PoleVaultPower.com

So i just got back from practice and now, the assis. coach says that my plant and swing has gotten better but that once i have my feet up that i am not "pull turning." From what i heard, this pull turn can give me a huge height increase so i realllly want to practice it. Basically, when i am up in the air after the swing, i end up definately not turning and i just hit the bar with my lower back. I don't really get the concept of this whole pulling and turning and i was wondering if anyone can give me tips and helpful suggestions on how to do it. I would really love to learn to do this and any suggestions GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer... but your assistant coach is not giving you sound advice, and those people who said you'd get a "huge height increase" are full of it.

The best way to improve your jump is to improve your run (and carry)... next would be to improve your plant... then swing... then inversion/drive... THEN pull-turn/fly-away and bar clearance.

Work on the first 4 before the 5th... for a few thousand hours.

If you're concerned about just turning, that's different... Is it just that you go over the bar on your back or side? There are good drills for you to do to help with that, but the focus would just be on swinging long into a turn, nothing more than that. Is THIS what you're looking for?

Then can you give me some tips on how to turn properly? because i think that would really help me right now

Get a very soft, small pole. Go in to 1 or 2 lefts. Put a bungie up LOOOOOW. Run, jump, SWIIIIIING, turn to land on your stomach.

Slowing everything down is the way to go.

You can also practice it in the sand pit with a bungee stretched between two hurdles.

A good drill to help slow down the pull turn motion is the Pool Drill. Perfect for summer too. Get a 10 or 11ft pvc pipe from Lowes and go to a pool with corners. You angle the pvc pipe in the corner of the 5ft deep section of the pool, and hold the top of the pole in the same manner you would a real pole if you were inverted. Then step back a few steps into the corner causing the pole to bend. Lift and point feet together and straight, the pole will unbend slowly guiding you through the water. As soon as you feel the pole completely about to unbend pull and turn. You know if you do it right by remaining relatively straight. Have fun

A way that I get my vaulters to think about turning is getting them on a shorter run, softer pole, and telling them to try to get their right leg over their left in the smallest diameter possible. I tell them not so spread there legs just a small little motion with their feet and let the hips keep moving too. That's how my dad taught me how to do turn and I pass it onto my HS jumpers. Sometimes, you can get on the ropes and slow it down on there first, but it is very difficult to replicate it properly without someone there who has a good idea of what each step should look like. The most important thing is to make sure that the kids are swinging up and getting deep enough into the pit before they even think about the turn. Hope this helps.

andy94566 wrote:So i just got back from practice and now, the assis. coach says that my plant and swing has gotten better but that once i have my feet up that i am not "pull turning." From what i heard, this pull turn can give me a huge height increase so i realllly want to practice it. Basically, when i am up in the air after the swing, i end up definately not turning and i just hit the bar with my lower back. I don't really get the concept of this whole pulling and turning and i was wondering if anyone can give me tips and helpful suggestions on how to do it. I would really love to learn to do this and any suggestions GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Andy, pull turning will increase your vault by at least 6". When you go over without the pull turn your hips aren't able to go up any higher so your back will hit the bar. Do you have split bars or a high bar at your school?