quicken my feet and my hands!?

This is a forum to discuss pole vault technique as it relates to intermediate level pole vaulting.
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KirkB
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Re: quicken my feet and my hands!?

Unread postby KirkB » Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:15 am

beers1213 wrote:woah woah woah, i must say i didnt mean it like this.

ok my definition of blocking is the distance your away from the pole, which i know is wrong, but thats how i think of it, i'm close to my pole now (less bend) because i'm on a heavy pole, if i run and get aggressive i will create more space, so more like bending than blocking. i'm just saying that it "looks" like blocking is a good idea, more space=more bend=more power, but like you said at the cost of stalling out and injuries its not the way to go.

in the end, i dont try to block, im not going to "try" to block, i just want more space because space = bend and bend= more height. make sense?

Well, I understand what you mean NOW, but there's a big difference between blocking and pushing.

PP uses the term to refer to pushing, and so do I and most other posters on here. If you're going to make up your own terminology (and I do that from time to time too), just make sure you describe and clarify it clearly, and try not to reuse a word that already has a special PV meaning. If you're a young vaulter, you can't go wrong with just sticking to the terminology that's already in BTB2 and is well-used on PVP. I don't do that, but I'm an old guy that's still having trouble with the metric system. :confused:

I'll tell you why the word "blocking" is a bad word to use if you want it to mean "keep space between you and the pole" ...

It's because that's not actionable! It might be a way to analyze vids AFTER a training session, but DURING the session, you or you coach shouldn't be saying "OK, on this next jump I want to keep more space between me and the pole after takeoff" - shortened to (in your terminology) "OK, more blocking after takeoff". What does that MEAN?

Whatever it means, "WHAT ARE YA GONNA DO?"

There's nothing you can do to "create this space"! You shouldn't even be thinking about what the POLE is gonna do. It won't bend just because you say you're going to bend it. That's the wrong focus. You should be thinking about what YOU'RE gonna do!

Instead, you should think along the lines of "JUMP into the takeoff to the "C", and then IMMEDIATELY get that trail leg going FAST!".

Now THAT'S actionable! :yes:

You get that right, and you won't have to worry about what the POLE'S gonna do. YOU'RE in charge! The pole is an inert object! It will ALWAYS follow your lead.

Your MIND tells your BODY what to do, and your BODY tells your POLE what to do. It's that simple!

Got it now?

Kirk
Run. Plant. Jump. Stretch. Whip. Extend. Fly. Clear. There is no tuck! THERE IS NO DELAY!

beers1213
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Re: quicken my feet and my hands!?

Unread postby beers1213 » Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:22 am

yes, definately. i also must clarify, im not attempting to "create more space" and my coach isnt telling me to "block" im just saying i want it to happen( i want the pole to bend and for me to be amazing at pole vaulting, go figure.) as you said i can only think what im going to do, which for now is to try to"quicken my feet and hands?!" which hopefully in turn will create a much cleaner take off for me, make the c, keep the trail leg, and on and on making me a better vaulter. sorry for the misuse of block :confused:
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KirkB
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Re: quicken my feet and my hands!?

Unread postby KirkB » Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:36 am

powerplant42 wrote:Pay particular attention to where KB talks about how he messed up in his later career.

Well, PP, I didn't exactly "mess up". I did my absolute best with what information I had back then. And I was VERY close to modern PV technique!

I just didn't have ENOUGH information. Or more specifically, I didn't have the luxury of reading Agapit's (Roman Botcharnikov's) paper "The Continuous Chain Model in the Pole Vault". It wasn't published until 1992, and I didn't read it until 2004. And I didn't fully UNDERSTAND it (the active/passive part re chest drive) until 2008.

So I was just 20-40 years late in catching on to OPTIMAL PV technique. One slight flaw in my technique ... hmm ...

Ironically, my short run and Pac-8 Championships vaults were very, very close to the Petrov model - without any passive vault parts!

Where I "messed up" was in my thought process AFTER the Pac-8 that I should drive the chest TO THE EXTREME! I thought that would bend the pole more, and roll it to vertical easier. It did, but at the peril of "crushing" the pole, and all the bad things that go along with that! My bad!

Today, with the internet and the support system we have here on PVP, and with all the publications and books (BTB2, scientific papers, etc), ignorance of "proper technique" is no longer a valid excuse.

Kirk
Run. Plant. Jump. Stretch. Whip. Extend. Fly. Clear. There is no tuck! THERE IS NO DELAY!

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KirkB
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Posts: 3550
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 6:05 pm
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Favorite Vaulter: Thiago da Silva
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Re: quicken my feet and my hands!?

Unread postby KirkB » Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:43 am

beers1213 wrote:yes, definately. i also must clarify, im not attempting to "create more space" and my coach isnt telling me to "block" im just saying i want it to happen( i want the pole to bend and for me to be amazing at pole vaulting, go figure.) as you said i can only think what im going to do, which for now is to try to"quicken my feet and hands?!" which hopefully in turn will create a much cleaner take off for me, make the c, keep the trail leg, and on and on making me a better vaulter. sorry for the misuse of block :confused:

np.

Now that I'm looking at your thread title, I'd like to compliment you on choosing something that's ACTIONABLE!

It's a little vague, but then again, if you knew more specifically what to do, you wouldn't have had to create the thread.

I think you're on the right track, there 12-Pack!

I hope you don't mind me calling you that. It's kind of a tradition on PVP to give people nicknames, and I just think it fits.

Kirk
Run. Plant. Jump. Stretch. Whip. Extend. Fly. Clear. There is no tuck! THERE IS NO DELAY!

beers1213
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Re: quicken my feet and my hands!?

Unread postby beers1213 » Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:10 am

KirkB wrote:
I think you're on the right track, there 12-Pack!




hahahha i like it

maybe ill be able to get some video up on the video thread sometime soon so you guys can see what im talking about.
Dream Big


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