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I am a collegiate vaulter, i have been vaulting 12'3". I vault on a 14' 170lb pole holding 2 handgrips down. I use a 7 step approach with fairly good speed... my problem is that i take off way under. I should be taking off 11' from the box but i consistently take off at 9'. i have tried moving my step back incrementally but still hit the 9' mark every time. At our last meet, i started with my step at 87'6" and by the end of the meet had moved it back all the way to 90'.

Does anyone know of any drills or techniques i can use to get my step back out where it should be? this problem is robbing me of a good drive phase, and really robbing me of a couple PR's!

start holding low and 1-step. hold a little higher and 2-step, then repeat at 3-4-5- and eventually 6-and 7 and you're confidence and take off position should be on

Like what Yankee said, it sounds like your reaching.

I've had the same problems with my guys. If you are reaching, that means you are taking off heel-toe or flat footed which is not good. Keep your run the same, but shorten your last stride, basically like a penultimate step. Do those drills Yankee said and make sure you use a long enough pole so it really forces you to get off the ground. Concentrate on snapping the ball of your foot to the ground instead of going heel-toe. Take off like you would in long jump.

Pretty simple!! Get David Johnson's mid chart and you WON"T have ANY step problems!!!

I honestly disagree with chalie... Yep, the chart is useful, but unfortunately it is not the immaculate step corrector. Learning how not to lean back and reach for that last step does take some time, and that is what you need to focus on.

Spend some time on your pole drop timing, sprint technique and sprint body position. Also you are probably used to the feeling of driving off the runway into an already bending pole. Simple slow walking wall plants with a stubie, while focusing on hitting the wall when your step is on, and your body is past vertical really helps.

The feeling of body extension and then pole impact is what you need to learn. If you just back up your step to where it is on, you are going to have a difficult time, perception-ally (spelling?), taking off. So learning to deal with that delay before pole hit is what you also need to learn. Thinking about the timing of jump/hit will help. For that 'jump/hit' to happen you cannot be leaning backwards.

just some quick thoughts
-bel

Try using the "magic towel." Put a towel on the runway about a foot in front of where your takeoff should be. Trying to take off from behind the towel will help your perception of where you should be taking off from. When you get used to taking off from behind the towel, remove the towel and try to replicate the same takeoff. This will take some repetition and focus, but will give you the right idea where the takeoff should be.

Erica wrote:Try using the "magic towel." Put a towel on the runway about a foot in front of where your takeoff should be. Trying to take off from behind the towel will help your perception of where you should be taking off from. When you get used to taking off from behind the towel, remove the towel and try to replicate the same takeoff. This will take some repetition and focus, but will give you the right idea where the takeoff should be.

but be careful, on the takeof you should not be looking down at the box or the runway!

Erica has a point, she gave me this advice and i never jumped without my take off "pacifier" at practice for about two weeks. I've now removed it but have gotten faster down the run way so i simply moved my steps back half of the distance that i was missing my mark by. (for instance i was TWO SHOE LENGTHS under from 7 lefts so i moved my run back one shoe length and i hit it. ) I went from 11' bar clearance all season to a 13' bungee clearance yesterday. I also had a problem swaying the pole back and forth when i ran too, but by using my elbow for that arm movement which also allowed me to get my pole "up" earlier, I've gotten faster down the runway without having to reach my last stride. Thanks everyone for helping me.

i had the same problem, so what helped for me was adding another stride (to pick up more speed) and then picking up my knees before i hit my turn over. i ran a five step from 59' for a while, and realized i wasn't getting enough speed so i moved back like ten feet and went to a six. then my first three steps i picked up my knees and pushed out the back, and then my fourth fifth and sixth steps were so much faster going into my takeoff, and i started getting my foot down way quicker.