PoleVaultPower.com

I am 15, going to be a Junior in High School. I am 5'3, 112 lbs. I can run pretty fast. I am at the end of my 120 12, UCS. This season was crappy because I was out for two weeks with a concussion and only vaulted at three meets, including divisionals and state. Now we are starting summer vault, and I had a metatarsal stress fracture! I love vault SO much and want to succeed. I have so much opportunity, because I can vault indoor, and outdoor practice available. My legal PR is 9'6. I have been told I am on the brink of being great, if I can just get vertical and shoot up. I have had coaches around the state talk about my potential but I want to fulfill that. Any advice or tips would be extremely helpful, and PRO's and CON's to my vault would be helpful as well.

FYI-- in this video isn't full vault (obviously) i was just trying to land on my back... my main problem is that once i get to the point of rocking back and shooting up and feel as if my vault is over... i'm kinda stuck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E89bgs5Ni5E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvWP4Eb47Oc

**keep in mind i am not trying to twist and push, just trying to get vert, or position 1, and hold, than shoot.

thank you for your time!
-- Katie, Montana

I would start out holding at least two fists lower for this drill. You want to have a lot of pole speed.

Two things:

1. As you swing you trail leg to your hands concentrate on pulling your head and shoulders under your right hand. You should pull with your left hand to get your shoulders under the point where the pole is pulling you up. Your vision should not be concentrated on where you want to go since that will keep you head up. Drop your head with your shoulders. Watch video of Isi and how her left arm folds completely.

2. All of the above requires enough strength to swing fast enough to get your hips above your shoulders and then continue the motion upwards. Kirks high bar drills on the downswing motion of your trail leg together with "Bubkas" should be done daily after you vault. If you can't manage a regular "Bubka" then put your right leg behind the bar, and concentrate on dropping your head and shoulders as you do them.

Remember, the first time you should see the bar is as you go over it. Even at a low height.

YOU DO HAVE A LOT OF POTENTIAL!

Good Luck
Doug Balcomb

Just from a quick glance, I see a few things you could fix that would help you finish the vault. First, you appear to be under a bit - you can see the arch in your back at take-off, but your foot is still on the ground. You want that C-shape, but it should be in the air and not on the ground. This will help A LOT later to avoid serious back issues, which believe me, are not fun. Also, if you pause it at take-off, the pole is already bent a bit while your foot is still on the ground. This is another clue that you are under.

I would focus on really punching your arms up while getting your foot directly under your butt, particularly that last left. You have good speed, but the last couple steps are supposed to be a bit different in length and speed than the rest of the run (penultimate step, take-off, etc.). Your very last step reaches out in front of you (instead of directly under you) and puts you in a tough position for take-off, which probably contributes to the above problems. (I always had a tough time with this and still do because I started out as a sprinter and my strides would lengthen when I would try to run faster, like at the end of the vault. It helps when I think of a controlled increase in speed .. like 80% of my regular sprint .. so my strides don't lengthen and my chest doesn't start to lean back.) Also, because of being under, your hips get sucked into the pole pretty quickly and stops your penetration into the pit, which is why you appear to land a bit short and not fully in the safe area (different color on pit). This also makes it tough to invert correctly because the timing is already off. But I would focus on the first part of the vault before the invert. It's a lot easier to fix things in the order they happen during the vault (i.e. RUN-PLANT-etc.) instead of skipping parts and trying to fix them later. I really wish someone would have told me this earlier .. it saves a lot of time and frustration!

Also, I agree with Rainbowgirl, you could hold a bit lower to work on some of the above things and make sure you land far enough into the pit. Then, as you improve the drill, you can start to work your grip back up. Hope this helps!