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Please help this beginner HS vaulter. I'm not sure of his stats but the video is on Improved Athletics.

http://improvedathletics.com/videos/145 ... 4410460748

Thanks,
Tim

There's a few things that I see that could be causing some trouble. The front arm collapsing and the hips thrusting forward at the takeoff.

I had these problems a while back, and the front arm is crucial. If the pole is too big and there is no arm, the pole will return too quick. Not enough bend for a swing of the leg to work with. There is no way for the pole or you to move forward.

As for the hips, the front arm can cause this. But at the takeoff you should have high arms and lead with your chest. Try some approaches with taking off, but not swinging up. Try to move the pole forward. Fixing this will set up a good jump

TolbertVault wrote: ... The front arm collapsing and the hips thrusting forward at the takeoff.

... the front arm is crucial. If the pole is too big and there is no arm, the pole will return too quick. Not enough bend for a swing of the leg to work with. There is no way for the pole or you to move forward. As for the hips, the front arm can cause this. ...

Here we go again - this is bad advice. There IS a way for the pole to move forward (rotate to vertical), but it's not by a strong bottom arm. A strong bottom arm may bend the pole, but it doesn't rotate the pole.

The problem is NOT that there's "not enough bend for the swing". It's the other way around! The REAL problem is that there's not enough JUMP and SWING for the pole to BEND!

A copout solution would be to use a lighter pole, but a better solution is to learn how to JUMP and SWING with a straight pole. If you cannot JUMP and SWING with a straight pole, then you will not have good fiberglass vaulting technique on a bending pole.

TolbertVault wrote: ... at the takeoff you should have high arms and lead with your chest. ...

This is good advice. To add to this, you must JUMP on takeoff! I only saw you get picked off the ground by the pole. THAT'S what's causing your chest to collapse into the pole and the hips to "collapse" too. YOU'RE GETTING CLOTHESLINED! If you JUMP and then you SWING, your body won't act like a sack of potatoes hanging from the pole (like dead weight). Instead, it will cause your pole to bend, and it will cause your hips to invert in a smooth swinging action.

I know that most young vaulters have trouble believing this, but please believe me when I say that it is the force of your body weight on your TOP arm (not your "front" or BOTTOM arm) that causes the pole to bend properly!

Your bottom arm should NOT be used to bend the pole! That's bad science!

TolbertVault wrote: ... Try some approaches with taking off, but not swinging up. Try to move the pole forward. ...

Jagodins? OK. But I don't think that addresses the real problem. The real problem is that you're not JUMPING on takeoff, and then you're not SWINGING. Instead, you're just hanging on.

TolbertVault wrote: ... Fixing this will set up a good jump

Well, yes and no. You need to fix "this", but I doubt if jagodins are the answer to the REAL problem in your technique.

Kirk