The most important part of a vaulter's training is to STAY HEALTHY! We need to identify where we as athletes go wrong here, and where we can learn from others' mistakes.
Hearing about KYSEAMAN's accident sheds an entirely different light on what's important to discuss on PVP. If nothing else, if this thread prevents ONE vaulter from ONE injury, then it's worth our time to discuss it.
And it's not just Michael, it's all the other vaulters that get injured EVERY YEAR ... some more serious, some less. Sadly, SOME GET PARALYZED, AND SOME DIE!
I think the most dangerous part of pole vaulting is the danger of LANDING IN THE BOX. I know ... from bitter experience.
I had THREE season-ending injuries due to landing in the box (2 combined to end one season - I actually only lost 2 college seasons). And I was lucky at that.
The problem is that damn box! No matter how much you padding you put AROUND it, the box itself is still a lethal weapon.
So let's discuss this ...
1. Should Skydex soft boxes be made mandatory? Who has used them, and do they work? How common are they? Were they used at the Reno Summit? Or are they just another band-aid? Too expensive? How can you put a price tag on even a single season-ending injury?
2. Does the rule requiring 2-4" of padding between the box and the pit help? Or is it also just another band-aid? False security?
In HS, if I stalled out at heights of 13-14 feet, I could still land on the runway or beside the box without [much] injury. But when you get upwards of 15-16 feet, it's different. Your ankles can't absorb the shock of that hard of a landing! Really, I think even 13-14 feet was probably stressing the limits of the ankles. And this assumes that you're falling upright enough to even land on your feet. This is not always true.
What to do?
3. One obvious solution - mentioned many times on PVP - is to lower your grip if you're stalling out.
This answer deserves more than just lip service. LOWER YOUR GRIP, learn to vault PROPERLY, then raise it. Not before!4. Another solution - oh, so obvious, why didn't I think of this at the time? - is if you're going to bail, HANG ONTO THE POLE!!!
Sounds simple, eh? Not so simple when you don't expect to bail, when your mind is focussed on clearing the bar! How STUPID of me! Think about it. What's the worst that can happen if you hang on? You'll sail out of the pit. But hanging on buys you time - to catch your balance and assess your predicament - and THEN let go before you sail completely out. This is worth repeating ... if something goes wrong, HANG ONTO THE POLE!!! It's your LIFELINE!5. Make it a practice to set your standards ALL THE WAY BACK! Or ALMOST all the way back.
If you find that you're setting them too close to the box, then something's wrong. Why aren't you getting some depth in your jump? If you can't swing/extend and shoot STRAIGHT UP without landing in the coach's box (preferably the middle or back half of it) then question your technique or your grip. Personally, once I made the decision to land well back, I gained the confidence that I WOULDN'T stall out - at all. And I didn't! It can be a scary feeling hanging upside down on the pole. But this confidence gives you all the MORE confidence that you can invert/shoot without stalling. Yes, I meant what I just said. Having confidence gives you MORE confidence! Try it - you'll see! Once you land well into the coach's box, there's ONE LESS THING TO WORRY ABOUT. i.e. No more worries about stalling out!
In this thread, please share your own experiences, and provide your own ideas on how you can avoid injuries from landing in the box. What has changed over the years? Not much! Other than bigger pits and better safety training for coaches and athletes over the years, it strikes me that the inherent danger is still there - IT'S THE BOX! Treat it with respect.
Kirk
