ on the 145 lb pole, how do I know that it's springing me up with enough force? Why not just move to the 150 lb pole? And when I start gripping higher on that pole, why not just move to the next pole?

Do you see what I'm saying? If someone is holding on like a 14' 140 lb pole, all the way at the top, why does he/she use like a 150 lb pole and grip lower? Wouldn't it give the person more control and shoot them up higher? Is it based on technique? How high above their handgrip their vaulting?


Ahhh, my questions are kinda stupid, but I just don't get it yet.

[vault3rb0y]

Thats ok, everyone has questions. It might not make sense to you now, but the reason i would have you do things my way is all part of the "big picture".... getting you comfortable on stiffer poles, with the right technique, before moving up your hand grip. I know a guy who uses a 14'6 grip with a very stiff pole and jumps 17+ feet... all because of his form with a pole 50 Ibs over his weight. He could grip 15'6 or even higher, but its important to learn how to get far over your handhold before moving up your grip, because the higher your grip the more pole you are forced to control.

If someone is holding on like a 14' 140 lb pole, all the way at the top, why does he/she use like a 150 lb pole and grip lower? Wouldn't it give the person more control and shoot them up higher? Is it based on technique? How high above their handgrip their vaulting?

Its all about moving in a progression, based on personal needs. This is where a coach usually comes in, to make that judgement call. Most every time a coach moves someone up a pole it is because they are blowing through the current pole with the standards all the way back. If they arent getting much return from the pole, and "rolling over the pole" they are likely to move to a stiffer pole. If the pole is throwing them enough to go much higher, but they are just hitting the bar on the way up, they are likely to move you up a grip.

I cant make that judgement call for you, but i can tell you that if you weigh 130 and are on a 130 right now, you arent getting a lot of spring from the pole.

Another thing, just as a note that you may or may not have realized about pole vaulting yet...

The higher you hold on a pole, the softer it will actually feel. For example, on your 13' 145, that is the weight limit assuming you are holding at the very most legal top of the pole (12'9). If you hold 3 inches lower than that, its the equivalent to approximately a 12'6 150. If you think about the physics of the vault it makes sense, but just remember that the higher you are holding the softer it will seem, but you will have an extra 3 inches to go up at the top of your vault.

It sounds to me like all your questions could be answered better by a 1 on 1 coach. Once you get into a real progession with a coach, you start to answer a lot of your own questions, and your coach can answer the other ones. Right now it might not all make sense, but in time it will

[sooch90]

hey thanks again, it's starting to make sense.

unfortunately my school doesn't really have a coach that would know these kinds of things. Also HiP athletics moved too far away so I won't be able to vault there (I heard they might move again?)

[vault3rb0y]

Not sure how far you would have to go for HiP, but i travel almost 2 hours every sunday to vault, and i know of a few who have gone 3 hours one way to vault for the day. You might be able to find a club or coach to jump with within that radius.

[sooch90]

haha,i dunno. It'll take like an hour and a half and I don't have my license yet. My parents don't really wanna drive me.

[vault3rb0y]

greyhound baby!

[LHSpolevault]

Instead of making a whole new thread about changing poles and whatnot, I'll just post this here...

Last season I was using a 13' 145 PacerFX and a 13'3" 150 Altius, I used the Altius at the end of the season because the Pacer was becoming too soft and unbending very slowly. (gripping at the top of the pole)

At my college right now we have a 13' 140 UCS and a 13'6" 140 UCS that are available to me... I'm pretty sure that if I use these poles with my usual grips, I'm going to blow right through, or possibly snap them on my first couple of jumps.

My coach said to let him know if I'm going to need any poles, because he'll be able to get a couple for me if I need them. Any thoughts to what sizes I should get? Right now I'm 5'4" and around 135-140lbs.

Thanks:)


Ross.

[lonestar]

Instead of making a whole new thread about changing poles and whatnot, I'll just post this here...

Last season I was using a 13' 145 PacerFX and a 13'3" 150 Altius, I used the Altius at the end of the season because the Pacer was becoming too soft and unbending very slowly. (gripping at the top of the pole)

At my college right now we have a 13' 140 UCS and a 13'6" 140 UCS that are available to me... I'm pretty sure that if I use these poles with my usual grips, I'm going to blow right through, or possibly snap them on my first couple of jumps.

My coach said to let him know if I'm going to need any poles, because he'll be able to get a couple for me if I need them. Any thoughts to what sizes I should get? Right now I'm 5'4" and around 135-140lbs.

Thanks:)


Ross.

A 13'6 140 is the equivalent of a 13' 150. If you were on a 13'3 150 last spring (same as a 13' 150 with 3" added to the top for additional handgrip within the rules - I know the guy that makes the poles and he told me that), this 13'6 140 should be roughly about the same stiffness. Get 2 poles bigger, a 13'6 145 and a 13'6 150.

[LHSpolevault]

Just out of curiosity... the 13'6" 140 is a UCS, meaning that the max handhold would be about 4-5 inches from the top... thus making it almost like the other 13'3 poles or so correct? and wouldn't that lower grip on the UCS make it stiffer too?