I am positting the following argument: the grip during short run stiff pole jagodins for a novice - elite vaulter should be raised progressively during a session until a grip height is attained where the vaulter rotates the pole to just past vertical. The athlete should then stay at this grip height until they can push it up even farther or can no longer rotate it just past vertical due to fatigue.
Definitions of questionable terms:
"Short run" - 4 lefts - 0 lefts
"Jagodin" - a run, a jump, then a period of staying squarely behind the pole with the core (riding the pole over into the pit)
"Novice - elite" - any vaulter that has had upward of 6 hours training specifically for the vault with an intelligent coach
"Progressively" - over the course of 5 - 6 repetitions
"Just past vertical" - the pole very nearly stalls out
My reasoning:
1. Drills are a means to an end, not ends in and of themselves. The athlete should not focus on mastering a given drill so much as mastering the most transferrable elements the given drill through its use. To master a simple drill like a sand jagodin would mean that the athlete masters each element sequentially. With this mindset, the run MUST be mastered completely on its own, the plant must be mastered completely on its own (for the 3 and 4 step jagodins) and then incorporated into the run, the take-off must be mastered completely on its own then incorporated into the plant and then into the plant with the run, and staying behind the pole must be mastered completely on its own then incorporated into the take-off, then into the take-off with a plant, then into the take-off with the plant AND the run: we have finally reached the jagodin! This process is not feasible. Mastering a drill (perfecting absolutely every component) takes years. I would estimate that building a run as good as Bubka's or Isinbayeva's would take 4 years alone... and one could even argue that neither of them has "mastered" the run (semantics, but just a thought). So, I conclude that telling an athlete that they need to master the sand jagodin before raising their grip is not practical.
2. The value of the short run jagodin with a stiff pole is that it makes the athlete use vertical force (take-off power) to move the pole rather than horizontal force (run-way speed). If an athlete were to be gripping where the pole rolls over very quickly, (as shown in the videos in the "Sand Vaulting" thread,) he would not feel naturally compelled to create as large a vertical impulse as he would if his grip were higher. So shouldn't the athlete, after becoming comfortable with the drill during a particular session, raise his grip up to the highest point where the pole almost stalls out!? Of course. So, I conclude that an athlete training with a low grip with which the pole rotates very quickly does not teach one of the targeted (arguably the MOST targeted) transferrable elements (an upspringing take-off) as efficiently or as naturally as an athlete using a higher grip and is therefore not as pedagogically sound as a repetition of the drill as one with the athlete having a higher grip.
3. This drill is specifically lined out as per the above criteria in BTB2 (both book and DVD). Altius has even spelled it out for everyone online here... I'll put this up again:
altius wrote:The critical value of sand pit vaulting is that it enables the athlete to develop a free take off much easier than if they use the box. You do not need the precise run required - even from six steps/sorry yanks three lefts - get it approximately right - barrel in, use and upspringing take off and drive the pole up and forward. The emphasis is definitely on jumping UP and "finishing the take off - because it is that emphasis that maximises the energy into the pole (always think of it as a stiff pole) AND also ensures that the take off leg in correctly positioned to initiate the whip swing in the second phase. (Yes I know that it is a continuous chain of energy input but it is easier for athletes and inexperienced coaches if they think of four phases of energy input) The important thing is to ensure that the grip is continually pushed up with an emphasis on driving the pole up and forward - the original examples all show athletes gripping too low to get real value from the drill! (***NOTE: This is in reference to the videos posted in the "Sand Vaulting" thread.***)The athlete should keep pushing the grip up until they almost stall - then they are about right - until the next session when they again try to push it up!
I've also seen altius coach this drill this way (with novices) in person on multiple occasions. I conclude that this drill is taught according to the positted argument by arguably the best youth pole vault coach ever to walk the face of the Earth.
I look forward to some good discussion on this. I also look forward (hopefully) to being rid of all this argumentation in my training blog thread.
Here's hoping for the best!