PoleVaultPower.com

Hi,

Back again with another decathlete. Tom Roetman has been reviewed here a year ago => viewtopic.php?f=39&t=13905&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=12. He has improved his personal best from 3.10meter (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bccK2BJEzDw) to 3.70meter this february 2009.
In meets he has a full run-up of 12 steps (6 lefts). His personal best is jumped with a 4.30/155lbs pole.

Yesterday at the end of a training where we focused on the run-up and take-off, he tried to clear a height of 4.00meter. He used an 8-steps run-up and his meet pole (4.30/155lbs).
I'm going to setup a training plan for the next three months and I would like your opinions about his technique. Please comment.

The to be reviewed video of yesterday's training => http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU3LlhDMfWs

He must drive the right knee -leg flexed - right up over his head. The left leg - after finishing the take off must stay long in a whip swing all the way over his head. He needs to get on the high bar and master these elements. Then he must move to the pole and think only of swinging around his hands as if he was on a moving high bar.

Hey, haven't seen the video yet, but if you're setting up a training plan, you might want to check out this link...

http://www.stabhoch.com/epvc/petrov_plan.pdf

It seems like you're in a situation where you control things well enough to really implement something like that. But of course, you will have to shape it around their other events...

Run2Niels:

You can watch video of Altius describing the swing at this YouTube link.

- master

Another video of Tom. Here he jumps a new pb of 3.90meter with a 4.60m/140lbs pole and a 12-step runup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5GBPjG89bg

Still working on the highbar for the swing. Can't make the transfer to actual polevaulting yet...

Any other points besides driving the right knee up and swinging the left leg straigth?

Here he jumps a new pb of 3.90meter with a 4.60m/140lbs pole and a 12-step runup

Traditional Dec pole vaulting, Run fast, Grip High.

Im just amazed he was able to raise his grip that fast and still manage a very good free take off.


How much does he weight? Just getting him on some stiffer poles instead of longer may help out his form because he can make less mistakes. 140 is very soft expecially for a 15' pole. Im like 135lb and and anything under 155 i feel like im going to break.

Run2Niels wrote: Still working on the highbar for the swing. Can't make the transfer to actual polevaulting yet...

Nice run, plant, and FREE takeoff!

I compliment you on coaching him to get his run/plant/takeoff working first. So far, so good!

But he's just totally lost once the pole hits the back of the box. I know it's hard for a decathlete to justify the time, but if he wants to learn how to PV, he needs to focus on that highbar (or rings) and start SWINGING. Even if he spent maybe a half hour twice a week for a year, he'd increase his PR by a meter.

He will improve by vaulting only, but just not nearly as fast ... and he'll pick up lots of bad habits.

If he learns to swing with a long trail leg, then what he does with his lead leg ... or what he does after the downswing ... doesn't really matter (as much). He'll get over 4.50m, which I think is worth a bunch of decathalon points. It all comes down to investing time on PV vs. on any other event. He has the potential to make big gains on PV points, so you can figure it out from there ...

Kirk

Thanks for the compliment.

And I don't think we have to worry anymore about investing time in the polevault. This is the event he likes the most and he's seriously considering a switch from decathlon to polevaulting (combined with longjump, sprint and hurdling).
I will get him to swing on the highbar as much as desired for his swing technique.

As I understand it he needs to do:
1. a regular swing with the lead knee up => http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqS-GGiCHUE
2. a swing with breaking at the hips => http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxKLAJxrrds

Then converting to the polevault with short run-ups and a light 4.30 pole. Then converting to the full runup with a 4.60 meetpole.

I will make a vid of his swings on the highbar as soon as there is something to be proud of.

Run2Niels wrote: ... As I understand it he needs to do:
1. a regular swing with the lead knee up => http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqS-GGiCHUE
2. a swing with breaking at the hips => http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxKLAJxrrds

Yes, that's exactly it.

#1 is Alan Launder's "Swinging Whip Drill", and #2 is my "Hanging Whip Drill" ... as demonstrated by PP.

In the past, I have referred to mine as the "Whip Drill", but there's nothing wrong with Alan's version of it either ... you should practice both ... so we need a little longer names to differentiate them.

The reason I prefer my Hanging Whip Drill is becuz if you don't dampen the swinging about the top hand, you can't do as many reps ... you eventually resonate your swing so much that you have to stop, then start over again.

Also, altho swinging about the top hand LOOKS more like you'd swing on a pole, it doesn't FEEL as close to the TARGET swing on the pole. You want to "stay with the pole", and the best way to do that is to train your body to swing SOONER and FASTER ... so that after the WHIP (at the chord), you get inverted quicker. If you don't bend in the hips IMMEDIATELY at the chord ... as tends to happen in the Swinging Whip Drill ... then it's harder to stay with the pole.

If you deaden your swing between each rep (per PP's demo), then you can do as many as 20 reps in a set before resting. PP is doing them OK, but as he gets stronger, he just needs to whip the trail leg more vigorously in the downswing. This is what gives you the momentum and power in the upswing. If you do them correctly, you'll feel your hips rise without much muscular effort at all ... the effort is all in the downswing!

PP, you've been doing this drill for quite a few months now. Can you give us a progress report? Re the speed of your downswing, and your gut strength, I mean. Or are you still doing rehab so you've stayed off the highbar? Maybe an updated highbar vid ... when you're healthy?

Kirk

I have been off of the bar for a while... Before I stopped, I noticed my swing being a lot more aggressive/quick, but I have no video for you all. (Should be back in business in a few weeks though!!!)

Tom on the highbar trying the "hanging whip drill". What do you think about it, Kirk? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js4uI_cozPM (june 11th)

And then converting it to an 8-step run-up with a (too) light pole. At the third jump in the video he can keep his lead knee up, and his swinging trail leg almost straight!
That would be 1 out of five recorded jumps... Oh yeah, I'm already glad he is picking it up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agHz-0NzVjg (june 11th)

Please comment...

Oh, and this is another meet video equalling his pb of 3.90 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3A-TtjUny0 (june 7th). He had a nasty variable tailwind, making him come under a few times.

Get it to be more vigorous! Especially the 'downswing' (I'm sure Kirk will kindly elaborate).

I'm wondering if it might be worth trying something... KB, do you remember your suggestion to me/6P of trying this drill with a pool noodle as a 'target'? I'm going to try this with an athlete soon myself. Where exactly should it be put?