PP42's Senior Year Training Blog

[rainbowgirl28]

Good job on the PR!

[KirkB]

12-0? Nice!

Why couldn't you try any higher?

Kirk

[powerplant42]

Another meet today. 11' O. 11'6" O. 12' O. 12'6" XXX... I was told I should've been gripping higher! I used a 14' 150 gripping ~13'.

Challenges: was extremely sore, was on a pole I'd never used before, gusty wind
Advantages: was a good tailwind

I'll upload both of these meets tomorrow.

[powerplant42]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luHnirCbEGw

The first jump is not by me.

For some reason I only have 2 of the 12'6" attempts from yesterday's meet on film.

What I see:

Under at take-off by about a foot (probably because of a slightly late plant)
Waiting on the pole big time (because of the take-off problems of course...)

Quick run, maybe need to run more in front of myself?
Could be gripping higher! Landing fairly deep.

[Barefoot]

PP...

Yes you look under... way under on some vaults. This causes a number of problems for your vault, starting with the position of your left hand at the plant. You are gripping around the pole in what we call around here a monkey grip, which may indeed mean you are pulling imediately off the ground instead of moving both hands up at the take-off. Look at the left hand in the vids and determine if that is what it should look like vs what you are doing at the moment. Again, being habitually under can lead to this, though it can be that your wrist is not cocked under during the penultimate, I can't tell looking at this film, or that you are gripping too tight with the left during the plant. Being under also wrecks the height of your plant and your ability to spring off the ground and prevents you from getting the long whipping swing.

So first... get your steps on. Then, get your hands in better position to move the pole to vertical. Do that and you will need a bigger pole.

Just my two cents.

[rainbowgirl28]

Dude, rock back once and go. None of that back and forth crap. That's why you're not jumping 13'

I assume the standards were all the way back in the second meet?

[powerplant42]

Barefoot - Yeah, I'm actually surprised at how under I am. I figure that if I can fix that I'll open up the bigger heights immediately... Not sure what you mean with the wrist-cocking though...?

RG - They're at 30" and 28" for that last jump. I moved them back again for the last attempt at 12'6" (not filmed).

I'm investing in a 14' 155 UCS/Spirit. Good buy?

[rainbowgirl28]

I'm investing in a 14' 155 UCS/Spirit. Good buy?

What other bigger poles do you have? I am assuming you have a limited budget to buy poles, so I would probably go with a 14'160 and make it a 10lb jump.

[Barefoot]

The wrist thing... your left hand is a support and pivot point for the pole as you plant. If your wrist is cocked back the pole rests between the thumb and forefinger. If it is flat or turned down the weight is on the thumb.

At the end of your plant, your in the vids wrist is flexed down, meaning you can't be pushing the pole as high as possible, and you are are not driving the pole up with that hand... indeed, the only effective thing you can do is pull at the plant.

While standing, take a pole with your normal grip, then slide your bottom hand to a closed grip like a steel pole vaulter... go through your planting motion, hands still together, pushing the pole as high as you can, and then look up to see the position/angle of your bottom hand and wrist... that should be closer to the position/angle you want your hands to be at the plant and take-off. Your wrist and arm are presently collapsed and turned what looks like 90 degrees to the runway, preventing you from making the most space between your head and the pole.

Best I can do without pictures... capiche?

[powerplant42]

RG - I actually have a 14' 160 available for use and a 14' 155... The 14' 155 is an ancient yellow CataPole and it doesn't seem to flex quite right/nearly enough.

However, the 14' 145 I have is extremely soft, and I borrowed the 14' 150.

Barefoot - I'm having some serious trouble picturing what you're trying to describe. I'll film my plant close up for you and we can talk about it then, cool?

[rainbowgirl28]

RG - I actually have a 14' 160 available for use and a 14' 155... The 14' 155 is an ancient yellow CataPole and it doesn't seem to flex quite right/nearly enough.

However, the 14' 145 I have is extremely soft, and I borrowed the 14' 150.

Barefoot - I'm having some serious trouble picturing what you're trying to describe. I'll film my plant close up for you and we can talk about it then, cool?

Yeah I wouldn't use the Catapole except for pole runs. What brand/how old is the 14'160? If the 14'150 and 160 are both Spirits, what are the flex numbers for both?

[Barefoot]

PP...

Simplest terms... another way... your hand is around the back of the pole as you take off, instead of beneath the pole pushing it up.

Can someone else explain monkey gripping with the bottom hand to PP?