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It's a fairly simple question (I think). Do you pull the bottom arm in towards your body slightly at takeoff? Or does it just feel like I am and I'm actually pulling it up? And if this is totally off base, what is it supposed to do?

You don't want to pull the pole toward your body while taking off.

You are more than likely pulling on the pole. This is NOT good, your bottam arm should keep pressure against "pushing away" the pole. Most people that pull on the pole are trying to get inverted right off the ground. I bet you do not land very deep in the pit. You have to keep your take-off leg back behind you during the take-off. This will allow you to get inverted the correct way. I can not be sure what you are doing without a video. Do you have one?

Basically what I want to know, is what do the elite/very good vaulters do with their bottom arm while taking off. Does it pull? push? extend upwards? I know you should never pull with your top arm, but what do you do with the bottom?

They keep pressure against the pole which allows the lower arm to extend upward.

Yeah, they are pressuring the pole at first, and then gradually letting it tuck in as they are rocking back.

Assuming that you're a right-handed vaulter, you should drive up through your left hand... punch it up at takeoff.

After a complete extension off of the ground, you want to roll the pole over with both arms straight until you are fully rocked back (some people refer to this action as rowing, since it's similar to what you do in a boat).

Once the rockback is done, you can pull in on your left arm. But the more important action at this point is driving the hips up / shoulders back.

I hope that's helpful.

The answer is be passive-aggresive with your bottom arm. Don't lock it out and don't let it collapse to your face. Easier said then done of course. Here's a video of the man himself, Bubka, at take-off.

http://users.adelphia.net/~superpipe/Po ... ka_601.mov

The angle between the bottom arm and your torso at plant should be 160 degrees with the elbow flexed slightly ouward. At take off the bottom arm remains firm but slightly flexed. This will keep you off of the pole assuming that you didn't get ripped with an under plant. The pressure on the pole is applied with the bottom arm by keeping it firm as you jump into the plant. The top arm stays long and is primarily responsible for bend. Do not apply pressure up and back with the bottom arm as you start your swing as this will usually cause the top arm to bend raising your center of gravity and making it more difficult for the pole to roll. Much better to row both arms forward as you swing to apply energy to the pole throughout the vault.

Im new and my coach is always telling me to push my lower arm straight out forward at the takeoff which helps bend the pole if you have the right form

good luck with pole vault!

I was talking to some coaches this weekend that were saying the the pressure should all be on the top arm.....it sounds crazy, but when you think abotu it putting pressure on the bottom arm will cause you to drop your chest down where top arm pressure will cause the chest to move up.

I got a 15 minute explination on it and then it started making sense, but if anyone else can explain it better, please do.

Yesterday I posted a reply to a very similar situation. I feel that this issue may create numerous danger-vaulters, and this message needs to be emphasized much more than it already is.

The bottom arm at take-off needs to be rigid and pushing up and forward, as if you were going to push it right over into the pit. However YOU MUST NOT KEEP YOUR BOTTOM ARM STRAIGHT AT TAKE-OFF!!! This is extremely dangerous, as it forces the pole to bend unnaturally and the vaulter to slow down, even almost to a stop on the runway. You will get jerked off of the ground by the pole, stall and end up on the side of the pit, that is, if you even get into it. You will most likely get rejected regularly as well. You see, when you lock-out your bottom arm, all of your energy from the approach goes right into the back of the box. (Bubka said this himself in Jamaica I believe, someone correct me if I'm wrong.) To avoid this, your elbow should be pointing slightly outwards with a free take-off (taking off before the pole-tip hits the back of the box). The pole will bend if all the following phases are performed correctly: Pole selection, grip, carry, approach, plant, take-off, FOLLOW-THROUGH. When you finish following through, or pushing the pole up and forwards past take-off, your bottom arm can then flex in.