PoleVaultPower.com

Hi,
Can someone please refer me to a post (I couldn't find one that fully explained when I searched the forums) or just give me an explanation of what it means to drop my shoulders, what this accomplishes, why I do it, etc.?
I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you,
AJ

Here's a simple visual explanation. Go to this PVP link, http://www.polevaultpower.com/media/vid ... anddrills/ then click on the first video link "Bubkas". The very first "bubka" done in this series of that drill is an excellent example of dropping the shoulders while thrusting the hips to the pole. The obvious benefit of doing this is it gets you aligned with and adjacent to the pole. Therefore you are more likely to be able to use the energy of the recoiling pole to move your body higher. The less obvious benefit is that done with enough energy, it can bend the pole more (or at least delay the recoil slightly) thus giving more time for the pole to move to vertical. That can mean being able to get on a "bigger" pole which is an obvious advantage.

- master

Thank you, so basically its a step along to getting inverted?

I'd say its a step that some people have happen automatically and some dont.

Have you ever been snowboarding? If your instructor tells a group to "turn", some people automatically bend their knees, stay on their front foot, and push their toes into the snow. Others like to be given instructions so they can picture in their minds what to do, like saying "step into your front binding" to get someone to put weight on their front foot. Or "squash the bug with your toes" to get them to push into the snow with their toes. Saying "drop your shoulders" is just one of these instructions that makes a complicated action like getting inverted a little easier, because it is a specific and follow-able instruction, yet some people will do it automatically so it's not necessary. I hope that makes sense .

Better to think - Drive the hips! That is if you are in a position to do so!

welcome back

Dont get carried away - only contributing because I am in the US - that will be the last for a while.

If you do the clinic in baltimore over a tuesday, thursday, or sat/sun i can be there. I'll bring my spikes but im not sure how much vaulting I'll do, im only really interested in drills at this point.

I'll bring my spikes but im not sure how much vaulting I'll do, im only really interested in drills at this point.

I can't believe you just said that!

You can't believe how much of a break i need morry lol. Planting 2 feet under only gets you so far, and to break that habit i'm sticking to drills or short approach till it gets fixed. I consider a 3 step approach a drill... and if i can do that with my take off in the right place all in one day i'll suprise myself! But of course if i do.... ill go back to a 4-5 step. Mentally i need this break though anyway.

What I should have said was that I'm proud that you said that! You'll work it out........one step at a time!

Good luck Jason P.!