A High School coach wrote to us and I want to share the question and the answer with you all in hopes the answer will help your coaching and training also.
Even though this was in question about our ESSX pole it can be related to other brands too!!
Dear Bruce,
I am a high school coach and we purchased an Essx 12'4/136.4 pole for a fairly talented young woman this year. Although she cleared 9' 8" as a sophomore and has much more potential ahead of her, the one constant seems to be that she has trouble getting her feet up before the pole bends back, and she gets a lot of bend in the pole--it seems as though the bend is high. She is holding 6 inches from the yellow strip, weighs 130 lbs, and has great speed in the runway...although I've given you very little info, could you explain some of the feedback you've been getting on your poles....my sense is this young woman just needs time to learn to get proper inversion to control her speed, but I'd like to know if there are any traits of your poles that I should be aware of that might be applicable here with this young woman. We have contemplated a heavier pole, and our other PV coach likes Spirit poles and feels like a 140 12'1 spirit might be better--I do like the essx and this pole seems appropriate at this time, but your feedback would be helpful. I previously received some good advice regarding the theory of flex weights with your poles from Mark Strawderman at MF athletics when we ordered the pole (he recommended this pole). Your response would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
COACH
Hello Coach,
Based on the info you have given me. It looks like your vaulter is in what we call the bucket.
This is what happens when a talented vaulter gets excited and proceeds to move the grip up too too fast.
The pendulum of the vault is dominated or over powered by the vaulter's swing and the pole does not "time" with the vaulter.
We recommend that you lower the grip one fist at a time actually two vaults in between lowering the grip each time by one fist. The vaulter may have to lower the grip as much as a foot but only in one-fist increments.
When you see the hips start lifting then your vaulter is timed with the pole.
You will see immediate results.
Then at that time the vaulter can proceed to move the grip up as needed, if you see the vaulter getting back into the bucket move to the previous grip and you have found the optimum grip for that talent and you can now work on form.
Having a grip that is 1-2 foot over the height you vault means the pole and the vaulter are not timed and you can never get the hips up. Moving to a longer pole/stiffer pole leads to the same problems usually with only a gain of 1/3 of the increase of the grip. We feel that moving to a longer pole provides results but not in proportion to expectations of the move and leads to problems later in the vaulter's career. (A 12-140 spirit might be the same size pole stiffness?)
Once you correct this problem the vaulter will progress rapidly in height with technique.
This dudiligence now will provide you less headaches in the future and more potential to obtain the performance you and your vaulter expect.
I find that our poles attributes, force you to keep the hand grip down and vault properly.
A high bend allows for a lower grip and the ability to still get back on the pole, Holding too high will also bend the pole over and without the hips going up the vaulter's feet are teetered back into the bar when the pole returns to vertical.
The above we feel will help you to maximize the pole's performance as well as the vaulter's.
Have fun write anytime vault safe.
Bruce Caldwell
