just a quick question

[RamVault09]

alrighty then!

[CVBigRedBlondie05]

thank you soooo much!! now i can go to the weightroom knowing i am actually doin somethign that is benefitting my pole vault skills

[vaultfan]

I'm going to attempt to make amends for my truly tasteless blooper post. Here are a few ideas for using a chin-up bar:

HANG IN A BACKARD "C" POSITION.

Hang on a chin-up bar grasping it with both hands. Get into the
proper (backward C) position – right leg flexed with the thigh
parallel to the ground, left leg fully extended with the foot
pointing down toward the ground. Don't hunch over, keep your
body in an upright position. This is a simple drill to get the feel
of the stretching position of the backward C.


From USATF Developmental video tape by Earl Bell

UPSIDE DOWN DRILL ON THE HIGH BAR.

Swing to upside down position keeping arms straight. Do several
repetitions, if possible. In the drill demonstrated, the vaulter had
one hand facing forward and one hand facing backward. Start the
drill hanging straight down, back swing a little with the legs, then
swing up with the arms straight to where the body is extended upside
down. The hips would then be near the bar.

MUSCLE UP.

On the high bar, hang straight down, make a little back swing with
the legs, then "muscle up" to where the vaulter finishes with
the body straight up with the arms straight down on the high bar.
This is a strength and explosive move which should transfer over into
the vault.

KIP.
From "High Bar Drills and Skills"
http://www.drillsandskills.com/skills/hbar

Swing forward, swinging legs up to where they touch the high bar. On
the back swing, "muscle up" to where the vaulter finishes
with the body straight up with the arms straight down on the high bar.

From "Gymnastics with Petrov"
http://www.thevitaminvault.com/drills/drills.html

CHIN UP HIGH BAR SWINGS.

On high bar, athlete takes a chin position. Athlete then swings
entire body. When feet swing forward, shoulders drop back (not down)
and arms straighten. Equal swing forward and backwards, legs
together, feet pointed.



Here are some additional drills for the chin up bar:

From Vaultstuff.com
http://www.vaultstuff.com/

Pull Ups.

Bubka's. Hang from a pull-up bar, then swing your legs up to the
bar and extend them straight up until your hips are to the bar and
you are fully inverted. Do this repetitively for 3 sets of 10 if you
can. This will really help you with the strength you need to get
upside down on the pole.

Wipers.

Hold on to a pull up bar and bring only your feet up to the bar.
From here you move your legs and feet back and forth to the side in
the same motion as a windshield wiper. This is a great ab and
shoulder exercise if you can do it. Get someone to spot you at first
if you have trouble. Have the spotter held hold you in position
under your back. Eventually you will be able to do 3 sets of 10.

Extentions.


From NJ-Striders
http://www.mindspring.com/~njspv/Techni ... hnical.htm

High Bar Swings.

Hang from a high bar with your takeoff leg down and the other knee up
as if you had just jumped off the ground. Stretch and swing upside
down. When you stretch, bring your takeoff leg back and your arms
back as if you had just hit the proper plant. Then swing pulling your
arms forward and whipping your takeoff leg around keeping it
straight. This swinging will require both the shoulders and the hips
to rotate. As the takeoff leg approaches hitting the high bar, the
rotation at your hips will stop and the momentum created will be
transferred into the hips popping upward (this is the pull phase).
The end position will be with the vaulter straight upside down.


From Advantage Athletics:

http://www.advantageathletics.com/pvletters.html
http://www.advantageathletics.com/rockback.html

This site has detailed descriptions of the following drills (with
photos):

The Pole Vault High Bar Power Rockbacks
The Pole Vault Power Rockback Rack
Pole Vault Tap Slams
Swinging Rings
Bubka Drills

In "letters to the coach", Advantage Athletics sez:

"The key to getting inverted is having the strength to do so.
Make these drills the #1 thing you do every day. If you can't do
a drill, try them to the best of your ability every day. You
don't have to do many at first. Just make about 6 attempts for
each set. We do about 3 sets of each drill."

[vaultfan]

In addition to a chin-up bar, a rope can also be of great help in developing pole vaulting skills. A tip from Advantage Athletics ( http://www.advantageathletics.com ) is to get a 2' length of 1" galvanized pipe from your local hardware store and string a piece of strong rope through it. Tie knots on the rope on each end of the pipe so it doesn't slide. Tie the ends of the rope to a strong tree branch, beam in the garage or something that can hold your weight safely.

Here are some progressive steps to help you develop a powerful swing up:

TAKEOFF INTO "BACKWARD C" POSITION

Take a 2-step approach (right-left, takeoff) execute a dynamic takeoff by jumping off the ground positioning the body in a backward C position. Focus on the proper backward C position, (right leg flexed, left leg extended), keeping your chest forward in an upright position.

When vaulting, hitting this position puts you in a perfect starting point for a good swing.

SWING TO "L"

At take-off, kick the trailfoot (violently) down and then swing it forward in a wide sweeping arc into the sitting position. This driving of the trail foot down can be compared to the gymnast's tap of the feet on the horizontal bar. It helps lengthen the body and load the pole giving it its maximum kinetic energy.

Simultaneously, row (violently) with the shoulders, keeping the shoulders as the axis of rotation. This means that both arms are fully extended and make a wide sweeping motion from over your head, out in front of you. These two complimentary motions should focus the axis of rotation on the shoulders. Inexperienced vaulters often have the axis of rotation at the waist – which is incorrect.

When using a pole to swing to an "L", the vaulter would land in a sit on the pit. Using the rope, merely keep hold of it and allow the body to swing back to the ground. Swinging to an "L" immediately after stretching the body out into a backward "C" is a logical progressive step in learning how to develop a powerful upswing. It is also a good warmup drill.

SWING UP DRILL

Hit the backward C position, then kick the trail leg down and the swing it forward simultaneously pulling down with both arms in a rowing motion. Swing up in a wide arc, keeping the left leg as straight as possible into a pike position. At the pike position, the vaulter will flex at his/her hips as tightly as possible bringing the feet above the hands. During the pike, the axis of the swing should be from the shoulders rather than from the hips. The pike will speed the upswing tremendously. Your body will end up in an inverted position with the feet well above your top hand. Then pull just like you would in a normal vault.

NOTE: A very good post was made recently to the message board of Vaultstuff.com. The vaulter said he did the swing up drill in sets where he would do three drills one right after another, then take a minute or two break and then do three more. On a typical day, he would do 8-10 sets ir 24-30 repetitions of this rope drill.

[lonestar]

Vaultfan, you are certainly well read and educated about the sport. Have you ever considered or done any coaching? We need more educated coaches in the sport.

[jmayesvaultmom]

Vaultfan certainly could coach. I have to applaud him for his love and interest in the sport. He and his wife travel all over the country to go to watch PV competitions after a spur of the moment decision to go watch a track meet one summer a few years ago where they were vacationing. I had the pleasure of finally meeting him this summer in Omaha Correct me if I am remembering wrong Vaultfan about how you got started watching PV....