Left Handed World Record...

saraf · Unread postby **saraf** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 4:57 pm

its alot harder to jump lefty. First off we ahve to hold the pole with the wrong hands. Next we have to jump with righ handed pole, when are they going to come out with LEFT HANDED POLES!! and finaly if a coach likes coaching from the left side of a normal vaulter they have to switch sides for us wrong sided jumpers. Its a very much harder to jump lefty.

polecat · Unread postby **polecat** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 6:36 pm

What's hard is jumping right handed when you are left handed. My daughter started jumping as a junior, and she made the mistake of literally following the hand placement directions of her track coach, who assumed she was right handed. She jumped through her senior indoor season right handed. She was progressing well, so no one, including me, thought anything was wrong. She finally went to a pole vault coach before her senior outdoor season, who asked if she was left handed or right handed. When she answered she was left handed, he asked her why she was vaulting right handed. Of course, she really couldn't answer the question except only to say that was how she was taught. She switched to left-handed for her senior outdoor season and jumped 9'6" before she ran out of meets.

Now, how many of you can clear a bar jumping from either side? My daughter can, but, in retrospect, she feels like she lost a year of development by starting out from her weaker side.

breaker · Unread postby **breaker** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 7:24 pm

saraf wrote: Next we have to jump with righ handed pole, when are they going to come out with LEFT HANDED POLES!!

im confused... isnt jumping left handed, if you are left handed just the same but mirror imaged? how can a pole be left or right handed, can you explain, because i just dont get it???

lonestar · Unread postby **lonestar** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 7:54 pm

breaker wrote:
saraf wrote: Next we have to jump with righ handed pole, when are they going to come out with LEFT HANDED POLES!!

im confused... isnt jumping left handed, if you are left handed just the same but mirror imaged? how can a pole be left or right handed, can you explain, because i just dont get it???

Sarcasm

wacky274 · Unread postby **wacky274** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 9:32 pm

it was sarcasm...hard to catch in text sometimes

saraf · Unread postby **saraf** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 9:57 pm

yes sorry to confuse some people haha i thought it was funny

breaker · Unread postby **breaker** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 9:57 pm

ha, i feel stupid
the whole sarcasm thing isnt good written...

Unread postby **rainbowgirl28** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 10:40 pm

polecat wrote:What's hard is jumping right handed when you are left handed. My daughter started jumping as a junior, and she made the mistake of literally following the hand placement directions of her track coach, who assumed she was right handed. She jumped through her senior indoor season right handed. She was progressing well, so no one, including me, thought anything was wrong. She finally went to a pole vault coach before her senior outdoor season, who asked if she was left handed or right handed. When she answered she was left handed, he asked her why she was vaulting right handed. Of course, she really couldn't answer the question except only to say that was how she was taught. She switched to left-handed for her senior outdoor season and jumped 9'6" before she ran out of meets.

Now, how many of you can clear a bar jumping from either side? My daughter can, but, in retrospect, she feels like she lost a year of development by starting out from her weaker side.

I disagree. I think which hand you write with is completely irrelevant to which way you should pole vault. What matters is what foot you are dominant on. I am guessing your daughter was also dominant on her right foot, and that is why she did better when she switched sides.

I write left handed, but I jump a lot higher off my left foot (right handed). I jumped lefty for a month and only cleared 7'6"

I never ask kids what handed they are. I usually stick a pole up in the air and have them jump up and try to touch it (without telling them why I am doing it). If there is still confusion, I find out what leg they preferred in other sports.

I think many coaches just teach everyone righty because it is a lot easier to coach. You really limit people's potential when you do that.

KYLE ELLIS · Unread postby **KYLE ELLIS** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 11:20 pm

I dont understand how is it easier to coach?

lonestar · Unread postby **lonestar** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 1:16 am

KYLE ELLIS wrote:I dont understand how is it easier to coach?

Probably not true for every coach, but true for me. I'm used to looking at vaults from a certain angle, and mostly right-handed vaults. I have a more difficult time reading positions in realtime when watching a lefty. I do think they all look alike, running sideways and hunched over. Plus, I'm always telling them the wrong knee to drive or arm to punch and correcting myself constantly.

Unread postby **ashcraftpv** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 2:46 pm

I'll agree, its much harder to coach a lefty if you are a right handed vaulter. I had one 3 years ago, and it took me a while to get used to watching his vaults. I probably missed out on a few mistakes just because of the opposite angle i was lloking from , but I picked it up by the end of the year. The biggest problem for me was trying to demonstrate things to him lefthanded.....

KYLE ELLIS · Unread postby **KYLE ELLIS** » Mon Sep 27, 2004 4:17 pm

wouldnt filming make it much easier to coach lefties so you can watch it in slow-mo?

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Left Handed World Record...

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