The following is a quote taken directly from Chapter 27 of BTB2 - as I attempt to explain the difference between a free take off and what I have termed a pre jump. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE ADVERTISING!!
Begin quote
Inevitably there will be ongoing debate on this issue. However at the clinic in Jamaica on July 20th 2001, Bubka made his vision of the take off crystal clear. There he said,
"In pole vaulting the crucial factor is how to transfer energy to the pole, through the complete body of the vaulter: the arms, shoulders, hip, back and legs. But if the pole begins to bend while the vaulter is yet on the ground, it is impossible to transfer the energy; all the energy is lost and goes to the box. The point is. How to achieve this? The free take off is a very short period of time, we can say no more that hundredths of a second, going from the end of the take off and the moment in which the tip of the pole reaches the end of the box. But this short time makes a big difference that allows the competitor to greatly improve their results."
We make no apologies for repeating elements of this quote below because we believe that Bubka was describing a pre jump. This is not surprising because the concept of the pre jump is easy to justify on theoretical grounds. Apart from encouraging an aggressive plant that seamlessly melds the horizontal velocity of the run up into a springing take off, there is another major benefit. At every level of performance it is important to maximise the pole/ground angle at take off because the greater this angle is, the closer the athlete is to their target above the bar and the easier the pole will bend. When athletes use very high grips, maximising this angle becomes significantly more important. Based on the above photograph, our calculations suggest that Bubka has increased the pole/ground angle by up to five degrees compared to a toe tip take off. As he said
"When you can do it (pre jump) you can increase the angle of the pole in relation with the ground. "
However Bubka indicated that taking off before the pole tip touches the back of the box is extremely difficult to do. As he said
"It (the Pre jump -note my words here) is a crucial factor, but at the same time, it is not easy to achieve. During my career, I was able to do it some times."
We believe that because of the way the transcript of the Jamaica presentation was put together, this statement has been widely misinterpreted and misunderstood.
In fact it is only possible to understand what Bubka really meant if you realise that his statement was a response to a direct question from Alan. In the first question of the session, and in front of a packed audience, Alan said, "When I met Vitali in Canberra he told me that you were attempting to leave the ground before the tip of the pole hit the back of the box. Ever since then other coaches have told me I am stupid to believe that is what he said - could you please tell me if I am stupid "?
Sergey looked at him and said
"Alan, you are not stupid. That is exactly what I tried to do." He then went on to say - and I do not apologise for repeating this, "It (the Pre jump -my words note) is a crucial factor, but at the same time, it is not easy to achieve. During my career, I was able to do it some times."
If you put the above statements together it is clear that Bubka
• Tried to leave the ground before the pole tip hit the back of the box.
• Believed that a pre jump allowed him to increase the pole/ground angle.
• Realised that a pre jump was difficult to achieve - but that the free take off was not difficult and he achieved that on the majority of his jumps.
End quote
I believe it is important to make a distinction between a free take and its extension the pre jump. In all of your drills you should aim for the latter but be prepared to settle for the former - if nothing else the pre jymp drill i illustrated last week should at least help you to stop taking off under and or flat. Hope this helps.