Runway Consistency

[flyinjatt]

Hi everyone, I was hoping to get some help, I am a 3rd year vaulter in college and have been doing it for 4 years. I am struggling with my approach, I wanted to see if anyone had workout ideas or tips to help with working on a consistent runway and consistency at the take off. I would like to say I am relatively fast and am able to jump on a 15' pole being 5'7 weighing in at 135lb. For the start of my approach I do a walk in, right step left step on my mark and start my run.

Also, I have been hearing and reading in a lot of books is that hurdle training is great for step work since it involves stride awareness.

[vault3rb0y]

You are definitely correct about hurdles helping build consistency, but you can do things to help as a vaulter too.

A key for me is the cadence of the run. Whether you are completely dead from workouts, or you are peaking at the biggest meet of the season, the cadence of your run should be the same. 70-80% of vaulters I have seen at a high school AND college level come out of the back waayy too hot. You gotta relax, build your run slowly from the back, and gradually accelerate through the take off.

Try doing pole runs but instead of trying to run fast, try to run smooth. Then, only try to accelerate and turn over quicker when you start dropping the pole. It doesn't matter how fast you are going, what matters is how relaxed your run is, and how well you attack the last 6-7 steps as you drop the pole. Do that 4-5 times, then do the same thing with a slide-box or even a towel, if you don't have a slide box. This should simulate the box and give you are reference to run towards. Do this same drill 4-5 times with a focus on a controlled/smooth run, and an attack through the take off. If you are breathing hard after a couple of these runs, you are working too hard and need to be more smooth. The focus is on getting a solid run cadence and staying relaxed during your run.

The reason you do this drill is that most vaulters (myself included) step on the runway and feel like we have to run fast. This is inefficient and inconsistent. We forget that it is more important to stay relaxed and technically sound than it is to try to run fast. In fact, if you do want to run at top controllable speed at the box and have a consistent run, you have to stay relaxed and run like I described above.

Now, when you start doing this on the runway, make sure you are staying relaxed and not "pushing" your run. You will find you have a lot more control at the box. Do you check your mid? If not, start checking either your 4-step out (probably between 35-37) or 6-step out mid when you run. See if that stays consistent from run to run, and if it does, you know that any run inconsistency is during your drop and plant.

[Lax PV]

...most vaulters (myself included) step on the runway and feel like we have to run fast. This is inefficient and inconsistent. We forget that it is more important to stay relaxed and technically sound than it is to try to run fast. In fact, if you do want to run at top controllable speed at the box and have a consistent run, you have to stay relaxed and run like I described above.

[flyinjatt]

Thank you, I have been doing the slide box drills, but only once or twice a week.
No, I do not have a mid mark. I don't fully understand the concept of a mid mark but I will try to work with a mid mark to see how this will help. Should the spot of the mid mark change according to the length of the run or should it always be 4 steps out, I either do a 7 left approach or a 8 left approach in competition.

Also, what do you think about the start of the run, I have seen many different variations of a start, for myself its a walk in? (walk in with a right to a left, on my mark, then I begin my run) I do not like the walk in but do it because it feels comfortable and habit.

[vault3rb0y]

Well, there are a lot of ways you can start a run and still be successful. The key is being able to accelerate through the take off and have your take off step be on. If you are comfortable with a walk-in step, then stick with it. However, the most consistent start to a run in from a standing position. At this point in the season you need to weigh the pros and cons of switching to a standing start. It might take a while to get used to, do you have the time to get used to a standing start? If you sole problem is runway consistency, I would have to stay that a walking start or some variation is your best option. Maybe go with the step back, step forward approach?

The point of a mid mark is to gauge how consistent the first part of your run is (among other scientific reasons). If you hit a good mid mark, 9 times out of 10 your step should be on, unless you have problems with your drop/plant. When i say 4 or 6 steps for a mid check, I mean 2 or 3 lefts. It might be slightly longer from an 8 left step approach than it is from 7, but the point is that in a competition/practice, say you do 10-15 7 step runs. Your take off step could be 11' every time, with your mid step at 36'6". BUT if you suddenly find your mid at 37'6" and you are still hitting 11', either you are running faster or you are over-striding. It allows you to make more accurate predictions of what is happening during your run, and this allows you to make more appropriate changes to your run.