Coaching Question for anyone...

[xtremevaulter]

I am coaching a high school team in washington. I am a young coach who has only been vaulting for six years....so I am not the expert. I have a jumper who is constantly 1-2 feet inside, but somehow manages to get up and over 12-6 just fine. the reason he is so far inside is because he keeps stretching out his last step. Is there any thing i can do to teach his body to shorten his last step...I am really baffeled.

My second question is does anyone have any bright Ideas on how to get a couple of girls to first get over mentle issues about bending a pole and then secondly how to teach their body to keep a straight bottom arm?

Any advice would help..

[Oldcoach]

With every new set of kids I go thru the same issues. I experimented with different techniques to solve these problems with mixed results.
The "Under" issue- I put a tape box on the track and keep moving the guys run back until he can't possibly takeoff under. Keep doing it until he gets use to the visual sense. Make sure he is getting the plant up early. start moving the run in and see if the takeoff point moves in- if so go back to square one and start again.
Bending the pole/Arm collapse- I use the slide box to give them the feel of the arm pressure and body rigidity necessary. Start at 2 steps then 4. My slide box weighs about 30 lbs and when they can give it a good push- 4-6 feet from 4 steps without falling on their face or a** its time to try it on the runway. Emphasize pushing "up" with bottom arm and leading with the chest.
With some kids this seems to work with others maybe not.
Hope it helps

[Aviendha]

i know slide boxes helped my plant tremendously

[achtungpv]

You shouldn't necessarily move his step back if he's under. He could be overstriding his last step, or last few (but only the last step is really noticeable) because he is out. Maybe move his step up.

You can lay down a towel on the runway at the takeoff so there's a visual of where not to step. One coach in Texas puts down a medicine ball. Teaches you not to take off under the hard way.

[Carolina Extreme]

...You can lay down a towel on the runway at the takeoff so there's a visual of where not to step. One coach in Texas puts down a medicine ball. Teaches you not to take off under the hard way.

I sometimes throw my hat down on the spot where they were stepping under. This way they'll quicken up there last step or two to keep from stepping on the hat. It usually works at least a few times until they realize that it doesn't hurt them to step on my hat. It's a good way to ventilate your hat too.

Maybe I should try the medicine ball, and rescue my hat. LOL Nope, bad idea. That has lawsuit written all over it.

[Robert schmitt]

For my self I lay my shoe down 6" in front of where I want to take off right on the runway. I wouldn't recommend doing this for one of your kids how ever b/c it's a good way to role an ankle. Which is why it works for me. I'm damn sure to take off in front of it. The hat sounds a lot safer.

[belmore]

Ole Carl Erickson used to lay a 5 gallon water can out on the runway., that's the big water jugs you drink out of. I guess Adam Keul can describe this excercise better.

[superchau88]

i am always at least a food under at take off. it is just the way i jump. if i am a foot out or i am dead on then i can't jump at all.

[das_1971]

i am always at least a food under at take off. it is just the way i jump. if i am a foot out or i am dead on then i can't jump at all.

I think your the same way I am, your just used to pushing through your vault. I know quite a few people who can only jump when when the pole hits the back of the box, and then they push up through it. Its what I'm trying to fix, and spending about 2 months on just that in pratice and I'm now getting comfortable.

Not a lot of people realise that jumping under comfortably and jumping on comfortably are two different ball games, esecially if your a slow runner.

[lonestar]

...You can lay down a towel on the runway at the takeoff so there's a visual of where not to step. One coach in Texas puts down a medicine ball. Teaches you not to take off under the hard way.

I sometimes throw my hat down on the spot where they were stepping under. This way they'll quicken up there last step or two to keep from stepping on the hat. It usually works at least a few times until they realize that it doesn't hurt them to step on my hat. It's a good way to ventilate your hat too.

Maybe I should try the medicine ball, and rescue my hat. LOL Nope, bad idea. That has lawsuit written all over it.

LOL - yeah Rusty, unfortunatley my Gill hat met with the same fate - only I was the one who stepped on it! Damn shame what my clipboard looked like from doing the same! I had a kid that would step on a 12" cone instead of shortening his last step - he shredded the thing with his spikes!

[xtremevaulter]

Thanx for all the suggestions...i have a lot more respect for those who can deal with coaching high school kids at the pole vault... I look back at myself in high school...and man I was a pain in the a**. It is so much harder then I first realized. Anyway...If you have anymore Ideas i would love to hear them.

[vaultchamp16]

Whenever my kids stride out at the end of their run, which happens quite often, it's because the begining of their run was too quick. Those first few steps need to be long, powerful, aggresive steps. Each step needs to get progressively faster.

IF the kids cover more ground in the begining of their run, they shouldn't find the need to stride out at the end. They may run themselves a little under, but the giant steps should shorten. You may also want to have them count their steps, every left, and make sure that the count in their head speeds up.