PP42's Senior Year Training Blog

[powerplant42]

Hey everyone... I decided to make a blog like 6P's!

So here's the story: I'm in a physical state at the moment where if I do a heavy running workout (or any more than maybe 50m of ostriches) then my legs will go 'pop' and I'll be out for a week, but I'm also able to grip a bit above 12' on a stiff pole from 3 lefts. The legs are being taken care of big-time right now... lots of stretching, icing, compression, etc. The back is going to be taken care of well throughout the coming indoor season. I'm going to have to rely on my swing more than my speed to clear heights.

I've been getting back into things for real now (after not training very heavily for a few months, maybe 1-2 times a week typically). I've been busy on the bar as of late, and here's my practice from tonight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcadVxHQOos

I am very happy with my improvements. The trail-leg seems much more powerful/quicker, and I'm keeping my drive-knee up a bit better than before.

Let me know what you all think!

[rainbowgirl28]

I think you're wasting your time with the whip-hinge drill. Your swinging bubkas are very weak. Keep working on them until the latter half looks like Dub's: http://www.polevaultpower.com/media/vid ... bubkas.mov

Good on ya for getting your kip though. It took me forever to learn how to do one, and I was in gymnastics several times a week forever.


Oh also, I am guessing you are not strong enough to do regular bubka's without a spot: http://www.polevaultpower.com/media/vid ... bubkas.mov but you should add some cheater bubkas into your workout: http://www.polevaultpower.com/media/vid ... bubkas.mov in order to help build the strength you are lacking to do your swinging bubkas right.

[KirkB]

I think you're wasting your time with the whip-hinge drill. ...

That's not a very constructive comment, RG. Why do you say that?

Kirk

[powerplant42]

My back is exhausted at the moment. Notice in my description of the video I say "lazy swinging bubkas", not "swinging bubkas"... I would bet I can do them so hard that the bar gets jerked UP (when I'm fresh). But I really think that THAT drill is more or less a waste of time (as a technical drill at least)... There's no way you can invert correctly on a horizontal bar from a swing. (And yes, I can do regular bubkas with the bar at my mid-shins.)

I am coming to really, really like the whip-hinge drill actually. I just need to start doing more regular tap-swings and they'll meld together and I should really make a big 'CLICK' in my swing technique on the pole. The real swing is somewhere in between the tap-swing (with a hitch) and the whip-hinge.

[bel142]

Don't feel bad I have been trying to look like dub for years... at least I'm taller than he is (not by much but still)... Dub is a great guy to look up to he is very technically sound and he had to be because he is a smaller guy....

Meanwhile while you are doing your bubkas. If you notice your body angle, you are not hitting 90 degrees. Dub hits past 90, and when you are vaulting you want to be able to get back on the runway side of the pole, so as the pole uncoils you can line up with vertical. As he does in his bubkas...

Keep in mind of your head placement when doing these, keep your eyes on your feet or just past the bar which ever... But you don't want to throw your head back... For two reasons... One - in the air you loose sight of where the bar is... and two as you throw back the head this places your core in an anatomically weaker position. - try doing sit ups with chin tucked then throw back your head and try and do them. Throwing back your head more or less disengages the core.

Furthermore... get a spotter when you are doing bubkas. You say you can do them to mid calf or what ever, but during all of your drills you are swinging to your ankles. In terms of muscular fitness you are not training those muscular interactions. You swing to your ankles, then you have 4-6 inches to move to get into position to do a full static bubka... This will make you stronger to do dynamic swinging bubkas...

You talk about being injured more often than not, and how your body feels. Be aware of what you do when you hop off your high bar... Even a short drop like that can put a whole lot of stress on your shins/back/hips.... If you are someone who is more likely to get hurt (and genetically some people are like that) you may want to have a stool or box to step onto...

Enough high bar, get some vaults up there show us what your working with...

hope that helps,
bel

[rainbowgirl28]

You keep saying that you're strong enough to do regular bubkas and and swinging bubkas, but I have yet to see it. So as far as I am concerned, you lack the strength and are focusing on the wrong things. It looks to me like the whip drill thing is teaching you bad habits by leaving your butt down and bringing your ankles to your hands instead of keeping everything moving and getting your shins up there.

There's no benefit to doing lazy half-assed drills. If you are too tired or injured to do them properly, then don't do them at all, you just reinforce bad habits.

[KYLE ELLIS]

Swinging your trail leg is the worst drill in the world, I don't understand why people focus on that.

