14' 65 to a 15' 75, any tips?

[dj]

woooooooow

sorry i haven't read all the thread but sounds like someone is "biting off more han they an chew' and not being smart about it..

what is the length of your run, weight and current grip on the 14 75???

and until you can get the right pole progression or a very long run with maximum controlable speed..... i would jump from 5 lefts...work your grip to 13/13-6 and correct your technique and jump 13'6/14' which is the average hiegth for those grips...

you shouldn't blow through with 5 lefts (45'?) ... if you do use 4 lefts (35'?)

vaulters need to be smart... and put their ego asside...


and to emphasis my point......How many girls break poles or have died pole vaulting?..... they vault smart and don't have an E on their forhead...

dj

[tak]

Alright, I wanted to hear from BigMast before posting again... dude, I say more power to you! It's obvious that you're going to try no matter what, so don't get discouraged. Just don't turn upside down when you try it! Hopefully you won't NEED extra pits, but they're just a precaution. I have done this several times when getting on new poles... I have rarely landed on them, but they make me feel more comfortable.

Seriously is there anyone else out there who thinks if you can get on a 14' 175 from 4 or 5 lefts that it is reasonable to try a 15' 175 from 7 lefts? Or am I just crazy? All I know is if it were me, I'd totally try it. Most people get hurt because they become careless on poles they are familiar with (by letting go of the pole, planting to the right or left, taking off under, etc.), not because they are carefully attempting to get on a bigger pole. Using too small of a pole is just as dangerous as too big of a pole if not more so... I have flown clear over a collegiate size pit using a warm-up pole from too long of a run and landed on concrete. With a large pole, as long as you don't turn upside down, the most likely injury is an ankle twist at worst if you are unlucky enough to land on an uneven surface (like halfway on the pit or the edge of the runway), which hopefully won't happen anyway!

Also, I think Jan Johnson's pole conversion table is bogus (I assume that is your source ashcraftpv). Does anyone know how those conversions are justified? I think capping a 14' 195 would be far more difficult than holding one foot down on a 15' 175.

[TheBigMastodon]

Uhh Im confused. I dont wanna waste anymore time than I have to with poles I can blow through. I didnt vault today because it was pouring rain. I am 6' 170, I hold at the pink stripe on the 14 175. I go from 8 lefts. I guess Ill try 7 steps and see if I dont blow through then. Im pretty convinced I could get in with 4 steps. Would it even be worth it going from a 4 of 5 step in meets? Its kind of limiting isnt it? With how many steps should I be blowing through the 14 175 with before I make the transition?

[tak]

Okay, this is how I would do it:

If you are going from 8 lefts now and blowing through, I would take one day of practice seeing how short of a run you have to go from so you don't blow through. Just shorten by one left at a time until you are able to do a "real" vault. Once you've figured out how short of a run you can use on that pole, start with that same short run the next time you practice and think of the 14' 175 as a warm-up pole. Take a few jumps from that run (hopefully 4 or 5 lefts as you predict) then do a few pole runs with the 15' pole holding one handgrip higher than you were on the 14' pole with an 8 left run. When you feel comfortable and confident, just go back to the vault pit and see how far you can penetrate on the 15' pole from 8 lefts. So spread it out over 2 jump days, because you need to be fresh when you attempt to vault on the 15' pole.

[dj]

hello

the idea was to only vault from the short run until you could get the correct pole transition... and maybe improve your technique in the process... one of my vaulters had to move from 80' to 60' last saturday in a meet and use a 1465.. he weighs 155.. because we didn't have the 15' pole to use.. he jumped 13-6 with a 13-2 grip.. and almost made 14'

the point is to keep yourself "in the game" and improving without getting hurt and going mental......... truly the smarter you are with your preparation the longer your career will be....

dj

[TheBigMastodon]

Well Im going to do what tak suggested and see how many steps I need to make a full vault. Ill probably get a PR because I wont blow through like I usually do. If Im really hammering on it from a short run then I think it will be time to try the 15 from a lower grip.

[AKell]

Look at this and think carefully... I apologize in advance for the legnth of this but I think it needs to be said.

You seem to be a big, strong guy and in all probability could grit your teeth and pound your way through that pole. But the fact is, none of us knows you. We try to help however we can based on our experiences and opinions about the sport, but we do not know and can never know as much about you as a vaulter as you or your coach.

Just because some of us would or would not jump onto the 15' pole, it does not in any way mean that YOU should or should not do it. We all vault differently, have different speed, stregnth, experience, and coaching. Therefore, just because tak would, or ashcraftpv wouldn't, shouldn't make your decision for you. It shouldn't even sway it one way or another; you should use it only as information when you make your decision.

Looking at your information, here are my suggestions for what to take into consideration.

You are not an efficient vaulter for your pole size. This is not to say you are "bad" in any way, just that your technique is not perfect. The efficient vaulter on a 14' pole would be jumping around the pole height if not even higher. This matters in transitioning for two reasons. First, you would benefit just as much in getting a stiffer pole to get one that fits you; it would let you work on your technique without having to master a gigantic pole at the same time. And second, inefficiency means technique flaws, which makes it much more likely for something to go wrong on a too-large pole.

Also, according to your sign-off you are a first year vaulter. (first, let me say that it's great you're getting 12'6 your first year- well done!) What this means is that you don't have mush experience- all the more reason to get technique down before going huge. If you're on the huge pole and are doing all you can to not get thrown off, you may get 14 or 15', but you'll hit a wall until your technique improves. Although you probably will PR more slowly on a stiffer, shorter pole, it will continue longer and to higher heights than if you get in over your head.

Finally, while at a PV clinic at Vertical Assault a while ago, we were told that the only group of pole vaulters that ever really had many deaths was high school boys- beginners who went too high too quick. This has stuck with me, that because of our stregnth and speed we can get on huge poles really quickly but can't handle them safely, and thus seriously injure themselves and/or die. I don't know if you're in this group or not, but you should consider it. I love PV as much as any of you, but I believe in taking only well-calculated risks. My opinion is that if you feel you need extra mats for safety, it's too dangerous.

I guess I'm just trying to make sure you don't do anything stupid and hurt yourself. You sound like you could have a pretty decent future in PV and it would be a shame to ruin it be breaking 5 bones tomorrow.

Make your own decision, just keep in mind the short and long-term consequences of what you decide, both good and bad, and BE CAREFUL! This affects your safety but also the progression of your vault.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

[TheBigMastodon]

Thanks for your posts and concerns. I guess a shorter run is the best option for now. I dont have a coach so what I get off the net is my only guidance. Iv been working my form a lot lately. Im getting 13-13'6'' height, but Im coming up too soon on the bar. I think with a 6 step Ill be able to have my standards at a comfortable spot and finally clear some higher bars. Ill see if my coach can call some local schools and do a little pole swapping too.

[ashcraftpv]

glad to hear you decided to do the smart and safe thing. You'll always be better served by common sense than big balls.

[vaultmd]

Yeah. Gravity beats positive thinking every time.