CoachEric wrote:You are absolutely right you would have to lean forward or push your top hand in front of you to allow a straight bottom arm at the plant with a "correct" grip width. Why on earth would anyone do that?
Because pole angle and space behind the pole are both function of bottom arm extension, not top arm extension.A basic goal in vaulting is to create the largest pole angle ( referenced from the plant box ) possible at plant and take-off. Leaning forward or planting in front of yourself goes directly against this, not to mention a host of other issues.
An athlete taking off perpendicular to the pole, having executed the prerequisite free takeoff, creates a higher pole angle than an athlete trying to extend solely with the top arm. This doesn't require that you lean forward at a 45 degree angle. You merely have to put your top arm bicep on your cheek.
I'm not following any of those last comments, but my point is you don't want bottom arm extension for the reasons I indicated.
A tall, upright posture with the top hand extended straight up along side of the body combined with a free take-off ( leaving the ground at an infinitesimally small amount of time before the pole tip hits the back of the box ) gives you the largest pole angle possible for the most efficient vault take-off. Recorded evidence indicates the optimum take-off angle in the pole vault is around 18 - 20 degrees or so. I forget the exact number, but it relates directly to what the human body can withstand most efficiently when converting horizontal runway speed to the vertical jump component in the pole vault.
