WORST Vault Article I think I have EVER SEEN

[altius]

Thanks Skot - the cheque is on the way!

PV Student and I have had a look at that diagram. The indicated pole bend at take off is greater than the maximum bend at any point in Bubka's vaults and we have calculated -crudely I must admit - that to get into that position a vaulter would have to be between 80 cms and 1 metre 'under' when the pole tip hit the back of the box.

In addition of course the extended right shin/thigh will tend to pull the athlete's hips forward at take off, prevent any chance of a strong body at and lead to early rotation. The problems naturally escalate from there.

[rainbowgirl28]

that to get into that position a vaulter would have to be between 80 cms and 1 metre 'under' when the pole tip hit the back of the box.

That's about 3 FEET under for those of you metrically impaired

[vault3rb0y]

Even someone who doesnt study physics could see you would get dominated by trying to do what that diagram tells you.

[SKOT]

I found someone that got 90+ degree bend before takeoff. See what happens!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6PZaq5EEDk&NR

[ba]

Wow, maybe I did not express myself in a clear concise manner. All I tried to say was your hands should both be parallel to the runway forming a 90 degree angle with a point perpendicular to the runway at takeoff and then your front hand will be higher than your back hand as you finish your plant... thus forming an angle of more than 90 degrees. I will load some pictures to explain my article more clearly.
Look at pictures at:
http://www.buzzandrews.com/walker1.gif
http://www.buzzandrews.com/vault2.gif
http://www.buzzandrews.com/v3.gif

[ba]

Ok,
After thinking about the comments on the article, I have the following comments:
1. We all use different terminology describing our drills and events. I have used the term "90 degrees "for years to mean get your front and back hands parallel to the runway during your plant. This forms a 90 degree angle from perpendicular to the runway(parallel to the runway). Obiously, when I wrote the article, I did not make this clear to the reader and the interpretation was that I implying a 90 degree bend in the pole. That is NOT what I meant to say. So that being said, I wrote an article that was clear to me and my vaulters, but not to the general vaulting community. Therefore, a poorly written article.

2. I should have use the term "parallel" instead of 90 in the article. I have heard some coaches call the penultimate stride "the flat stride" both mean the same thing but it could mean something different to other coaches and athletes.

http://www.buzzandrews.com/walker1.gif

[Tim McMichael]

I take it from your comments, ba, that you are the author of the article in question. I am glad you have taken the time to clarify your comments. I hope you take the criticisms of this thread in a constructive way, as it appears you have. The major problem I have with your article is that the stick figure illustration shows a pole bent at 90 degrees with the vaulter’s foot flat on the ground. You also use the phrase "while you are still on the ground" when describing the instant the athlete’s hands reach the 90 degree position. These two things taken together can be devastating to someone's concept of proper plant mechanics, and this is not what is happening in the pictures that you have posted. In all of them, the athlete’s foot has either left the ground or is just about to. Pictures are much more instructive and easier for athletes to intuitively grasp than are words, which can often be mistaken and misconstrued. Please alter the illustration and its description. Perhaps you could use the pictures that you have posted here.

[ba]

I have learned one thing through this forum. Dot your "i's" and cross your "t's". I know a lot more about the pole vault than I can put on paper, so I won't be writing another one for sure. I can't draw very well and apparently I can't use written language when it comes to vaulting. Just keep in mind that the poorly written article was intended to help young vaulters and not to hurt them.
My terminology is what I use and I understand it. I have spent many hours studing the pole vault through the years. That being said, let's move on....

[Tim McMichael]

ba, that is an awesome response to the criticisms you have recieved in this post. I hope you will stick around and join in the discussions here. I have found them to be invaluable to my understanding and growth as an athlete and a coach. I have changed some significant things in my coaching as a result of this forum, both conceptually and in the vocabulary I use. You are not alone in the need and desire to improve.

[altius]

ba, that is an awesome response to the criticisms you have recieved in this post.

Agree wholeheartedly! Glad you took the time to join the forum and explain your thoughts a bit better because your article as it stood WAS potentially dangerous. It might have encouraged vaulters who did not know what YOU REALLY MEANT to take on board and apply ideas which run completely counter to modern thinking about the take off. It just shows how difficult it is to describe complex movements with mere words.

However this may be the time to reiterate the Petrov notion that the pole should not be loaded before the athlete leaves the ground - it should therefore be virtually straight at the instant of take off and NOT FLEXED AT ALL at that point.

[robillard]

i def agree with the two above, they way you respopnded to all the criticism was great. im glad cause i know some people that wouldve just lost it and posted stuff that would get them kicked off of here but you handled that in a very mature way.
after looking at the pictures you have posted it makes a lot more sense and yes terminology does get very mixxed and confused, especialy between states as i have noticed, at least at the high school level.
if i were you id post a new short article explaining the terminology and showing some better pictures other than the stick figure. In my opinion the stick figure is wat made everyone, or at least a lot more people, think you were talking about the bend and not the hands. If your hands are past 90 degrees while your still on the ground though, you're more than likely under by a lil. it really depends on your technique but most modern vaulters dont bend the pole til the "end of the plant" or as they're taking off. To many idealy you want to be about an inch out as you start your takeoff and the pole should start to bend as your foot starts to leave the ground. The idea being that this lets you get a higher plant so you can jump higher.
Im not disagreeing with you at all, i just be;lieve that there are a lot of different styles out there. I was taught to punch my left arm up at the takeoff and imediately kick as hard as i could as soon as my foot leaves the ground. In this case i probably get my hands to the position you describe however i do not reach that position until my feet have either left or have almost left the ground.
Thank you for your ideas and i hope to see you contributing more on this site. Im glad to see you joined and are defending yourself, and in a rather good way too.

[CLCPV04]

Way to join and respond. I look forward to the updated article!