clearance/penetration issue

[mcobb1013]

ok so i have been reading alot of posts on here on how to penetrate into the pit more and get more clearance (as most people do) but when i tried to implement them they didn't work and cause me to jump 2 foot lower then i normally do so i went back to my old way but tried the things to make me penetrate more (ex. trail leg, reducing bend) since on the previous jumps i started to being to stall out at the top and on the last one i actually came close to falling back onto the run way. i still was not getting any penetration and decided to quit before i got hurt


also i tried to get a better rock back today modeling it after bubkas and it feels like to me i don't have enough time to complete that long fully extended leg swing since i am current only jumping 11'6" on a 13' 150 pacerfx with an 11' hold.
any ideas how i can still get the energy gained by this leg swing but more quickly so i can get inverted in time to clear the bar?

please help
-mcobb

[mcobb1013]

also i have not had this problem till i implemented these new techniques but my coach says my form looks better and that i am just worn out
but i was running as fast as normal and i can penetrate into the pit even if im going slower bc i sacrifice my jump height for penetration like i have always been taught

[powerplant42]

What specific things did you try?

Bubka does not have a rockback. He has a swing, then a redirection of swing energy which inverts him like an "I" as he drives off of the pole. There is no such thing as a "rockback". It's a buzzword that tends to confuse people and direct them away from the goal of the vaulter in the air (other than clearing the bar).

If you've attempted some technical feats and did not find success, it does not mean that they don't/won't work... It means that they didn't work for you the first few times you tried them. Run correctly, plant high and early, hit the free take-off (while striving for a pre-jump), finish the take-off, keep the drive knee up and the hands high, stay behind the pole, whip the trail-leg and body long to the cord of the pole, break at the hips, cover the pole, redirect the swing energy upwards with a drive of the hips into an inversion, 'shrug' into the pull-turn, push off the pole, and clear the bar.

If you do all that and still don't get in, get a smaller pole/grip. That is definitely what you should try first. Go down a pole and/or play a little bit with your grip. Do you have any video?

And can you please try to explain this last part?

but i was running as fast as normal and i can penetrate into the pit even if im going slower bc i sacrifice my jump height for penetration like i have always been taught

I don't understand what you're trying to say. "Jump" covers more than one area, and your grammar makes it tough for me to get at what you're saying. Could you please clear it up? It will help ME help YOU... You (and whoever is teaching you) might be making a serious mistake... But maybe not. Clarification?

[mcobb1013]

i mean when i am vaulting i can normally tell right from take off that im not going to have good penetration so i level off my upward motion before i reach the top of the vault so i can penetrate into the pit more (ex. 10' jump when i could have jumped 11'6")

[powerplant42]

Then it is most likely a plant/take-off issue (which could be caused by a poor run) and/or a mental issue.

Smaller pole, lower grip.

After you iron out the kinks in your plant and take-off (and increase your confidence), you can get back to your current pole and grip.

[mcobb1013]

yeah i talked to my coach today about it and he told me the same thing
he said it was partically mental bc it was the first time i had jumped with the real bar since last outdoor season and he said i should take today off bc i have been working like a madman since we have started pole vaulting for this year bc i wanted to improve my PR so i could qualify for a meet we are going to at the end of the month

but thanks for all your help
but i have one more question u might be able to answer for me
i am currently 148 and im jumping with a 150 pole so do u know any exercises that will make me stronger without putting on a ton of weight?

[powerplant42]

Almost all of your strength should be coming from on the high bar, on the rope, doing plyometrics, and sprints with and without the pole. There are a bunch of topics on your specific question though... Generally you would want high load with plenty of rest between 5 sets with low repetitions. That, along with speed lifts, will get your strength high while keeping weight gain low.

However, if you spend 6-7 hours a week doing high bar excercises, sprints, and plyos, you will be grabbing a longer 165ish pole within a month or two.

You can talk to me more through PM. Any questions you've got (that you haven't already searched!)...

[mcobb1013]

sadly my school doesn't care about track enough to get the training equipment we need so we don't have high bars or a rope but im trying to get my coach to get both but he said we probably won't

so anything that can replace these but work the same muscles that u know of?

[chaus]

your school doesn't have a gymnastics team? or if they don't have one now, did they have one in the past? I know at least my high school would never get rid of anything, especially anything that would make space indoors to keep mats You could also ask any local gymnastics gyms if they have any old equiptment to donate to the school. (or fund raise to buy a new one?) As well check out some play grounds most of them have a straight bar you can do some work on.
As well, you can do a good number of drills for pv on rings and a hanging rope. Most schools have a hanging rope.

good luck