Pole Pushing: Petrov Perfected?

[VaultPurple]

My clearence at 13'7

http://polevaultvideos.fliggo.com/video/8ksPftCB

Best attempt at 14'1

http://polevaultvideos.fliggo.com/

[KirkB]

Wow! That's amazing how quickly you picked up this new (for you) technique! Kudos!

I can see that you're getting a really good pumping action going with your left arm! That's worth something! And I don't see much (if any) hesitatioin on the plant. Smooth!

Do you have to steer the pole at all, as it's dragging down the runway? Or does it just seem to go straight, without aiming it? Do you watch the tip as you're pushing the pole? Or the box ... or what?



If you're counting, that's TWO THUMBS UP!!!

OK ... now when are you going to be switching to the HIGH POLE CARRY?

Kirk

[VaultPurple]

My eyes kind of go back and forth from the pole tip to the pit. It seems that if I start the tip in the middle of the runway then it will stay there for the most part, may move around a little. Its just something that gets easier as time goes on.


Heres a good video of Tye I put on the fliggo site.

http://polevaultvideos.fliggo.com/video/hjfggzoX

[lonestar]

I think Jean Claude Van Damme said it best in Bloodsport... (imagine a Belgian accent and bad English)

"You taught me, using any tactic that works. Never to limit myself to one style. TO KEEP AN OPEN MIND!!!"

The Petrov Model is the best model for learning to vault. It is simply "THE MODEL."

Incidentally, I teach the Lone Star Model (never to be confused with the Texas Pole Vault Manifesto!!!). The Lone Star model is deeply rooted in the Petrov Model with exercises, theory, and progressions borrowed, modified, and integrated from the following coaches: Alan Launder, Bubba Sparks, David Butler, Elson De Souza, Peter McGinnis, Jan Johnson, Dave Johnston, Earl Bell, Rick Attig, Don Hood, Dave Nielsen, Anthony Curran, and Maurice Houvion to name a few.

"The Best"...hmmm...Bruce Caldwell once said "The best POLE is the one you can get." We can all throw out our opinions and theories on which pole brand is the best, but the bottom line is that if a kid is blowing through a 14' 160 and needs a 14' 165 for his District Meet tomorrow, it doesn't matter if it's silver, pink, green, black, yellow, pink, or purple...if it's the right stiffness and he will plant it the same, it will work no matter what length/shape sailpiece or type of glass or carbon it's made with. It will work only if the athlete believes it will work - if they have a mental block against a certain brand, their self-fulfilling prophecy will ensure that it doesn't work.

By the same token, I think THE BEST MODEL is the one that you understand, can teach, and best fits your situation. If you don't "get it," don't "buy into it," and it's not practical in your situation, then you won't be successful with it. People come out to my facility and expect instant results. That is the nature of the "fast food society" we live in. It would be great if I got every kid at 5 years old, taught them basic fundamentals of movement for 7 years including games, gymnastics, athletics, etc... but not actually pole vault-specific until age 12. Develop their basic motor programs then introduce them gradually to the vault with no intention of competing until they're "ready," no matter what age. So we could spend 6 months or more on how to hold, carry, and run with the pole before ever attempting to "take off." Focus would be on long-term career development and no rush for immediate results. Practical in the Soviet Block countries in the 70's and 80's? Sure.

But what do my coaches and I get here? Emails like: "Dear Kris, I have a 7th grade daughter who is interested in pole vaulting. Her first meet is next week and she has never vaulted before. If I bring her to one of your practices, do you think you can get her jumping 8'0 by her first meet?"

If she comes out and all we learn the first practice is how to move the pole in the sand pit, she'll go to her meet next week and probably not clear a bar. If that happens, she'll probably say she didn't learn anything and won't come back. For us, this is a business, and we need to retain clientele, so we need to produce results. So do we teach her to move a pole in the sand pit? Yes, but we are forced to rush through it and the rest of our progressions so that she can at least get a rudimentary looking vault together with a step and be able to go clear a bar. So then she goes to the meet, clears 6'0 or 7'0, beats all the other kids who have no idea which end of the pole is up, the parent is happy, brings the child back, and now we start working on fixing all the bad habits she's picked up in the meantime. So we retain the client, results are gotten, but the process is not desirable. Fast food society - instant results demanded! Can we teach the true essence of "The Model" in this situation? No. So we're forced to made adaptations to serve the society, even if not in the best long-term interests of the athlete.

So how do I feel about pushing the pole? It works, it's effective, and a lot simpler and practical to teach than "THE MODEL" for most of our clients. I actually believe some athletes can jump higher on the Push Model than on the Petrov Model. Lots of models work, including "The Texas Pole Vault Manifesto" Model. Does that mean we teach them? No. We teach what we believe in, what works for us in our particular situation, and we keep our kids safe and the majority of our clientele satisfied.

Agapit said "There is no spoon."

I say "There is no magic wand."