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Tear it up! Anything you have to say, please do. The video is of two slomo jumps from practice, holding a handhold down on a 14' 155 UCS. Sophomore vaulter, second year. PR: 11' (using a 13' pole, which I got too heavy for)

http://www.treemo.com/users/yeegle/channel/item/365324/

While I post my video, I figured I might as well ask a few questions that I have.

I know my plant could be freer. Actually, the free plant was never taught to me and I only started to try it this season. However, with the free plant, I feel myself slowing down, even if only minutely, on my last step--ultimately not really planting freely at all. If I really focus on accelerating then I've hit the plant well and free (improving my jump by a lot), but in about 90% of my jumps I don't succeed. The slow down is hardly detectable in real time, and I still get in deep enough, but maybe you can see it on my slo motion jumps. Maybe I'm overstriding? Anyway, what are some drills for both the free plant while keeping up your speed? I think it is resulting from the mentality of the free plant.

Right now I am planting about six or so inches from the back of the box. How far away should I plant ideally? When I plant, I look at the box until after the plant. Would looking forward throughout help me to not slow down?

Finally, I never really experience my pole bend going to the left after planting. Is that simply because my plant isn't strong enough? Does it happen naturally?

I'm pretty sure my physical strength isn't holding me back. I can do pop-ups and bubkas as well as the next guy, and I sprint pretty fast. Please don't just tell me what I'm doing wrong (like I know that I'm just riding the pole in a sitting position) but also what I can do to fix it. Again, any input that will help me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

For the hips to come up, the head and shoulders must come down.

Your swinging up but not dropping your shoulders to get upside down.

Try doing some high bar drills.

Bubka swing ups are always helpful.

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

I can do those drills...but somehow when I get on a pole I can't for the life of me. Popups are easy as well...its just when I bend the pole!

Your plant is way late. The pole is hurried up behind your body which is making you stride out into a take-off that's about two feet under. And in addition to this, you look at the box. The box doesn't move, why do you look at it? It contributes to all of the above problems. The pole doesn't bend to the left because you can't swing into that pre-highbar position (which, if you're as strong as you say you are, would put you way past 11' if you could use it). Use the midmark chart, buy BTB2, and keep getting on the highbar. Those are my three top tips for pole vaulters.

To clear something up....you can look at the box when you are coming down the runway, but as your bottom hand passes in your line of sight, your eyes should follow it up.

That being said, when you do this, you are going to give yourself a black eye with that plant. You really need to keep that bottom arm out infront of you on the takeoff. You are getting fiber-faced pretty good.

You're rowing your hands straight out in front as you swing. This will make it impossible to get inverted. Swing your hips to your hands not your hands to your hips.

You take-off looks OK but you have to fix the rowing problem. It's a must if you want to advance.

A "free takeoff" requires an acceleration into the box. Like you said, you think you might be over-striding your last few steps. That will kill your set-up for a good take off. That doesnt mean accelerate your entire run, just pace yourself your first few steps, and accelerate your last few steps. Get a good cadence and count in your head, so you can control how and where you leave the ground at the plant. A free take off isnt so much where your foot leaves the ground, but where your hands are too. They need to be high and pushing upward, not forward, when you leave the ground and during the vault, to benefit from a "free" takeoff.

thanks for all the advice so far, keep it coming!