getting vertical.

[mcminkz05]

working on NOTHING BUT my run, plant, and takeoff.... You wouldnt believe all the technical stuff, even the smallest things, in your plant and takeoff that directly affects everythign that happens in the air.

lastly, im PRETTY SURE THAT ^ WAS THE MAIN POINT OF THE POST!! forgive me for trying to give someone else some advice

[vaulter870]

Well neither one of you two seem to have a good push off if you guys are on 15' foot poles and only clear 13'6"...reading Michigan's state meet results from Indoor States...just my opinion...

first off where did you get 15' poles???? and hey i only cleared 12' feet thank you very much haha but still neither of us were holding any more then 13'6'' for adam and like 12'8'' for me. and for the push off it help if you can take off the ground maby if you were there you would understand whats going on here!! ha and yes i am in school and in a bad mood!!

[VaultBrad]

what does everyone do/think of to try to get vertical. i think that is one of my biggest problems. i have a pretty decent take off and plant but right after that, it's like i somehow just pause and i don't finish my jump.. so how does everyone train for their perfect rock back?

i think ofthe rock back more as a swing up sincethats really what you are doing. to train for it i do alot of swing ups on a high bar and concentrate on keeping my leg straight and swinging fast and controled. i try to swing my knees to the bar which makes the amount that you have to move your body to get it to vertcle less, and also makes it easier to get on top of the bend. on actually getting vertical, i used to think about it as pushing my feet up, but i would always flag out wicked bad. what worked for me, was instead of pushing my feet up, i tried pulling my hips into the pole, which kept my body tight to the pole and got me vertical. i watched alot of videos of bubka and just visualized what he was doing and how he was doing it. he swings and gets vertical better than any one.

[tmack]

I feel that I have to chime in here. True, a lot of stuff helps, ie. pool vaulting, any gymnastic movements. I think everyone is "right on" when they say improve your runup, takeoff and to swing all the way back and get your hips up. One thing that is missing is what the arms are doing through the phase off the ground. It is hard to explain, but look at the arms of some of the elites(male and female) on stabhochsprung. When you are in the position, in the picture next to your name, what looks like is happening is that you stop applying pressure to the pole, resulting in a loss of speed in your hips/swing. Your arms must keep moving throughout the vault. So, at take-off, your arms should(and it seems from what you say, you are doing a good at job at it) should aggressively apply pressure forward! You complete the take-off and start to swing. Then we get to your picture...looks like you probably stop applying this pressure(focus is either trying to get hips up by swinging, or focus is on somthing else). From the point of your picture, try thinking of still applying pressure with your left hand down towards the box, and your right hand in the same direction. Keep in mind there are not two separate steps here!!! The arms should not just try to get TO the position of your picture BUT THROUGH that point...while swinging of course. I think the mistake people make is that they just try to get TO that point, instead of THROUGH that point. You will get to that point anyway, but you dont want to stay at that point. Some excellent drills are just straight pole vaulting from a short approach...maybe 3-4 complete strides. You then set up a bungee and test yourself to see how high you can jump(if pole bends a bit, its o.k., just keep trying to jump higher.) YOu will find that the only way to get your hips up higher(ultimately to jump higher)is to use your arms while you are swinging...Not just to try to swing harder...the arms and swing work together. Hope this helps...it is difficult to write without actually showing you. You can, however, look at some film of some of the elites. Just look at what their arms are doing...they work all the way from take-off(forward), through the start of the swing(pressure sort of forward and "down"). Then as their hips are by their hands, pressure down. Look at that over and over again, you will see. Good Luck.

