Bar Clearance

[Boomer]

Hey,
Does anyone have any tips, training, advice on bar clearance once you have left your pole?

Thanks,

[AVC Coach]

Don't touch it!

[mattish13]

If you rotate your hand so your thumbs are towards your body, it will prevent your elbows from knocking the bar off as you come off the pole.

[nitro]

thumbs in after letting go because it keeps your chest from coming forward to hit the bar

[vault3rb0y]

watch others do it, then trail and error. Keep your sense of direction and know where you are in relation to the bar.

[superpipe]

Relax and don't make any sudden movements.

[Boomer]

Thanks for the replies, I hadn't heard of the thumbs in before.

I am just asking because in new Neo Vault videos I am so impressed with people like Toby Stevenson when he explodes off the pole, then just seems to have that awareness about him, and the ability to relax.
I was jumping at 16'8" this past weekend as was over it three times, and pulled something 'spastic' knocking the damn bar off.
I've just never worked on it, so thought I might want to start.

Thanks,

[vault3rb0y]

Yea im not positive on it, but i think that kind of bar clearance just comes with repetitions. Theres not one things toby is thinking about when he clears that bar, he has just done it so many time hes learned the do's and dont's when piking over it. The more you get the chance the work the bar, the better you will be at it, but as a general rule you can remember the things said on here, as well as hallow out your chest when clearing and bring your elbows out so that if your head clears it your hands or arms dont hit it. Good luck- to me this is one of the most fun parts of pole vaulting!!

[Bruce Caldwell]

A little more technical than U have asked but food 4 thought
Turning the thumbs in is the simple approach and it works keeping the elbows away from the bar and concaving the chest.
The parbolic path of the center of mass can go under the bar while the vaulter goes over the bar. Think of it in these simple terms;
a donut has a center of mass in the air space of the donut hole
taking a bite out of the donut will increase your weight so be careful about pole rating grin.
Now you have a donut that can simulate how the body should look going over the bar if you have the height and the penatration the donut can be slide over the bar and rotate to allow the center of mass to pass under the bar and the donut itself representing the body to go over the bar.
In most biomecanical books on the PV it is reffered to as draping the body over the crossbar. (Referances Basic T&F Biomechanics by tom Eker)
To use this physics example close approximation of standard placement is crucial, they must be placed with much experience and accuracy to get those extra few inches.
THe key to good draping the bar is moving from point A take off to point B over the crossbar with the least amount of time. THe follow thru of a good vault is seeing the pole just balance itself straight up not moving any way but occasionally lifting out of the box ever so slightly.
It is a rareity.

[Boomer]

Very helpful. I like very technical.

But here's the hard part....I just took off all the weight I put on from eating all those donuts...now what do I do???

I do notice in some videos that the elite are very aggressive with their pull and extension, creating more of a fly away instead of a full 'follow through' so to speak with full extension. Bubka, for example, would sometimes get really shot off the pole, maybe helping his top end, because of the 'speed from takeoff to over the bar' as you put it?

Thanks for the advice,

[Cooleo111]

One drill that I think works pretty well is to have two people holding a crossbar (high jump or PV) under you while you are standing in a piked position on some mats (again HJ or PV will work). Have the two holding the crossbar lift it slowly up and you can practice what it's like falling after you've piked over the bar. Use soft mats so you can fall backwards after the bar goes all the way up. With practice they can do it faster so you get the real-time feel of the movements.

[vault3rb0y]

If you have the facilities, underwater vaulting helps, especially with some ankle weights to make it a little harder. That really gives you a more realistic feel. The more weight you have on, the more realistic.