PoleVaultPower.com

I just got "From beginner to bubka" and its great but I have a question. it makes it sound like he does absolutely nothing to bend the pole. like he simply runs and it bends completely by its self. is he really just letting it bend or are they trying to say they you should not be applying any pressure untill after takeoff and the pressure should not be a forward locked arm?

To quote dj:

Run. Plant. Swing.

To 'quote' agapit:

Run, plant, take-off, "pull"/swing.

To 'quote' altius (the author):

Stay behind the pole with a 'strong' body. (In other words, keep your body and arms 'tight', but don't apply pressure after take-off.)

To quote KB:

Run. Plant. Jump. Split. Whip. ("Extend. Fly. Clear." does not have as much to do with getting a pole to bend.)

All of these are right... Bubka never intended to 'force bend' the pole unless he was trying to save a vault (which would be subconcious anyway). It is all about inertia applied through the top hand.

Keep reading, you're sure to get a better understanding if all of this if you do. The DVD would help to clarify some of this...

ok guggli i know you're confused but the answer is that bubka is just saying that if you
LEAD WITH THE CHEST, its like the pole bends by itself

cuz when you lead with the chest it makes it like really easy to bend the pole.

have i helped you mr. gugglimucci?

is he really just letting it bend or are they trying to say they you should not be applying any pressure untill after takeoff and the pressure should not be a forward locked arm?

answer: YES HE IS REALLY JUST LETTING IT BEND... When pole vaulting you do not have to try to bend the pole. That is the biggest misconception from beginner vaulters, that the people bending are doing something 'special' to get a bend. The only 'special' thing someone does to bend a pole is run, plant with their hands high over their head, and jump. Once you are holding the right spot for a pole and get your hands high enough, it will bend by itself.

when i would help people learn to vault in high school, id just give em a 13' 155 (no matter what size they were), start their hands about 8 foot, and slowly moved em up one hand at a time as they kept going into the pit, as time goes on and their plants get better with more speed their hands will move up, and around 11' and up on that pole it will start to slightly bend, then the bend gets bigger and bigger.

VaultPurple wrote:

is he really just letting it bend ... ?

answer: YES HE IS REALLY JUST LETTING IT BEND... When pole vaulting you do not have to try to bend the pole. ... it will bend by itself.

Well ... yes ... sorta ... but not quite ...

VaultPurple wrote: ... as time goes on and their plants get better with more speed ... then the bend gets bigger and bigger.

Now you got it!

You see ... he is doing something! He's running fast and planting high! THAT'S what's bending the pole! His momentum ... thru his top hand! ... Only his top hand!

To summarize ... the pole will bend if you run down the runway quickly, reach high on your plant, and hang on tight (PRESS AND SQUEEZE) with your top hand!

Oh yes ... one more thing ... it will bend even more if you jump hard on takeoff!

That's really all it takes to bend the pole ... believe it or not!

Once the pole begins to bend, then you can begin your swing ... and the pole will bend even more (the swing adds additional energy into the pole). The pole will begin to bend the moment it hits the box (if your body core is "tight"), so there's not much time at all between the time the pole hits the box and when you begin to swing. The longer and faster the swing, the more the pole will continue to bend.

To a certain extent, you can control this ... by "finishing your takeoff" ... but no matter what you do once you leave the ground PROPERLY ... you cannot prevent the pole from bending.

So yes, at THAT point, it's going to bend "by itself".

Kirk

Now that I've explained how the pole will bend (i.e. how you can influence the bend of the pole), would you like to know how to slow down your swing?

Recall in my previous post that the faster you swing, the more the pole will bend.

Here's how you can slow down your swing ... I don't know why you'd want to do that, but just in case, here's Howie Doit ...

PRESS HARD WITH YOUR BOTTOM ARM! Lock the elbow of your bottom arm so that your body cannot swing thru the chord of the pole as quickly! As you body's momentum causes you to swing thru the chord of the pole, counter this action by pressing even harder!

Kirk

Do you ever wonder why you're not swinging thru the chord and into a good "upside down position" on the pole, then FLYING off the top of the pole and over the crossbar?

Could it be that you're not swinging quickly thru the chord?

Kirk

Oh ... did I hear a question from the back of the class?

What's that? ... You say you think that you can bend the pole EVEN MORE when you press hard on it with your bottom arm?

Well ... yes ... the guy in the back thinks he can get more POWER out of the pole by blocking out his bottom arm ... and he's right ... that's true.

You WILL bend it more. You will bend it MORE, but your swing will be SLOWER. So much slower, in fact, that you might not get "upside down" on the pole in time ... before it starts to uncoil. This is not good.

Kirk

Your homework for tonight is to try this out with a real pole!

That's all for now ... class dismissed!

Kirk

Hehehehe, I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard this. In fact I am posting the process on a sign in my building.
Something like:
"Straight pole until you can hold high enough for the pole to bend"

You guys have any better sayings? Please!

Rick Baggett
WSTC LLC

Edit...

DON'T "LOCK AND BLOCK".

EDIT: PP has edited his post (above), so I'm reducing this one down to the bare bones ...

PP ... [lots of stuff deleted here] ... You do a VERY GOOD job ... no ... a GREAT JOB ... of helping beginners with their BEGINNING technique. I'm quite sure that's because you've "been there and done that". Because you've experienced it, you know what works and what doesn't work ... my recommendation to you is to talk about what you know for sure.

Kirk