PoleVaultPower.com

eh, not a horrible but not a great one either. It was kinda rainy all day so there wasn't much energy today )= (i think, next time, i'll drive my car around to the pit and turn up the stero so there's some energy)

um, once again, all the info is in the video. i think you can even tell by my sentences that i'm still in a blah mood...or maybe it just feels like that cause I AM in a blah mood )=

ah well, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Xi9fM5Ebk

MY ANALYSES:
JUMP 1: take-off was good, but i dropped the right knee. i swung a bit longer, but cause the pole was so soft, i shoot out. (my highschool coach says i'm pulling a "gondala-type" push, and it's why i'm shooting out all the time now )=

JUMP 2: Free Take-Off, and i kept my knee up. My hips were 'better' BUT I STILL SHOT OUT )=

JUMP 3: take-off was good, and i kept the drive-knee up, but when i swung the trail-leg through, it broke rather early. HOWEVER, it allowed me to raise my hips a bit better, and i didn't shoot out too much (=

JUMP 4: SORRY TO DO THIS TO YOU GUYS, BUT WHAT CAN I SAY?? I'M INSANE. um, you really can't see the run OR the take-off...BUT!!!!...LOOK AT MY HIPS!!!!!!(which you can only see cause my backdrop is a blue-night-sky haha) PROBABLY THE BEST HIP-PLACEMENT I'VE HAD IN MANY WEEKS (unless my eyes are decieving me).

so yea, didn't get too many jumps in today, and got even less on film. but that's what it is. I've decided that i will only go on sundays from now on (until we move indoors), cause then i am guaranteed ALL DAY-SUNLIGHT!!! haha -6P

6P, I haven't viewed your vids yet, but I already have an idea for you ...

When you drive your car up closer to pump up the radio, TURN ON THE HEADLIGHTS!

I've never tried this, but seriously, it might work.

Park your car about even with the start of your runup, and maybe 20-30 degrees off to the side. (Whatever works.)

Put your high beams on, aiming at the box AND the bar. You don't want the box in the shadow of the apron.

You shouldn't have the light source so close to the runway that your own shadow bothers you.

The car should be on the same side of the runway as the videographer. Needless to say, the videographer's shadow should also not cause any shadows that will bother the vaulters or the quality of the vid.

Just an idea.

Kirk

p.s. Don't run your battery dry! ha! ha!

OK, I saw your vids. I'm only going to focus on one technical point per session.

You'll get other, more detailed comments from PP, I'm sure, and I don't want to be repetitive or (worse yet) contradictory to what he says.

Keep in mind that I'm not out to change your entire vault. I just want to focus on what might help you the most.

So my advice today is to swing your trail leg faster.

It's actually not bad - for a high schooler (no offense). I like the way you keep the trail leg stretched for the entire swing! Keep doing that! There's no other way!

It's just that you seem to let the POLE swing YOU.

You'll find that when YOU swing the POLE, you'll get a much faster swing, and everything after that will be smoother and "better".

How do you do that? Well, as PP would say ... "It depends!"

Nah, just kidding.

You'll find that it's quite hard to speed up the swing from the top hand fulcrum. Don't even try. That swing pretty much needs to flow with the pole. I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying that if it WERE possible, then that would be ADVANCED technique, and I would like you to get the basics (INTERMEDIATE TECHNIQUE) down pat first.

PP, please keep this simple for 6P, and don't get into any advanced technique. If you disagree with me on this (not that you EVER disagree with me), please PM me.

6P, you can, however, speed up the swing from the hip fulcrum QUITE A BIT. This is what I call the Hinge. Play around on the highbar, and figure out how you can Hinge faster. Basically, you just need to be concious of the muscle groups that move your trail leg from the "C" position to the "I" position (when you pass the chord of the pole). You do this just by Hinging your hips (repeatedly, back and forth) while hanging underneath the highbar. Do this one-legged, with your lead leg up at all times.

On the highbar, you should feel the Whip at the bottom - directly under the bar. If you don't feel a Whip, then you're not Hinging fast enough.

Once you get the hang of that (yeh, bad pun, I know! ), then it'll be really easy to apply it to your short run vaults.

I am also looking forward to seeing vids of your rings and highbar tricks, including this one.

Good luck!

BG Sr.

I would not call that a 'light' practice...
Seriously, find a way to keep the lighting as good as you can.

You seem to periodically drop your knee, every other practice. I think that you should take a break from the pit and stay on the highbar, track, and sand, especially the highbar. The lead knee is why you're 'shooting out'... you increase your penetration, but make it almost impossible to drive UP off of the pole (as in, you get stuck in the 'V' position).

I also think that your plant might be a little bit late.

BG Jr.

KirkB wrote: 6P, you can, however, speed up the swing from the hip fulcrum QUITE A BIT.

This is what I call the Hinge.

Play around on the highbar, and figure out how you can Hinge faster. Basically, you just need to be concious of the muscle groups that move your trail leg from the "C" position to the "I" position (when you pass the chord of the pole). You do this just by Hinging your hips (repeatedly, back and forth) while hanging underneath the highbar. Do this one-legged, with your lead leg up at all times.

hmmm...i try to swing as long as possible (and as i'm finding out, and you confirmed, i'm too slow at )=) but here's the thing: how do i find that balance between 'hinging' properly and breaking at the hips too early??? GRRRR, this sport is so confusing hahaha

You can figure it out on the high bar. The quicker you swing, the better the balance.