PP is a perfect example his foot goes up but his hips don't move whats the point of that??? Is that what you want when you jump? I had this arguement with Kirk and KC, so I am not looking to revisit... Just saying.

Here is the video of some of the drills petrov has his athletes do. Notice their hips swing up, not just their foot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I49VgJG7q_Y

[joebro391]

It looks to me like the whip drill thing is teaching you bad habits by leaving your butt down and bringing your ankles to your hands instead of keeping everything moving and getting your shins up there.

There's no benefit to doing lazy half-assed drills. If you are too tired or injured to do them properly, then don't do them at all, you just reinforce bad habits.

agreed

Swinging your trail leg is the worst drill in the world, I don't understand why people focus on that.

PP is a perfect example his foot goes up but his hips don't move whats the point of that??? Is that what you want when you jump? I had this arguement with Kirk and KC, so I am not looking to revisit... Just saying.

Here is the video of some of the drills petrov has his athletes do. Notice their hips swing up, not just their foot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I49VgJG7q_Y

that's why i never did the whip-hinge drill. -6P

[KirkB]

... It looks to me like the whip drill thing is teaching you bad habits by leaving your butt down and bringing your ankles to your hands instead of keeping everything moving and getting your shins up there.

There's no benefit to doing lazy half-assed drills. If you are too tired or injured to do them properly, then don't do them at all, you just reinforce bad habits.

I agree 100% with you here, RG ... now that you've explained yourself. PP, you're not doing the whip-hinge drill properly. You need to keep your hips moving up ... to a "rockback" position under the bar. You're only doing the first part of this ... the downswing. That part of it is PARTIALLY OK ... other than the lack of hip motion ... but there's a general slowness/laziness about the entire vid.

Where's the vigor, PP? Where's the enthusiasm? Where's the aggressiveness in your training? Where's the QUICKNESS? If you're injured, then I can understand ... a bit. But in that case, RG's right ... do the drills right, or don't do them at all. (Tough )

Swinging your trail leg is the worst drill in the world, I don't understand why people focus on that.

PP is a perfect example his foot goes up but his hips don't move whats the point of that??? ...

Here is the video of some of the drills petrov has his athletes do. Notice their hips swing up, not just their foot.

The solution is to get the hips moving PROPERLY ... not to discard the entire whip hinge drill. I don't remember the argument with KE and KC about this, but IF DONE PROPERLY, swinging your trail leg on the highbar (what I call the hinge-whip drill) is ... IMHO ... the BEST drill in the world. If I wanted to coach someone on how to improve their PR the most ... with a single drill ... that's the one that I would recommend!

It's a complete waste of time to try to learn how to swing properly on a pole ... until you learn how to swing PROPERLY on the highbar. Stated inversely, if you can't swing PROPERLY on the highbar, then how on earth can you ever expect to swing PROPERLY on the pole? Swinging properly takes (at least) 3 things ... (a) coordination; (b) strength; and (c) quickness. These 3 things are much easier to learn on the highbar than on the pole.

I particularly like the rope drill that Gibilisco demonstrates. His hips are moving all the way thru his extension.

In the hinge-whip drill, you must feel your hips rise like that. However, becuz the bar is in the way, you can't finish the extension ... but that shouldn't negate the value of the drill in learning how to improve the power and quickness of your downswing ... and how to get your hips above your CoM.

Kirk

[KirkB]

... Notice their hips swing up, not just their foot.

that's why i never did the whip-hinge drill. -6P

I find this surprising, 6P.

I think the reason you haven't been successful with the whip-hinge drill is becuz you used a mixed grip. It just won't work that way.

The whip-hinge drill ... done PROPERLY ... will help you TREMENDOUSLY with your chest drive! I guarantee it!

Kirk

[kcvault]

Keep in mind of your head placement when doing these, keep your eyes on your feet or just past the bar which ever... But you don't want to throw your head back... For two reasons.

just wanted to reinforce this point. Also if you throw your head it makes your legs drop and therefor stops all your upward momentum result=huge flag out. Also gives you the illusion of being inverted, makes it hard to be aware of where you are in the air and often results in a more dangerous vault.

[powerplant42]

So I just did a bunch more of the whip-hinge focussing on the hips (forgot to concentrate on the head... ) and those looked much better (got them all on film but I'm not putting them up). I definitely felt the 'lift'. I also did some runs into the bar.

I'll put up more film of the bar soon, and it will be accompanied by sand/track.