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Hey guys. Recently I just started bending and I'm improving quickly, but before I start inverting I believe I should work on the fundamentals. My problem is that I always end up to the right of the box. I've had to bail out on some jumps because sometimes I'll drive straight into the standards. Other times I've almost flown out of the right side of the pits. My coach doesn't know what I'm doing wrong.

Here are some things that I have noticed.

1. My coach and I noticed that as I plant, my pole is sometimes upside down. I've been working on this and 7/10 times I get it right side up.

2. As I progressed through smaller poles, this is what I noticed. When the bar was up and tried to raise my hips over it, I would fly to the right of the box and would spin 360 degrees in the air in a sit up position.

What could be another reason for this? I've honestly spent hours trying to make up scenarios but I can't figure out how to fix my problem. If I purposely try to drive my legs close to the pole to the point where my shins are hitting or touching the pole, do you think that would fix my problem? Any advice is appreciated.

We're vaulting tomorrow so I can put up some videos if that is helpful. I've been training all year and I hope I can get as much help from you guys as possible. Thanks in advance.

P.S. I've tried looking for posts similar to mine but I can't find any, other than my post from last year. So if I can get some suggestions on key words to search, that would help, too.

when you dont fly straight, it usually means you are having a problem at or before you take off the ground. try to make sure that you plant EARLY and directly above your head as high as you can get your hands! If you dont finish your plant high above your head before your pole hits the back of the box, it could shoot you off to the right!

First off are you right or left handed.

Secondly what do you mean your pole is sometimes upside down. I've never seen or heard of this problem 3 out of 10 times. Work on your plant first and foremost.

If you do not have the soft side straight down that could be one issue.

Secondly do you have a relaxed or stiff bottom arm. (locked out or bent)

Alright Skot, I'm trying to picture that. You might be right, I think I am planting a little late now that I think of it. I'll try that tomorrow, thanks.

1. I am right handed.
2. When we're preparing to go down the runway, I let my pole roll on my hand to have the label facing up. It was to my understanding that when you planted, the label had to be facing up as well, but according to my friends and coach it has to be facing down when you plant. For a whole year I moved the pole so that my grip was facing up in the runway and as I planted, too. The first time I did it correctly (with label facing down) I went 1 foot higher.
3. I believe I have a relaxed arm. When I watch videos of Bubka and others I see them with a bent arm, so I try to imitate that.

Every time I read something like that I try to run it through my head. I'm guessing you were asking if I row or not? My coach tells me to row but I've read that if you do row your hips can't be lifted high enough and as you push into the box, the pole pushes you back. It makes sense to me so I'm trying to improve my technique so I can "ride" the pole.

I hope I can record myself tomorrow. Please check back I'll have videos up at the latest this Friday.

um diff poles have different soft sides so not all pole labels are supposed to be facing the same direction.. wat kind of pole do u have?

OK, I'll use my Spirit pole as an example. If I put my hand out to my right with the palm up, I can lay the pole on my outstretched fingers and it will "drop" right side down which in turn puts the label up. I grab on to the pole there. When I plant, the label will turn so at take off it will face down. That is correct. The poles I have also have a pre-bend in them as I'm guessing yours does too. Make sure the pole bends in the same direction the pre-bend goes. There's no way that you can have your pole plant "up side down" if you make sure the pole bends in that direction. As I said, on my Spirits, when I plant, the Spirit should be facing back towards me. Hope this helps. As to the 360 thing? Go check out Ming3's thread and hois video and see if that's what you're doing. Or read the Whirling Away thread. Later..............Mike

I know for me when I go to the right it's always becuse of a late plant. Speaking of labels and pre-bends I have to get used to the UCS label-bend thing instead of the Skypole Label-bend way since i just got a new pole. It goes with the UCS letters towards the runway correct?

yup yup. the UCS label should be facing down when you plant. also, at the top of the pole, there is a little black line. that should be facing directly towards the runway when you plant!

if that confuses you with labels and the bend of the pole, mark the bottom of the pole for which should face up when you plant. thats what i did.

I use a UCS pole as you guys will see tomorrow when I post the videos. Unfortunately I was sick on Tuesday and didn't get to practice at all. Today I recovered and I'm feeling a lot better.

I tried to convince my coach to let us polevault today but it didn't happen. I'll print these posts up along with the Whirling Away post. Hope you guys can help me out tomorrow. Thanks a bunch!

Edit: By the way, I found Ming3's video and I don't do that. I spin with the pivot in my butt. So basically I'll be in a sit up position, back to floor the whole time, legs tucked in, and I'll do a 360.

Alright here we go. I tried to make the file sizes super small so the guys who have dialup can give me some advice, too. The videos are about 260 kb big. All you need is Macromedia Flash Player 8. Here we go...

I'm 5'9, 150 lbs. I'm learning to bend on smaller poles. My steps were horribly off today so I vaulted on a 140 lb. 12"(?) Most of practice was pretty bad. My steps were off blah blah blah so I tried to take a different approach the last few vaults. This is what I got.

Coach thought I should jump up and aim to go over the crossbar instead of running through the pole. So I did and this is what happened http://media.putfile.com/lookingatxbar
Note how far to the right I land.

So I think everything is back to normal so I go back up to the usual 14 foot 145 lb. This is what happened http://media.putfile.com/145lb14ft
I would have busted out a Bubka and cleared 20 feet but I came crashing back down. Is it because I don't have enough runway speed or does it have to do with my plant?

This is on my 12 foot 140 lb. USC pole. Note that this is before both vaults. You can't really see it in the video, but you can kind of make out what happens. I shoot off in a sit up position and do a 360 degree spin. http://media.putfile.com/usualspin

Guys, today was one of those days where you get really frustrated and the more you try, the more you fail. I hope you guys can guide me and make my day. Thanks guys and if anyone can't see the video I'll go ahead and upload the AVI version. I'll be checking every 20-45 minutes all night.

sghetti. ur first jump it looks like ur plant was late and so it prob wasnt all the way up or kind of to the side when u plant but cant really tell at this angle.
and i think the pole tha tu got rejected on.. ur just holding too high. if u held lower u would make it into the pit and u have to jump and try to jump up. u look like ur just running into the plant.
thats my 2 cents.