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I believe that to get inverted, all the athlete needs to do is rock back. The arms play NO ROLE in "pulling the athletes hips up". The shoulders need to drop in order for the athlete to achieve a fully inverted position once the athlete has rocked back past the parallel point with the ground. The only "pull" that occurs in the vault with the arms is after they are inverted when they are doing their "pull turn". I have never heard the terminology "the pull invert" if you know what I mean. I have watched Bubka's jump in slow motion, and I have found that he hangs like a monkey, then swings. Once he is past parallel he drops his shoulders, then pull turns. Also, on a side note, I would like to state that it is impossible for an athlete to continue to rock back if they "block out with their left arm".

Please comment on whether the athlete actually "pulls" themselves into inversion, and also repsond to whether it is possible for the athlete to get inverted if they block out with their left arm.

The "misconception" being pulling the hips up.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO watch Bubka's left arm (or Tommy Skipper if you want an extreme example). They pull like hell with their lefts. By pulling with the left you shorten your axis of rotation and speed up your swing which conserves energy and helps with penetration. Remember that when you are watching vault videos, usually it is in slow motion so sometimes you are fooled into thinking the vault is a passive movement.

Plant high, pull with your left, and swing like hell.

I actually have to go with IEUvaulter on this one. I think that while the trail leg is swinging to get inversion, there is no pull. However, I do think that there is a push, not out with the left arm, but forward and down with both hands. Then the main pulling is after inversion for the pole turn.

wait.... fx,
you say you agree with the guy who says they pull like hell and then say that there's no pull?

I don't think you have to pull with either arm to swing around. Your runway speed combined with a long, straight, quick trail leg will get you there, provided that motion is not interupted. I think your pull should be quick while your hips are still on the move from your swing, even if you're not quite inverted yet, and you should try to be at least as fast as your recoiling pole. Key word here is "quick".

However, I do think that there is a push, not out with the left arm, but forward and down with both hands.

You only want to pull with your left. Pulling with your right will defeat the purpose of shortening your axis of rotation, and it will also give you false penetration and not allow you to execute the top end of the jump well. Pulling with the right is what leads to "flagging off"

I think your pull should be quick while your hips are still on the move from your swing, even if you're not quite inverted yet, and you should try to be at least as fast as your recoiling pole. Key word here is "quick".

Although I'm not sure if i understand your position on the pull concept, i do agree that a fast swing is everything. Vaulting well is all about efficiency. Bubka jumped on big poles, but he could have been on bigger ones. Although he would not have been as efficient and therefore would not have jumped as high. If you want a really good example of a fast efficient swing watch Tim McMichael. He would grab a pole that would seem like spaghetti, but his swing was so fast, he could make that pole into a 17 foot jump. This is why so many vaulters fail. They widen their grips to make the bend easier, and get on bigger and bigger poles thereby becoming less and less efficient. If you stayed on that first pole that you could bend with a nice narrow grip and work on speeding your swing up and pulling with your left to assist, you will jump higher than if you grab some monster pole and force a bend with a wide grip.

wait.... fx,
you say you agree with the guy who says they pull like hell and then say that there's no pull?[quote][/quote]

my bad i meant the other guy, i just got confused

You guys are way off track.
First question is which model are you refering too?
Eastern European or French?
Second is who teaches you and which model do they they follow?
The ansers are there. Just look laterally for them.

Have a plan Stan....

You guys are way off track.
First question is which model are you refering too?
Eastern European or French?
Second is who teaches you and which model do they they follow?
The ansers are there. Just look laterally for them.

First of all, I don't believe I'm way off track! Although I subscribe to most of the 6.40 model, I don't buy into the "let's look elsewhere for our information because we Americans obviously suck" theory. I don't proclaim to know what Bubka could or could not have done had he made a few more adjustments here or there or any other vaulter for that matter.


"Have a plan Stan...."

Most of us coaches that are serious about the vault DO have a plan and we get kind of offended when someone tries to make us look like we're running a mickey mouse operation.

A little food for thought here. I'm having a dickens of a time getting into an inverted position after take off. A lot of it is that I'm chickening out and not allowing myself to "stay put" but instead I flag out and hurry up my turn. I had one of the coaches that I know tell me that I'm not getting inverted because I'm pulling too early. He said to properly invert with a straight trail leg I need to rotate around my shoulders (not pulling....yeah right....easier said than done) and not pulling at take off helps that. He said the pull begins once you're upside down and the pull gets you up and over. I know this is kinda clear as mud but I have a picture in my mind what he meant. Now I've just got to learn how to do it. Later.......Mike

what keeps the vaulters pole from prematurely 'uncoiling' towards the bar before they get in the right position (hips above shoulders)?

I always thought it was the pressure i put with my top hand on the pole, thinking it was a pull with my arms. Well if you pull something with your arms you're bending your elbows which doesn't take place until after you are inverted. I believe the pulling is the action of the lower body whip which acts as the force that keeps the pole from prematurely 'uncoiling'. In a sense your arms are putting downward pressure on the pole but the source of that downward pressure is the force from the leg whip.