PoleVaultPower.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3xanwGwL80
Based on my last post here (viewtopic.php?f=39&t=23075) I wanted to work on pressing and not rowing into the box. All the stats and more in depth information is in the description of the video. I felt like it was a very productive practice and I definitely felt better about the takeoff then compared to my previous post/video.

Looks like a pretty nice takeoff. Sliding boxes can be good but they can cause bad habits unless you are careful.

Two things:
1. Beware that heavy sliding boxes can encourage blocking.
2. You need to stop burying your head in the box when you take off...once you drop the pole in it's not going anywhere, so don't bother watching it! Keep your head and chest up and drive the arms up, eyes focused forward. Some kids have success when trying to pick an object to focus on in front and slightly above their line-of-sight at the plant (tree, building, etc). After that you should be looking up for your feet to swing up above the top of the pole, or some people focus on the bottom hand.

Keep up the good work!

Tom

One other thing I am not sure I love about slide box is that it is teaching me the timing but only for when the pole is at ground level. I feel like because that is the timing I have ingrained in my head, that when i go to a real, jump and need to plant below the floor i row downward to make the extra height change. I cannot tell if this is a mental block or whether i actually need more timing. I think i am going to do the pole drop drill into a box so i get used to the box being under the floor. Do you think this is worth my time, or am I just playing mental tricks on myself and psyching myself out? Also would it be easier to practice the pressing on a 5 or 6 left approach so that i can hold higher and the pole will get a more complete bend and can keep my bottom arm extended more fully?

Thanks,
-Alex

bb12334 wrote:One other thing I am not sure I love about slide box is that it is teaching me the timing but only for when the pole is at ground level. I feel like because that is the timing I have ingrained in my head, that when i go to a real, jump and need to plant below the floor i row downward to make the extra height change. I cannot tell if this is a mental block or whether i actually need more timing. I think i am going to do the pole drop drill into a box so i get used to the box being under the floor. Do you think this is worth my time, or am I just playing mental tricks on myself and psyching myself out?

Thanks,
-Alex

This really shouldn't matter. If you are dropping the pole freely, instead of placing it into the box in an overly controlled fashion, it won't matter the level at which the box sits. Try doing pole runs both with and without the box. Then, hopefully you can get the benefits of both. You still can run taller, and use the shoulders more to push the box out in front of you after takeoff.

bb12334 wrote:Also would it be easier to practice the pressing on a 5 or 6 left approach so that i can hold higher and the pole will get a more complete bend and can keep my bottom arm extended more fully?

Hard to say on this one. It depends a lot on you and your coach's philosophy, your development level, and what poles you have available. The technique you are describing works better with a grip higher on the pole, to be sure. Whether or not that's right for you is very debatable. You can always try it and see if it works. I've always found technique changes to be easiest from short runs with small poles.

You should definitely be doing pole runs and sliding box from at least 6 lefts, so you can improve your timing from a longer approach.

Good luck,
Tom