PoleVaultPower.com

I need two training poles, 11' and 12', soft, in the 130-150lb range. My coach says that they're green, but he can't remember the brand. Is it skypole?

Training poles are a waste of money. Just get a small pole you can jump on from 3-4 lefts.

How are they a waste of money?

I have them $150 each
we rate them as normal poles to use in competition

trainers are not allowed for use by NFHS

but these are legal

Bruce@xlogicsports.com

BigStick Club wrote:How are they a waste of money?

I personally think they create bad habits. They return slower than normal poles and allow you sit under the pole instead of swinging off the ground. If you're doing 4-8 step approaches you're better off jumping with a stiff pole or one that barely bends to learn how to swing.

Ah, no, this would only be for training. I have comp. poles.

I already know how to swing upside down. I think my coach wants them specifically because they're slower - I have a tendency to invert and then bail without getting the ride. He thinks (and I do, too) that if I were forced to WAIT, that I would learn to catch the ride.

THERE IS NO WAITING IN POLE VAULTING. That is passive, not good, you need to keep putting energy into the system. If you are missing something in your vault, waiting will only make things worse, you need to correct your run, takeoff and swing, not get a training pole to fix your technical problems, there is nothing inherently wrong with a training pole but to use it properly you need a stiff one and then with the extra heavy wall thickness those poles have(which is what makes them work in the old slow bending/returning fashion) it just makes it where you are vaulting on a pole that weighs a lot more than a regular pole. if you are vaulting such that you are afraid to use a small regular competition pole because you might break it you are either 1. using too small of a pole and or 2. jumping incorrectly and you will never learn to vault correctly. I would stay away from training poles. Just my 2 cents.

BigStick Club wrote:I already know how to swing upside down.

So you jump 4'+ over your grip? No? Then you don't know how to swing.

achtungpv wrote:So you jump 4'+ over your grip? No? Then you don't know how to swing.

Haha I like that

Damn. Maybe I am just in a bad mood, but I didn't ask a question to get shot down.

Mr. Achtung, thanks for your opinion. Will think on it.

Vaultwest, thanks for your two cents.