Has pole vaulting hit the bottom?

[polevaltr41]

Eventually, Morry. Your right it will come back around I'm just saying i dont think theres a guy right now in the US who is going to threaten 6m anytime soon.

I'd love to be wrong i think Walker has the best chance but hes just not jumping well.

[VTechVaulter]

add andrew irwin to that list of up and comers to be excited about

and.. derek hasn't peaked just yet.. just keep watching

[tsorenson]

I hope that Walker puts on a show at Reno to squelch all the naysayers. How about a new American indoor record? Maybe that's wishful thinking, but I am an optimist. He looked great last season when he was on! I hope he knows that a lot of young (and old) vaulters are pulling for him.

Here's hoping that all our other up and coming vaulters can peak for the olympic year and bring back some medals. Whitt, Hollis, Scott, and Scott all have potential to jump world caliber heights if things line up for them. Miles has old-guy-power, so anything is possible. Nothing would make me happier than to see him get a medal!

Andrew Irwin is very exciting, because he takes off (free) at 14' from 6 lefts and subsequently jumps on massive poles/grips. Still a lot of maturing to do, and the sky is the limit. Definitely a potential olympian, maybe London, maybe later.

If US vaulters hit bottom, it was probably sometime in the past. Let's hope the future is a little brighter!

Good luck to everyone
Tom

[achtungpv]

man or women, you cannot reach maximum speed by anything less than 18 steps.. actually you need to have your maximum acceleration done by six steps from the takeoff.. which would mean, if your run is 18, by 12 steps and if it is 20 steps, by 14 steps...

Back in '88, I had a copy of an article by Rick Attig and way back then he was advocating 20-22 step approaches.

Something definitely got lost since then.

[dj]

by achtungpv » Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:41 pm

dj wrote:man or women, you cannot reach maximum speed by anything less than 18 steps.. actually you need to have your maximum acceleration done by six steps from the takeoff.. which would mean, if your run is 18, by 12 steps and if it is 20 steps, by 14 steps...

Back in '88, I had a copy of an article by Rick Attig and way back then he was advocating 20-22 step approaches.

Something definitely got lost since then.

achtungpv... It's interesting that the year 1988 comes up... after that year i was no longer working directly with any of the top vaulters.. i did spent some time with B, Greg and a few others and with Tim in 1995 on the run from the time he was at Tennesse until 2004.

what is interesting is/was we used 20 steps. From 1983 to 1988 Tully moved back from 18, on to two walking steps + 18 and then to 20 steps.. . Look on youtube for his 18-6 1984 jump to his 19 foot jump in 87/88 at UCLA.. yes he had a tail wind at UCLA but you will see what we changed in pole carry and run. He was ready to take shots at a world record in those last couple of years.

The top vaulters and coaches of that time period all tried to "copy" what all the best was doing, were committed to run fast.. Dupe.. Dial, Olson, Bell, Starkey, in the 80's tully was the slow one...... AND everyone knew to catch up with Bubka you had to run faster than you were already running... Peter McGinnis' science told us with NO room to question... in every meeting back at that time..... with Bob Fraley, Greg Hull, all the best coaches etc.. plus every paper written SAID without question that where we were lacking as American vaulters wass 100% the RUN...

Can you imagine my frustration (being the run person) for the last 20 plus years to see the run totally ignored.. when it was/is the one thing we could do to catch up to the rest of the world.

B and Tim, Nick/Greg and Lawrence in 2000 got it very close to right.. that a huge part of why they won the medals...

Tim changed from a 53-8 "MID" with a 12-4?? Takeoff in 1995 to a 54-8 "MID" 13-8 Takeoff and a Gold Medal in 2004!!!!

Speed (stride length and stride frequency) Physics.. and with the speed you get the posture and correct impulse and technique at the takeoff.

What everyone (coaches and athlete) is showing about the run is they don't know HOW to move the run back and get the desired result and continue to be correct at the "MID" or even what correct is for their "MID". What is missing is what i teach about HOW to "naturally" accelerate to the "MID", with speed, with competition adrenaline and stay accurate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yygN40lOWYQ

go to this series of jumps.... and find where his "best" "MID" should have been/be...

this jumper has a chance to jump really..really high... BUT if he has a problem hitting the correct "MID" based on his speed, consistently he will have difficulties not based on "mental" issues but solely based on an incorrect "MID"..... just like Bubka had at times when he was of and just like Isi had at the WC..

dj

[chasing6]

Here's hoping that all our other up and coming vaulters can peak for the olympic year and bring back some medals. Whitt, Hollis, Scott, and Scott all have potential to jump world caliber heights if things line up for them. Miles has old-guy-power, so anything is possible. Nothing would make me happier than to see him get a medal!

Don't count Colwick out just yet. Although he didn't have the best year (height wise) last year he is poised to get some BIG bars this season. He's made some huge improvements in his takeoff and swing, and I would not be surprised if he posted a 5.90m or better before the medals are handed out in London.

Personally I think that things are looking up for the ol' USofA. Walker, Miles, LoJo, Hollis, Scott, Whitt, Roth, Colwick... sounds like 2012 has all the makings for a great year. I'm excited for the future of US vaulting in 2012 and especially in the next Olympic cycle.

[dj]

PS.. Update..

After posting this and numerous other "offers" over the last several years to do these Approach Run session "free" for our top vaulters, I have realized that by doing that, offering them "free", i have obviously lowered the value. In the real world if it doesn't have a "money" value we perceive it to have "no" value.

So from now own i will only do these session for the same $$ price i do all my speaking and clinic sessions... my normal rate is $150.00 per hour or $500.00 per day. If the athletes come to me there is no need for travel expenses.. I can handle several athletes per session.

Hey i can use the money... so i can continue this sport.. ; ]

I managed 36 athletes at Rusty Shealy's camp several years ago and only had three jumpers have an "off" run on the runway. One of those had his coach with him and he, the coach, wouldn't let the athlete use the numbers that were correct on the track..

dj

[Bruce Caldwell]

well there may be a breath of fresh air towards the USA men after Walker clears 18'6" with a mid mark of 58'5"
and jumps of 19'1" by a foot congrats to Walker there may be hope!
Bruce

[dj]

good morning,

one of the best jumps ever.

tremendous.. congrats

dj

[73-vaulter]

I think last night shows just how wrong this thread is.

[dj]

refer to my answer in the other thread...

dj

[polevaltr41]

"I think last night shows just how wrong this thread is."


Looking at the rest of the results i dont know how you say that. Yes Brad looked very good but when 5.37 gets you 3rd place thats not too impressive.