[theflyingkorean]

I feel that I have to chime in here. True, a lot of stuff helps, ie. pool vaulting, any gymnastic movements. I think everyone is "right on" when they say improve your runup, takeoff and to swing all the way back and get your hips up. One thing that is missing is what the arms are doing through the phase off the ground. It is hard to explain, but look at the arms of some of the elites(male and female) on stabhochsprung. When you are in the position, in the picture next to your name, what looks like is happening is that you stop applying pressure to the pole, resulting in a loss of speed in your hips/swing. Your arms must keep moving throughout the vault. So, at take-off, your arms should(and it seems from what you say, you are doing a good at job at it) should aggressively apply pressure forward! You complete the take-off and start to swing. Then we get to your picture...looks like you probably stop applying this pressure(focus is either trying to get hips up by swinging, or focus is on somthing else). From the point of your picture, try thinking of still applying pressure with your left hand down towards the box, and your right hand in the same direction. Keep in mind there are not two separate steps here!!! The arms should not just try to get TO the position of your picture BUT THROUGH that point...while swinging of course. I think the mistake people make is that they just try to get TO that point, instead of THROUGH that point. You will get to that point anyway, but you dont want to stay at that point. Some excellent drills are just straight pole vaulting from a short approach...maybe 3-4 complete strides. You then set up a bungee and test yourself to see how high you can jump(if pole bends a bit, its o.k., just keep trying to jump higher.) YOu will find that the only way to get your hips up higher(ultimately to jump higher)is to use your arms while you are swinging...Not just to try to swing harder...the arms and swing work together. Hope this helps...it is difficult to write without actually showing you. You can, however, look at some film of some of the elites. Just look at what their arms are doing...they work all the way from take-off(forward), through the start of the swing(pressure sort of forward and "down"). Then as their hips are by their hands, pressure down. Look at that over and over again, you will see. Good Luck.

WOW! This just made me think of some things in a completely differnt way. I can't wait to try it out at practie tommorow. Thanks!

[titanvaulter21]

haha.. tim, i remember you trying to teach me this at the mt sac camp.. it actually helped me a lot and my rockback is getting there.. i just haven't gotten to that "point" yet but i'll try to use all your suggestions.

[BethelPV]

Thanks a lot Tim, that definately makes a lot of sense. I am going to make sure I work on that in our pool vaulting session today! Good Luck to you as well!

Zachmo

[CHC04Vault]

Wow...how can we argue with that. Thanks Tim, looks like its back to the drawing boards for me

[izzystikchik]

Tim, you are my hero, that is exactly what i have been trying to figure out what is wrong with my vault, i never thought of the arms as much as my trail leg when in the rock back, and i would always find my feet flayling down or my butt wouldn't get any higher, just in time for my practice too

[VaultBrad]

darn i forgot to mention the part about the arms. tim makes a good point in that you shouldnt try to swing to that point but through it. the vault should be a fluid, continuous motion. there should never be a moment where your body is in the same position for more than a split second(or less).

hey Tim, i cant wait to come down to knoxville this fall. will i be seeing you around?

[tmack]

Hope it helps...for younger vaulters, if you watch the elites on film, remember that it is a little different because they are holding much higher and taking off from further out. They are applying pressure forward for a longer time before they are in position to apply pressure down. You will probably apply pressure for a shorter period and applying down pressure with your arms quicker...you are holding lower and taking off closer. Lat thing...your arms are always applying pressure, but it is easier to break it up as "out and down" pressure. There is that period where you are actually applying it in both directions, but that difficult to explain in words. Oh yeah, Brad, will see you Kville!

[MightyMouse]

Hope it helps...for younger vaulters, if you watch the elites on film, remember that it is a little different because they are holding much higher and taking off from further out. They are applying pressure forward for a longer time before they are in position to apply pressure down. You will probably apply pressure for a shorter period and applying down pressure with your arms quicker...you are holding lower and taking off closer. Lat thing...your arms are always applying pressure, but it is easier to break it up as "out and down" pressure. There is that period where you are actually applying it in both directions, but that difficult to explain in words. Oh yeah, Brad, will see you Kville!

I tried to jump like the men elite vaulters for a while, with the reallly long take off, I kept either blocking or not getting my full swing in, a coach pulled me aside and told me to watch+mimic videos of the great women vaulters, untill i start getting on big poles .
Thanks for all the help Tim.