need tips on my jump

[bamavaulter114]

i just started vaulting a few days ago, primarily because pole vault is weak in our region, and i wanted to help get our team at least a couple of points at our state meet. the problem is(i am righthanded) that my right leg is my stronger leg and i get much more power out of it when jumping than with my left. but now that i have to jump off of my left leg, i need some help. any suggestions?

[theflyingkorean]

I am mostly right handed too, but I just wanted to jump off my right leg because my right leg was a bit stronger. If you learn left handed at the start, you'll never know the difference!

[bamavaulter114]

is there a difference in learning left handed besides placingyour left hand at the back?

[fong520]

instead of going to teh right of the pole u go to the left, u jump off diff foot, and the hand.. i guess thats pretty much it?.

[rainbowgirl28]

If you are more powerful off your right leg, you should definitely jump left handed. It makes a HUGE difference in your vaulting potential.

I vaulted left handed for a month last year because I was injured. I got the technique alright, but I could only get on TINY poles because I had no power out of that leg... even though it was healthier.

To vault left handed, you do everything the opposite way. You hold the pole with your hands switched, on the other side of your body, you jump off the other leg, you swing on the other side of the pole... it might feel weird at first, but I suspect it will quickly feel a lot more natural.

A lot of beginners who are learning to jump off their wrong foot, will have major step problems because their boydy keeps wanting to jump off the other leg.

[OAKPV2004]

I jump lefty because i feel like i need to jump off the right foot. Like when i would go to kick something im right footed. I learned to pole vault by running and jumping in to the pit first with out a pole, off of the right leg. then when i picked up a pole it felt right going left.

[RoySloppy]

oakpv are you righty or lefty, like do you throw a baseball righty or lefty?

[OAKPV2004]

I throw left.

[bamavaulter114]

im right handed in terms of throwing a baseball, and i have a stronger right leg

[polecat]

Bama, assuming you play or have played basketball, are you more comfortable doing a left-handed lay-up or a right-handed lay-up? The visual image of a lay-up is similar to a pole vaulter's body positioning during the jump. For a lefty, the left arm is extended upward, and the right leg is providing the push for the jump. For a righty, it's the mirror image.

I agree with Becca in that there is a world of difference in performance, muscular control and strength from one side to the other. You can learn to vault from either side, but you'll learn more quickly if you favor what is naturally dominant.