Length of strides

[birdi_gurlie]

I was discussing step length with my coach. He believes that if you're running a 12 step/6left vault, and you keep increasing speed as you reach the pit, your strides should lengthen in the last 3. I remember at lojo's vault camp a few years ago, something was mentioned about the first 3 lefts increasing in length but that the last 3 lefts should stay the same size, even with the acceleration. As we were discussing it, he said we'd discuss it with pen and paper on later.

So...how long are the strides supposed to be in the last 3 lefts/6steps as opposed to the rest of the vault?

We're trying to figure this out because that is the mid-mark for most of our vaulters and I'm trying to find out where and appropriate mid is, if that makes sense. If he's right, great! But I can't remember and I want to be sure that I have it correct and WHY. (Both stride length and acceleration need to be taken into account; there are 2 variables and I was "only accounting for the stride length, not the acceleration", but I think I was.)

[VaultPurple]

Theoretically if you just run as hard as you can trying to get faster like springing the 100, it will get longer. However your not running the 100. And your last two strides probably will be longer, but u should work hard to make at least the last step shorter than the previous so you can get your hips in a better position to jump up.

However for a side note Lavillenie was the only vaulter at (World Championships?) that did not shorten his last step.

[birdi_gurlie]

I was reading what Petrov wrote about training vault technique.

"Pole Drop

This final 3rd part of the run is characterized by the increased rate of the run while the length of the stride remains the same, thus achieving the maximum speed of the run-up. The length of the strides is a little shorter as compared to sprint, the body is straightened. The length of the strides should not change abruptly. The 2nd last step is longer than the last one by 10-20 cm (optional).

This part in covered in 6 strides and equals to 17,0 – 17,5 m (shown by top athletes of the world) if measured from the back of the box.
The key to the correct vaulting technique lies in practically all the movements of the drop and push part of the run-up – both for the beginners and for more advanced vaulters.

Without changing the running pace and running position, 6 to 5 strides before the push, the vaulter begins the drop. This is done with the help of pulling and rotation (initial) of the right hand.

During the next two run-up strides (4-3 steps) the vaulter’s attention is focused on the slight thrust of the hips forward without losing control over the shoulders, maintaining their leading role in the run-up."



I know this is mentioning advanced technique, but I'd like to know how the 6 strides (6 lefts? Or is it the last 6 steps of the vault?)

I'm trying to figure out the proper stride length proportions to a vault. I.E. If using a 6 left/12step run up, how should the size change? Should the last 3 lefts/6steps stay the same length? Should the last 3L/6S get increasingly longer?

I understand that the last 3L/6S should stay the same length as the 6th step but I'm trying to explain why now.

[powerplant42]

The last 3 lefts should all be about the same length... NO increase in general. Cadence should increase instead.

In those last steps you are dropping the pole more quickly. Increasing your stride will force you more off balance and make your COM lower.

[vault3rb0y]

Quick lesson just to clarify what we are talking about:

Running Velocity = Stride Length x Stride Rate

An acceleration is a positive change in Velocity, so requires that either your steps get longer, or you take your steps faster, or both.

When you are increasing your stride LENGTH, the force you put into the ground should be very centered toward pushing your body forward by sweeping your foot underneath yourself, not up (too much force into the ground as opposed to a sweep under the ground is a contributor to shin splints, by the way). Once you are covering as much ground as you can with each step (maximum stride length), by increasing your stride RATE, you start having more control over where the force is applied, and you have the ability to apply more force to make you go UP rather than just forward. So during the last 6 steps, you set up yourself to have more control over your take off, but still be at maximum velocity and acceleration, by increasing your RATE instead of your LENGTH.

I would NOT worry about this next part quite yet, but just keep this in mind:
On the very last step, you will notice a lot of the best jumpers in the world shortening the stride length. Again, this is for the control of putting your force UP rather than in. Also, on their Second to last step (penultimate step) you will see a slightly longer step, and if you tracked their center of gravity (COG, around their hips), it actually lowers slightly before coming back up on take off. This, again, is to help set up more UPWARD movement by lowering and then rapidly raising your COG on the very last step. This is much more noticeable in long jumpers, because more of their performance is determined by their take off angle than in the pole vault. NOT to say that take off angle is not important, but there are things we pole vaulters can do to compensate for a lower take off angle.

Lavillenie is a great example of this, as referenced earlier. He combines the advantage of a free take off and excellent hand position and pressure to make a low take off angle still work very well (followed by an unreal swing velocity and timing). This is why you do not see his last take off step shortening in length. He relies on his excellent speed, take off position, and movement of his hips to keep the pole moving to vertical. I would argue that this takes much, much longer to learn how to do correctly, in comparison to a higher take-off angle model. I also have not looked at all of his data and performances, but I would also be willing to bet that he does not hold nearly as high as other 6m jumpers, but that his poles are very stiff relative to his body weight. This is a little more info than necessary, but gives you something to think about!

[AVC Coach]

Keep it simple. When your coach is watching you vault, it should appear to him that your strides get shorter the closer you get to the box, even if they're not. If it looks like you're overstriding, either you are or you're pole drop is not on time. From my experience coaching young vaulters, simply trying to move a run up or back to hit a desired take-off mark almost never results in success. As simple as it sounds, a well timed pole drop usually corrects the stride problems and helps dial in the take-off.