Pushing the pole instead of carrying it

[vaulta1000001]

Hello,

My coach and i have been using a technique for two years now. It started when I was a sophomore and had trouble with transitioning from a carrying grip to a takeoff position. We consulted with an elite vaulter/friend of my coaches and I and started out pushing the pole on the runway with one hand, then transfering to two hands right before the takeoff. I'm not sure how to upload video on here as that might make it easier to visualize what im saying. But I would like some opinions from everyone on what they think of this style. Mainly im more concerned if this is something many people use or not and if their are advantages or disadvantages to this such as:

being able to generate more arm motion to help me run faster

reducing my speed by having to cope with crosswinds and having to push the pole against the ground

Thanks!

[AeroVault]

I actually see a lot of advantages to the pole push. Like you mentioned, you can use your bottom arm to help run and get that extra impulse on takeoff. I think crosswinds are actually more manageable lower to the ground, but you might need to bring that bottom hand back to help in the very windy cases.

The big disadvantage of pushing the pole on your approach is the friction on the runway surface that decreases your speed. Also, a lip on the front of the box may interfere with planting your pole. It is generally accepted that that friction is too great of a factor to warrant using a pole push, so elite vaulters tend to go with a high pole carry.

You could try timing your run over a set distance with a high carry and the push to see which is faster. Go with the quicker one, and continue to work on your takeoff position regardless of the decision.

[powerplant42]

Also, when you start to run faster, the pole tip can 'float' unpredictably over the box. Use the search feature, I'm sure this thread and the other one in the advanced technique forum will be locked, so search Tye Harvey's Horizontal Technique (right?).

[vaulta1000001]

its actually amazing that you said that because tye harvey is the one that told my coach and i to try the pole push. unfortuantely he is the only one that i know of who pushes it and he didnt make it to the olympics again. i was wondering if their were any other elites that employ this technique as opposed to having only one person to base this off of

[powerplant42]

No, not really... I know rainbowgirl is pro-push, but I don't know of anybody else who pushes because they feel that it is an advantage.

[KirkB]

I think that this technique is a very good "training technique" to improve your run and plant without having to be burdened with worrying about your pole carry. That way, you can focus on one thing at a time - your RUN, then your PLANT. Your can learn your POLE CARRY later, including how to drop the pole into the box.

You should be aware that Tye Harvey first used this technique so that he could train thru a serious wrist injury that he had, which restricted his ability to carry the pole normally. It worked very well for him, with a PR of 18-4.25 (18-8.25 on 4th attempt). His PR with a normal pole carry was 19-5.50 - a full 13" higher in competition, or 9" higher if you include "exhibition" jumps. That's proof enough for me that it's a sub-optimal training technique only - to be used only under special circumstances.

I see that you've placed this thread in the Intermediate Technique, which is its proper place. But perhaps it belongs under "Training".

Once you've improved your run and plant to be "substantially good technique", I think it would be wise to consider the high pole carry. Discuss this with your coach - it sounds like he either knows what he's talking about, or is willing and able to seek the advice of an elite vaulter. The HIGH POLE CARRY is better than a horizontal pole carry, and it's definitely better than pushing the pole - as long as your plant is "good".

I used a high pole carry, and I must admit that there's some problems with a side-wind. To a slightly lesser degree, the normal (horizontal) pole carry has issues with side winds too. I've never tried the pole push, but I would guess that side-winds wouldn't matter as much.

Once you master the pole push, maybe you could use it as your secret weapon when a gust of side-wind comes up in the middle of a meet!

If your question was whether or not your coach was nuts to advise you to push your pole, I can assure you that Tye Harvey is very respected in the PV community (his career speaks for itself) and that your coach gave you good advice - under your circumstances. That doesn't mean it's good advice for everyone, and it doesn't mean that it's good advice for the rest of your career. It's PROBABLY just good advice for this stage of your PV career.

Tye must be about 33 years old now, so I wouldn't be too hard on him that he didn't make the 2008 Olympic Team. Despite the success of Mack and Hartwig at 35 and 40, it's not that easy to vault well at 33 years old. You should also realize that he's not using the pole push anymore.

Kirk

[rainbowgirl28]

We had a really good discussion about it here: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=5640