takeoff trouble. i need help, from anyone!!!

[KYLE ELLIS]

ok heres the problem, my plant looks good until i start to swing, then i sag and it is causing me trouble. im trying to jump and drive my chest up to get a good angle and to keep me rising through the plant i did it from a 3-step plant and i have never felt something that smooth. it was pretty inconsistent and i couldnt do it at all from a longer aproach. should i try to drive my chest longer and push up with my right hand? i think i am pushing my left hand up and it is killing my chest drive and takeoff angle, would that make sense? i want to keep rising at my plant while staying down, without sagging![/b]

[Bruce Caldwell]

Kyle
It is difficult to coach on email. IF I could receive a pic to bruce@essxsport.com I might be in a better position to offer critique.

Try to imagine you are running down a hill and you see a tree limb hanging out of a tree. You raise your hand straight up and grab the limp. SO what happens next?

Your body will swing upward because this limb is stationary. With a pole it will move forward and upward. The object is to blend these to the right angle for your technique.
At any time you press with the bottom arm you slow the vaulter pendulum (swing) and delay the recoil but speed up the pole speed. IF you do not time this correctly you will not time with the pole and you will be playing catch up with the pole. Most common results are a pole that returns to vertical before you can bend the pole over and it is difficult to get you’re positioning to receive the return energy.

Now there are other reasons this happens and you have to be careful to make sure you do not mis-diagnose the problem.

1. If the pole is too stiff
2. If the pole bends low and makes contact with the pit.
3. If your hand grip is not a certain distance form the design of the sail of the pole.
A properly executed vault, a properly fitted pole (weight and grip), and making sure the pole bends higher to not make contact with the pit will allow you to overcome all these problems.
Timing is the key and it occurs within the take-off/ swing through phases of the vault.

[lonpvh]

Sounds like to me that you are holding to high and trying to take off to far away. Don't over look the basic things. LON

[KYLE ELLIS]

my coach told me that he thought i was gripping to low and to move it up a few inches and the pole worked better(gripping 14-3 from 14 steps) all my life ive taken off atleast 6 to 10 inches under and i would get jerked off the ground, and when my step was on i sank at the box right after takeoff, even though i was staying tall on my run? i could always turnup and keep rising being under, but with my step on i can jump on bigger poles but its hard to catch em?

[lonestar]

Sounds like to me that you are holding to high and trying to take off to far away. Don't over look the basic things. LON

Yeah, that's the first thing I thought too when I read this post. Try dropping your grip 2", moving in 2", turning over faster in your last 4 steps, and jumping up more.

[vaultguru6]

If you're holding 14'3" and jumping 16', youre not over gripping. Sounds like yuo may have one of the same problems i have though. If you always take off under, and then actually hit it right on a couple times but sink, you probably need some work on your take off. Do you LJ and how far? In order to be able to hit that step right on or even a little out, it really helps to have a big LJ.

[Barto]

Sagging is another term for over-bending. Go up a stick.

Barto

[KYLE ELLIS]

last year i long jumped around 19-6, thats probably why i like to be under because of a weak takeoff. and i am over bending but i dont think the pole is to small, because i sag then the pole stops moving. the other day i had a takeoff (from 3 lefts)where i rose up during my swing and the pole moved throughout my entire jump and the pole didnt grind against the back of the box like it normally does. my swing felt really powerful and i turned up with ease and i was inline with my top arm.

[KYLE ELLIS]

thank you guys for your input and keep it coming because i have alot of things i can try to fix the problem. thanks

[Erica]

If you are able to fix the problem and have better jumps from 3 lefts, that's great. You have something you can work on and continue improving. But don't expect to move back to 7 lefts and be able to do the same thing. When you can have a good take-off at 3 lefts, move back to 4 lefts until you do it correctly, then move back to 5 and so on. It is hard to transfer something that you have just learned to do from 3 lefts to your long run. Make it a progression.

[lonestar]

If you are able to fix the problem and have better jumps from 3 lefts, that's great. You have something you can work on and continue improving. But don't expect to move back to 7 lefts and be able to do the same thing. When you can have a good take-off at 3 lefts, move back to 4 lefts until you do it correctly, then move back to 5 and so on. It is hard to transfer something that you have just learned to do from 3 lefts to your long run. Make it a progression.

Well said