Getting inverted at the top

[jhesch]

another thing that has greatly contributed to helping me get good penetration is driving a lot harder, taller, and longer. a while back and still on occassion i would swing right off the ground with little drive, which would get me upside down quick, but w/ no penetration. a friend of mine does the same thing, and he's got a monstrous wide handgrip. it makes it easy for him to bend the pole and get upside down, but he has so much trouble gettin into the pit. if you can get a real tall plant with a big long drive, big split, (and a bit narrower grip) and then swing, its so much easier to get upside down and get more out of the pole, deeper. (these changes helped me vault like a foot and a half higher from previous pr)

[blazerunner121]

Generally a clsoer hand grip can lead to a taller takeoff with both hands further above the head in the plant. A closer grip also can lead to a more powerful swing with more leverage in the swing and pull-through. I forget where exactly I read that, but it was in a discussion where someone started talking about Bubka's techniques. Mentioned how he had a narrower grip than anyone else, and he held his pole up higher for longer than us americans were at the time.

I usually grip with my hands about a foot and a half apart, with them getting as close as a foot sometimes.

so which would u prefer, closer hand grip, or more spread out hand grip?

[gymkittykat]

my grip is about a foot to a foot and a half apart(b4 the coach told me it was prob about two-two and a half feet apart)

[jp1667]

I used as a rule of thumb on pole grip by measuring hip-hip distance. Usually get about 1-1/2 ft distance and you can always adjust from there.

As for getting inverted, i would practice on short-sprint rock backs to get a good feel for being inverted with the pole. Its when you sprint 3-4 strides while you row your arms & whip your leg up towards the sky. One you get comfortable then apply it to a full vault run.

[bvpv07]

Right now I am really trying to work on getting inverted as well. My coach is having me do a lot of stiff pole work from four strides, accompanied by a progressively narrower handgrip. I do some static rope work as well as a drill on our delta bars. So far, it's helping me get back faster and with a smoother swing. I've got until Summit to get it down!

[blazerunner121]

i'm still havin problems with timing of the turn when in an the inverted position. any tips on when to turn or how to?

[jp1667]

When your inverted, do you turn when the top hand on the pole is located near the groin/crotch area? I usually find out, when at that point, that its best to start working on the turn.

Look at some of the clips of top HS, collegiate or pro vaulters. If you look at their vaults, their handgrip location usually are located in that area while turning.

A good practice drill I use was using a practice pole in the gym floor w/ pair of sweatpants (to avoid dirt/dust). Lay on the ground and pretend to be inverted on the floor like when your doing a vault. While keepin the top hand near the groin, work on pushing off while turning around as in a vault. If the floors are waxed, you will eventuall slide along the floor. It might provide a better sense on how it feels before doing the actual jumps. hope this helps.

[blazerunner121]

i finally got my turn, however, at the expense of that, i sort of lost my inverted postion a little. but i'm catchin on the overall form.