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Hi, I'm 18 and a college freshman. My I have been doing shorter run vaulting the past month or so and I have been having a frustrating technical issue. I would like someone to critique my vault let me know why I my hips stay SO LOW when I swing that it makes it impossible to get inverted. I am on a 14'6" 155 Carbon FX holding at 13'6". Bungee is at 13'6". I am running from 5 lefts.

https://youtu.be/k1KPlZvZgiM


Another question I have is how do I avoid rowing? I've been taught that rowing stop the poll from rolling in and it also gives you less time to swing and invert on the pole. But I ALWAYS find myself on my back and rowing and I don't understand how to control my shoulders so that I can avoid rowing.

Thanks, Spencer.

spencershade wrote: let me know why I my hips stay SO LOW when I swing that it makes it impossible to get inverted.

Your takeoff is over a foot under. I can tell that by the pole bending so much before your takeoff leaves the ground. This cause you to get jerked off the ground, but not only that, it causes you to be leaning *back* once you're off the ground. You need to have much better body posture than that on takeoff. You need to have a forward lean (good posture), and the only way you can get that is to take off from further back and jump *into* the pole - rather than letting it pick you off.

The pole also looks a bit light for you, which causes you to "stay SO LOW when I swing".

spencershade wrote: how do I avoid rowing? I've been taught that rowing stop the poll from rolling in and it also gives you less time to swing and invert on the pole. But I ALWAYS find myself on my back and rowing and I don't understand how to control my shoulders so that I can avoid rowing.

You need to fix your takeoff (you need a "free takeoff") before you can even think of fixing your rowing. But you can search "kirk rowing" to see my comments about rowing asked by other vaulters in the last few years.

Kirk

Ok, thanks Kirk. So what drills do you recommend for the takeoff? And how do I know exactly when I've hit the inverse C or "stretch"?

spencershade wrote: what drills do you recommend for the takeoff?

There's plenty already written on PVP re this topic. If you can't find it, search for "kirk takeoff drill". I count 124 matches for this search.

spencershade wrote: how do I know exactly when I've hit the inverse C or "stretch"?

Compare your vids to Bubka, da Silva, Isi, or Svetlana Feofanova. I actually like Feofanova's takeoff/C/stretch technique the most.