To all you very talented vaulters, I need help!

[izzystikchik]

Thanks soulman, we've done something like that at practice where we had a bungee cord about a foot above the cross bar, and you know, those were easier jumping days, but i'll have to try the double cross bar thing, i guess i do get into the habit of looking at the cross bar when i jump at it.

[souleman]

If you can, get that top bar as high above the bottom bar as possible. 2 to 3 feet if you can. Later........Mike

[txpolevaulter33]

i say get a good early plant, swing your trail leg hard, and pull like crazy!! Also everything everyone else has said helps.

[csuvaulter]

You may not be releasing the pressure from your bottom arm. I got stuck in a sitting position for a long time because I would have a big, strong plant -- and just hold it there. If you break your bottom arm in, it's much easier for your legs and hips to rise.

[bvpv07]

You're probably just piking when you are getting your feet back. Are you aiming to get your feet back to 12 or are you trying to go past 12 and get your feet past the pole? Again, if you can get yourself on a bar or something, then you will feel an amazing difference in how your weight shifts by a small change in how far your feet get back (from 12 to about 2).

[izzystikchik]

yes i agree with all of your suggestions.
Yes i am trying to go for 2 o'clock, and when i watch a video of myself i see that, yes, in a real competition i do look at the crossbar, but in practice when i don't really care whether i clear it or not, my feet just seem to fall a way as i try to straighten once inverted, but my coach tells me that i'm losing the rebound of the pole once i do that...

[VaultBrad]

what helped me the most in getting inverted and "getting my butt up" was i stopped thinking of it as getting my butt up and started thinking about it as pulling my hips into the pole which by the nature of the action makes your body a straight line. you can only get your body verticle at the right point in the vault if you swing your feet past the pole though.