KYSEAMAN - All I know about Lojo is that at the end of his career when he won a world indoors and a silver at the Olympics his coach was agapit so if he was taking off under, it was not because he intended to. There is not a lot of film of Lojo around so i cannot tell you definitively if he he did or did not - because as I said he was not intending to. Perhaps agapit will comment.
I responded as I did because I have been trying for several years - along with a lot of other experienced coaches -to convince young athletes not to take off under, I began my mission a few years ago just after learning that three young US vaulters had died vaulting within about a month, I had been to Reno and observed the vast majority of vaulters taking under -most of them because that is what they aimed to do. I wrote a paper for the "Pole vault standard" at that time, then a book and have tried on pvp to present the modern technique used by the three highest male vaulters of all time and by many others who have enjoyed success. I also have tried to show that young athletes can enjoy considerable success taking off out - not under - that it is not only possible for the superstars.
In fact you will find very few - if any - experienced coaches suggesting that you should take off under because of the problems it can cause. My response to your post was because it was frustrating to find that after all the effort to convince folk that it was potentially dangerous- someone as committed to the vault as yourself - living in a bit of a pole vault wilderness - would actually ask/suggest that lojo or any vaulter would take off 3/4' under - it was a bit stunning and I must say dispiriting because clearly i am having little impact on getting the message across.
The only folk who deliberately take off under do it because they dont understand the problems it can cause - many of the others take off under because of faults earlier in the run and plant - a topic agapit raised in the advanced section earlier.
Sorry about writing on the wrong side of the dvd - that is what happens when you are 80 years old and technologically challenged. I though you had the book - where at least some of the issues are dealt with - in the myths and misunderstanding chapter.
The major problem with taking off under is that it does cause an early bend - the further under you are at take off - the bigger that bend is. An early bend leads to an early recoil - an early recoil leaves you 15' plus above the box and not going forward. Even if you get away with it you will find you cannot improve your grip height because you can only compress a pole so much before it kicks you backwards down the runway.
Sure the pole feels soft -the temptation then is to go to a bigger pole - but this only makes the problem worse. You will kicked higher but still come down on the bar in the majority of your vaults. One way to think about this is to see the chord of the pole as a spring - when you bend the pole you compress the spring. If you compress the spring early it starts to fight back early.
The only way you can really progress in the vault -and stay safe - is to use a free take off where the pole is unloaded at the moment you leave the ground. That way the maximum bend occurs when you are well into the vault - with your trunk/back parallel to the ground - and you are well on your way to landing deep in the pad!
Sorry the OZ humour did not go down well but i was trying ot bring a little lightheartedness into what is a potentially life and death scenario.