PoleVaultPower.com

What is the best way to teach the pole run in the vault. I know that the knees are up so that the knee is under the hip for a powerful take-off. i have heard that some vaulters first three steps are much like a sprinter, then they stress knees up and tall posture to the box.

My DVD has all the running drills and formats. Also, the Dynamic warmups text on www.willamettestriders.com would be usefull.

Rick Baggett
WSTC LLC

Watch Brad Walker's run on You Tube (Video Title: "Walker wins on countback").

In order to be able to do what he's doing, you need to be able to drive hard out the back, which takes explosiveness and power. So do squats, power cleans, frog leaps, box jumps, stadiums...etc.

You also need speed, so work on speed training like timed flying 30's or the bungee chord drill, or running downhill...whatever increases turnover.

You also need to work on cadence, so work with step hurdles so the vaulter can develop awareness of rythem.

Drills like high knees, A-Skips, and other shuffle drills will also help on awareness of positioning, as well as warm up your vaulters...so do those.

Finally, video tape your vaulters and show them what they look like. Tell them to experiment with their run until their posture looks right, and then show them video of it.

It takes a lot of work to create a good run...but that's kind of the most important part of vaulting....because it creates all that energy.

And sets you up to create more! It's the first actual phase of vaulting, and so it's the first real point where everything else relies on. But first, make sure your vaulters have a proper grip and posture, or else they'll never run right.

Sebes wrote:Watch Brad Walker's run on You Tube (Video Title: "Walker wins on countback").

In order to be able to do what he's doing, you need to be able to drive hard out the back, which takes explosiveness and power. So do squats, power cleans, frog leaps, box jumps, stadiums...etc.

i agree with this--- driving out of the back is crucial for power but theres a transition in the run, so that at around the fourth or third to last step the vaulter is getting their feet down fast and has raised his center of mass so that they can jump up at the takeoff

this might be a stupid question but i slightly "sway" my arms when i run with the pole to help me lower it... my coach yells at me but is it that bad to do that....?

Do you mean you pump your arms and move the pole with them? That's an energy killer. Letting your elbows sort of 'flap' isn't all that much of a detriment though.