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Still trying to put everything together. I ran through on nearly all of my warm-ups (except for one on our 14' 160). meaning I ran through on all of the attempts on the 14' 170 and 15' 150.

These jumps were not as consistent as other jumps (like the week before at VTech), but the final jump made me feel a tad better (as it's more of what i'm striving for). Let's evaluate...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbS7CdTY8aA

JUMP 1: simple, I was leaning back at take-off, and my step was around 10'9. Now, I wasn't THAT under, but the leaning back (becoming one of my achilies heals) killed me. In return, I felt like I got no penetration, and my natural reaction is to not fully "finish" the vault, and that causes that ugly "chair" vault where I go side-to-the-bar. Very noob-ish vault, all around.

JUMP 2: Better at take-off, believe my step was around 11', but I was still hesitant, and I never finished the vault.

JUMP 3: I think I was leaning back, EVEN MORE at take-off this time, but was somehow able to muscle-through the vault and clear. Weak drive-knee too, dropped it a bit. {getting frustrated}

JUMP 4: ran through so it's not in this video

JUMP 5: Take-off step was at 11'6, and my coach seemed to think that because I was finally free, I wasn't ready for it, and couldn't use it to my advantage. I guess I though I was REALLY out and was hesitant to invert (cause me to get stuck) just no aggression :/

JUMP 6: finally a decent vault. Step was at 11'6 and I wasn't leaning back. All I remember thinking about was a good forwards leans and a hard right knee-drive. (I'm sure I still could have driven with the chest even better). The latter events led me to a very powerful swing (though I feel I let my drive-knee "get away" from me a bit. (any thoughts?). I finally work through any positions 'flat-back' and I have a pretty smooth, non-passive vault. I still don't think I finished the vault though...perhaps I was looking at the bar? Perhaps my left elbow never really got to the inside of the pole before starting the pull-turn phase. I was certainly flagging out to a degree (unlike my recent armory meet).

All in all...these jumps seem like a step back. The first vaults in this meet were horrible and the only decent vault was the last one. In cases like that last jump, I need to be on a 15-foot pole (we have no stiffer 14's and the 170 is WAY too soft as I almost went off the back of the pit on the last attempt at 4.50). But the problem becomes, how do I know when I'm going to have a good jump like that last one? And I know I'm capable of finishing it in the future. I believe that's an issue that can be fixed and worked on from a 3-left approach with a straight and/or bending pole.

SOLUTION: practice for consistency. I was leaning back until I thought about "not leaning back and driving with the chest". I can't be doing that. It needs to be natural/instinct and occur on EVERY jump, not just when the chips are down. No matter what, I'm going to be on a 15' pole on the next meet, I just need to do things right while using it...thoughts?

On a plus: it's a PR from 7 lefts ON A 14' POLE :-P

-6P

You get hammered off the ground on nearly all your jumps. I suspect your were in a hurry to get inverted. Being under doesn't help.

You need to focus on your angle at take off. If you accelerate your last few steps, you should have a slight forward lean at take off. Then, its important to finish your take off no matter where your step is. I never saw you in a position with your hips centered over your hands before you began to swing. Swinging fast is good, but no good unless you finish your take off to give yourself something to swing with.

You can't kick a field goal if your hips are in front of your shoulders and your leg doesn't swing back behind you.

Your consistency and improvement will come from a stronger impulse off the ground, both with your feet and your hands. Even with your step marginally under at 11', if you drive hard off the ground, and press hard upwards with your hands before you swing, the pole will keep moving and you will put yourself in a position to swing. Until that happens, your progression will be limited by your runway speed and swing velocity (aka.... not much technical improvement). I've seen you do it in short approach jumps so try getting some good reps from 4-5 steps and going back to 7 with the same pole, same grip, and do it until you feel yourself doing it right. You'll know.

Overall though, you have great speed on the runway and a decent drop, with the potential for plenty more PR's this year when you fix your angle during your last 6 steps and finish your take off.

You need to learn to drop your shoulders and kick to the one 0'clock position. Like you would do when doing a bubka, or if you can learn a free hip circle on a high bar the part where you shoot your feet up to where your on a hand stand is the part of the jump you are missing. However you do a decent job of this in your last jump.

--Kasey

Thanks for the tips guys. vault3rb0y, i like your approach to the problem.

Kasey: I will not 'kick' to the 1 o'clock position, i will swing to it

-6P

joebro391 wrote: I will not 'kick' to the 1 o'clock position, i will swing to it

I may be splitting hairs here on the wording here, but I suggest you ROTATE ... or EXTEND ... to the 1 o'clock position. When KC says "kick", I'm sure it's just a figure of speech ... vaulter lingo for saying "get" to the 1 o'clock position.

"Swinging" to it is not quite right either ... since your upswing (aka "inversion") is essentially a done deal by then and you're into your "extension".

So when you EXTEND ... don't extend straight up ... to the 12 o'clock position. Instead, continue your body/hip ROTATION so that you EXTEND to the 1 o'clock position!

Kirk

ah, i gotchya. thanks for the clarification. -6P

I may be splitting hairs here on the wording here, but I suggest you ROTATE ... or EXTEND ... to the 1 o'clock position. When KC says "kick", I'm sure it's just a figure of speech ... vaulter lingo for saying "get" to the 1 o'clock position.

I guess I should have said extend to the one o'clock position, same thing though. On most of your jumps you swing to 11 o'clock and shoot, extend, or kick to one o'clock in other words not much chance of jumping very high above your grip. On your last jump you swing to 12 o'clock and extend or kick to the 11oclock position. I want you to swing to 12 and extend to 1 this is because you must over compensate because if your in the 1o'clock position when the pole unbends it will push you to the 12 o'clock position. This makes it to where when you turn and push you are pushing straight down the pole.

I still suggest learning a free hip circle. Since you can not do a free hip circle without shooting to the 1 o'clock position.

If you learn how to do this on the pole it is easily another 1and a half feet on you jump.

---Kasey

KC: thanks for the clarification man, that definitely cleared things up. I totally agree with you on that, I can do hip-circles, I just don't have a place to train them (here at college), so I haven't had the opportunity to do any. I've heard of a local gymnastics center though, I'll try to get some information on it

UPDATE:

Finally got on the 15' 150 from 7 lefts in practice. Started on 3-left pop-up's (straight pole) and was gripping around 11'5 and swinging up pretty nicely, went to 5 Lefts on the 14' 160 (17.8flex) with a 13'3 grip (was actually finishing the vault and had some clean jumps over a 15' foot bungee) and then went to my 7-left approach on the 14' 170 with a 13'6 grip and after one nice jump, went right to the 15' 150 [and yes, with a 13'9 grip (gut instinct)] and everything was fine. Take-off was consistently around 11'3 but SHOULD be around 11'9 so I gotta work on that. I only took 3 jumps due to some shin-splints acting up, but one of the jumps felt like a moderately clean over 15'6, so I'm happy. I was pretty pent up and aggressive, so I was very confident when it came to finishing the vault (getting the vault inside the pole and starting the pull-turn phase).

ALSO, a note to vault3rb0y, I did what you said and accelerated the last 6 steps (i always TRY to, but this time I was really focusing on it), and it caused a nice, proper forwards-lead, and everything just seemed to fit in, as mentioned above. Thanks to all for the help and advice. -6P