Problem hitting the standards

[izzystikchik]

glad to hear that you've seen some improvement! good luck at your upcoming meet!

Likewise

[VaulteRachello]

good luck at your meet

[cstary]

Make sure that when you transition your top hand (i.e. your right hand if you are a raght-hand vaulter) from your run to your plant you travel right up the body. The hand should go from the hip, to the side of the chest, to the ear, and then straight up. Another way to think about it is that the pole tip and your top hand should fall in one plane.

If the top hand gets too far from the body when you execute the plant (called "roundhousing") then you will carry some of that rotational energy through the plant, and typically end up off-center.

Pole runs and then sliding box are good ways to practice the little aspects of a correct plant.

Creed

[lonestar]

It's not always the plant being off center that does it. You could be jumping around the pole too. Have someone watch you take off from behind you on the runway, and see if your last step is crossing over to the right side of the runway, if your drive knee is pointing towards the right standard, or if you're literally jumping to the right side of the pole. Your center of gravity needs to stay directly behind the pole, and if you move it even slightly to the right, it will carry your whole body that direction. Emphasize driving your knee down the center, behind the pole.

Lower your grip though until you're going straight consistently.

[sghetti]

Hey thanks to all of you for the help. Just last week I had a private lesson with the UCLA pole vaulting coach. He gave me the analogy of jumping a fence, or doing a cartwheel. When jumping over a fence or doing a cartwheel, one has to lean to the left to keep your balance. He said the same thing applies to pole vaulting. So he just told me to keep my head on the left side of the pole. That day I cleared my PR over a foot with very little effort.

[lonestar]

Hey thanks to all of you for the help. Just last week I had a private lesson with the UCLA pole vaulting coach. He gave me the analogy of jumping a fence, or doing a cartwheel. When jumping over a fence or doing a cartwheel, one has to lean to the left to keep your balance. He said the same thing applies to pole vaulting. So he just told me to keep my head on the left side of the pole. That day I cleared my PR over a foot with very little effort.

Earl Bell taught me the same alignment, head on the left, because it puts your center of gravity directly behind the pole.