Hi PoleVaultStipke,
I have scrutinized your May 25th video and have put up a video with comments on YouTube as my response.
This video also shows exemplar vaults using the Petrov-Bubka and Renaud Lavillenie Technical Models to enable direct comparison to your Novice's Stage of Technical Development.
https://youtu.be/PyXv5KP4d2gI recommend your novice vaulter learns some specific gymnastic type swing drills so that he can manage the transition into inversion and the spiral half-turn technique of the Petrov-Bubka Model of pole vault.
The gymnastic exercises are essential to teach this specific vaulter efficient swing technique and become capable of achieving full body inversion whilst suspended and swinging from both hand grip pivot points. In another post I will detail my recommendations re the specific gymnastic exercises I would recommend to help develop his pole vault inversion technical development.
The example exercises suggested by Grandevaulter are useful but do not fully address the developmental needs of this specific novice vaulter.
For example the Isinbayeva sandpit drill Grandevaulter referred to is not appropriate to teach the connection of phase 1 of pole support swing and achieve its uninterrupted continuation into inversion in time to maintain pole chord penetration towards the plane of the uprights and simultaneously exploit the recoil action of the pole.
The purpose of the drill being shown by Isinbayeva is reinforcement of the up spring at take-off at increasing grip lengths in order to maximize the total system COM and pole chord rotational initial velocity about the pole tip in the direction towards the plane of the cross bar during the first phase of pole support!
This take-off drill does not, IMHO, meet the needs of this novice vaulter at this time and stage of technical development. The drill runs a risk of retarding progress by reinforcing penetration at the expense of
setting up a swing that will be capable of enabling this specific vaulter to achieve inversion swing completion!The novice vaulter appears (video evidence) ready to make the transition to 1. A longer pole 2. Slightly higher grip length 3. Further “out” take-off with a greater amplitude of pole bend deflection
to give him the space and time in which to fully invert.
I recommend you keep this “Novice” vaulting with the uprights on 80cms placement! Focus all jump efforts on rotating the pole chord to the vertical with maximum penetration and insist he lands well back towards the rear of the landing pads.
The pole vault specific exercise drills, I recommend you undertake immediately, are repetitions of short run take-offs into long swing to flat back landing towards the rear of the pads with both hands gripping the pole until the landing has been completed. (
Jagodins to flat back landing drills!)
When this drill is mastered the novice should progress to long swing with half twist to flat front of the body landing whilst powerfully pushing and propelling the pole away from the top grip back towards the runway having released the lower grip during the whole body half turn just before the front landing on the padding occurs.
The long swings should emphasize that the
trail leg swings at full straight leg length until it meets the extending lead leg with
both legs becoming completely parallel to the line of the pole at completion of its recoil and at the time the half turn commences.
Note that the vaulter’s body must have a straight whole of body alignment (no arching!) in the long swings with and without turns when the landing on the pads occurs.
Long lever, large amplitude, high angular velocity trail leg swing power needs to be conditioned by repetition of technically correct performances of the long swing drills!
During warm up use pads for:
• Back roll extension drills.
• Handstand to front drop
• Backward roll through momentary handstand to front drop.
• Backward roll through fully extended handstand to front drop executing a half turn to flat back landing just before landing in the front drop position
• Handstand “Courbette” (Donkey Kick) to straight leg landing
• Handstand Courbette on to two feet landing and immediate straight leg back roll to front drop
• Step forward with the lead leg and swing trail leg through to double straight leg drop kick to back landing on the pad. (Double leg drop kick as in Martial Arts! The novices love this one but make sure there is plenty of space so that there is no possibility of making contact with anyone else).
Grass area:
• Cartwheels
• Round – off
• Hand walking
• Headstand push up to handstand
• Head stand and from straight leg flexed hips headstand position, with both legs held tight and straight, swing them upwards whilst pushing the whole body up into the handstand.(Excellent drill for shoulder and hip musculo-skeletal coordination development via the abdomen, spine and pelvic girdle connections).
All these activities are familiarization exercises that demand propulsion into and momentary support in and exit from inverted whole body postural alignment. These exercise are also creating inversion specific kinaesthetic awareness. The exercises above, provide excellent physical preparation for the specific gymnastics swinging activities related to pole vault which I will address in a follow up post on this thread.