8step jumps.

[VeikoK]

Hy. I put a little video of my jumps from last training. 8steps,165lbs UCS Spirit pole, grip height 4.35 and bungee at 4.45.
So any tips and ideas are welcome.

Veiko from Estonia.

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

[tsorenson]

Looks pretty good, you are consistently doing a lot of good things, starting on the runway with your first step and run/pole carry/drop.

You are signifigantly under on most of your jumps...I think that rather than moving your step back too much, you should quicken your last 3 steps a little more to achieve a takeoff without pole support. This would likely fix the other small problems with your vault like your small tuck/shoot, because the pole will bend later and give you more time to swing long and cover the pole without tucking. You are also a little rigid in the shoulders, but this also may be caused by being under too much, instinctively fighting to keep the pole away from you.

Don't get me wrong, your vaulting from 4 is very impressive. Your body position at takeoff, strong jump off the ground, and your swing to the chord are excellent.
How high are you jumping from your long runs?

Tom

[VeikoK]

Thanks. Yes the take off is a problem for me. It's a mental thing because i'm used to take of a bit under. Should i do more exercises to the sand pit or just have to improve my sprint?
My competition run-up is 12 steps (6lefts) and i use 175lbs spirit with grip height 4.65. In January i jumped 4.70 and hope to improve this summer. 4.80-4.85 is realistic i think.

Thanks a lot for responding.

[KirkB]

Nice jumps, Veiko!

I'll focus on the downswing, since that's my specialty. (I concur with all the other things that Tom mentioned.)

Without being able to see your exact takeoff point very well (camera is too far away for that), I conclude that you MUST be under by at least 15 cm, since your body posture during your C is leaning back ... instead of being upright. Your actual C position is GREAT ... great trail leg back, and great lead knee forwards ... but the ANGLE of it is off. Compare your posture to that of Bubka or Feofanova and you'll see what I mean. This body posture (body angle) is extremely important. If leaning back too much, you can't possibly get a powerful downswing ... the the power of your downswing is what gives you a powerful upswing ... to lift, rotate to inversion, and extend up the pole!

I notice that on some of your jumps, your head is looking DOWN. Don't force your head DOWN or UP ... let it look "naturally" forwards towards the pit. Let it relax ... without straining any neck muscles.

Your downswing (trail leg) is OK in LENGTH and DIRECTION, but it's slow in SPEED. You need to ACCELERATE your downswing. Easy to say, but not so easy to do on the pole. You must learn this on the highbar and rings. Practice the ACCELERATION and SPEED of your downswing, and you'll discover that your upswing will flow naturally out of that ... so much so that you'll find it unnecessary to tuck your legs into a rockback. Instead, you'll flow right thru to your extension. It's not bad right now ... but it can be much better with more focussed practice. And remember that it all starts with getting your steps out ... like Tom said.

When you move back from 4L to 6L, remember to use your exact same 4L technique. Don't think that you can slow everything down slightly. Instead, work on getting the proper body angle in the C and downswinging out of it ... without any hesitation whatsoever. The timing of your 6L should be just as fast thru each phase of the vault as the timing of your 4L.

Honestly, I think you have the athleticism (raw talent, speed, strength, and already fairly good technique) for 5.00m this summer. Why not?

Kirk

[VeikoK]

Thanks for the tips. I have watched Bubkas and Tarasovs jumps like billion times and i think i should focus on Tarasovs technique more because i'm also quite tall for a vaulter (192-193cm) and i'm not as fast as Bubka. Ok, next training i'll try to focus on my last three steps, body position and try to keep my head straight.

And i would still like to get some tips how to build confidence, because often my jumps fail because of my mind. My problem is why i can't do free-takeoff is that i feel like i don't have enough speed and power to takeoff from the right spot and so i slow down my last two steps and step under. So any tips on that point are more than welcome.

I think 5 meters is possible when i move up on poles. But i don't want to take a stiffer pole before my jumps are good with the 175lbs pole.


Veiko.

[Barto]

Move your step back 50cm.

It is true that often times a vaulter will "reach" with the last step to be too close when they are not confident. And I have no doubt that you also have had a problem with this, but your run is still too close. Back up and concentrate on jumping off the ground with no swing. Use a very low grip and a small pole until you are confident in your takeoff. By backing up you will be forced to push much harder out the back. This is a good thing. It will assist you in jumping off the ground with more power.

[VeikoK]

Thanks. I start working on this in next season, because my summer competitions are close and i don't want to make very big changes in my jumps, but still thanks for posting.

[KirkB]

So any tips and ideas are welcome.

It's your call, but I don't think the tips we've given you are so earth-shattering that you have to defer them to next season.

Really ... just work on them one at a time. I'd start with Barto's.

The reason I say this is that I think you can make 5.00 THIS SEASON with MINOR adjustments.

On the other hand, I think you're going to stall your progress if you don't at least TRY to make some incremental changes.

Think about it.

Kirk

[powerplant42]

Good looking jumps!

Thanks for the tips. I have watched Bubkas and Tarasovs jumps like billion times and i think i should focus on Tarasovs technique more because i'm also quite tall for a vaulter (192-193cm) and i'm not as fast as Bubka.

Remember that they are both striving for the same things, but they will look a little bit different because of their different builds and strengths/weaknesses (height, speed, etc.). If you're going to watch Tarasov, pay particular attention to his take-off.

[VeikoK]

OK..
I'll start working on my takeoff next training.
Thanks to everybody for posting.....i'll put next video when i have improved something


Thanks again.
V.

[billy_pacheco7]

-a little helpful hint-

I had the same problem with over driving the lead knee after the initial take-off jump. Now, this is not a huge problem, and some think this is not a problem at all. Though, i feel it is. I'm still in the process of initially driving the knee at the point of take-off, but once in the hang position (The "C" position a foot off the ground) start to relax the lead knee almost like a high jump. why you ask? well, this will help you to load up with your chest more in the vault. Sometimes driving the knee 90 or more can cause a yank in your hips once leaving the ground, thus making it harder for you to keep your left leg back, which in conclusion - you tend to get a weaker swing up-to invert. Once you do this, i know for a fact that you will sustain a stronger swing - which will make you land a lot deeper in the pit, jump with a higher grip, and jumping on bigger poles. this equals jumping higher!!!

-Some drills to help is rope vaulting, and a lot more high bar swings... once you understand the importance of the swing, you'll gain more knowledge about the importance of the take-off!!!

Just think about this, i feel that it may work best for you. Good luck in your season! keep charging! - Billy P.

[VeikoK]

Thanks...i'll try to analyze all the tips i got from here and try to improve my technique.