PoleVaultPower.com

Ok the info:

I'm 5'11" weighing 140lbs
22 years old, been vaulting since freshman year of HS
pole is a 13'6" 165lb skypole with a flex of 17.4
gripping at 13'2"... bungee on 13'

Video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZtjyiTrwkc

Things i notice:

I throw my head back, i shouldn't. haha
HUUUGE row.
my hips just stop, maybe because my trail leg dies right after the first phase of my swing.
All that causes me not to close off or fully invert.

On a good note, i've been working the CRAP out of my approach and takeoff, and aside from my bottom hand not being fully straight... I think my plant is pretty darn good. I'm sure SOMEONE is going to disagree, but thats what i'm here for.

This jump is embarassing, but on these bigger poles its what i've been doing every jump. If i jump on a pole closer to my weight, I have no problem inverting but i also just mush through it.

throwing your head back is not good but tommy skipper does it so its not awful, it just makes it harder. Your plant is pretty good though you dont want your bottom hand straight for the most part because you will be blocking you chest drive but you want both arms high. The best way to get better at getting fully inverted would be drills like bubkas on a high bar if you have the facilities. The other thing i noticed is that the pole seems to be small. Im not talking about the weight of it but as it is short and with your height you could probably get on longer poles!

Yeah I think i did 20+ bubkas yesterday after jumping. I'm working on it. Pretty sure all my problem is is kind of a mental block really.

We have some more poles i could probably jump on...

a 14' Pacer fx 165 flex# 18.0
a 14'6" pacer carbon 160 with a 21.4 flex and...
a 14'6 pacer fx 165 but i'm not sure of the flex.

nitro wrote:throwing your head back is not good but tommy skipper does it so its not awful, it just makes it harder.

Tommy also almost died when he missed the pit at Oregon's covered pit, he was "lucky" to walk away with only a season-ending shoulder injury. Plus countless other times he almost missed the pit.

Becca is probably on to something. And by probably i mean certainly.

I've missed pits so many times... never shallow, but either off to the side or off the back. That must be the correlation.

Okay, so...

Step one.. Don't throw head back.

Step Two... ?

finish your take off before you swing. By that i mean be off the ground with your hips over your shoulders before you swing. Your hips start moving before your trail leg swings, and that might be why you have a hard time inverting.

Advice was all taken, and it helped. Worked on my swing and keeping my hips moving, and yesterday put a clearance in at 13'6"

Still a little sloppy but i was way over it. I'll be continuing to work on it... thank you guys.