Turn

[Jay]

My PR is only 9' and i was wondering if the turn is really that big of a component to good vaulting? Is it possible for me to jump, lets say, 10'6 with no turn? Also, are their easy ways to learn this turn or is it just jumping and stuff? the only thing i know about the turn is that you move your foot then your entire body follows.

[VaultPurple]

Ive seen people jump over 15' without turning, but I would not recommend it.

Turning will add at least a foot if done close to right. But being a 9' vaulter, the last thing you really need to work on in your vault is the turn. If you just follow through off your top arm you have to turn in order to fully extend it. But still you should be worrying much more important things like the run, plant, jump, and swing.

[KirkB]

I've seen people jump over 15' without turning, but I would not recommend it.

Turning will add at least a foot if done close to right. But being a 9' vaulter, the last thing you really need to work on in your vault is the turn. If you just follow through off your top arm you have to turn in order to fully extend it. But still you should be worrying much more important things like the run, plant, jump, and swing.

Good advice ... mostly.

As you pass the 10 foot, 11 foot, and 12 foot "barriers", your turn will gradually improve, so I SLIGHTLY disagree with this:

Turning will add at least a foot if done close to right.

It's a question of whether the chicken or the egg came first. Personally, I don't think you NEED to turn in order to pass these barriers ... I think the turn just naturally improves as your plant, takeoff, and the bottom half of your vault improves.

If you keep landing quite far back into the PLZ (Preferred Landing Zone, aka Coach's Box) without turning, then you should raise your grip so that you land in the MIDDLE of it ... with the standards at 80. But whether you're turning at all or not, just make sure that you're still landing at least into the middle of the PLZ. Then, as you gain experience and improve your PR, the turn will come ... quite naturally. It's actually EASIER to turn at the higher heights. At less than 10 feet, there's not enough time to turn ... so you shouldn't worry about it ... AT ALL.

This is just my personal opinion, so if someone else has a better suggestion for Jay, then go for it.

Kirk