The feeling of exaltation, excitement or self-transcendence experienced by the successful vaulter's clearance of a crossbar, no matter how mediocre the height, is something which only fellow vaulters share in common (5).
Hope, hope for success, is the best antidote for fear (5).
The champion has the responsibility to share himself with the other less talented younger or contemporary men who follow in his footsteps. He must be a source of knowledgeable information which will help them achieve some modicum of success. Only in sharing himself and this information does the champion fulfill his destiny (6).
A pole vaulter with extensive vaulting experience may think that the detailed discussion of certain phases of the vault in this book has been overdone. This attitude may also explain why we observe many champion or borderline champions making the same mistake over and over again and why their progress is erratic at best (6).
The easiest way to get the beginner in vaulting to get the feel of swining on a pole is to start him with rope vaulting as we recommended in our first book 20 years ago. In certain parts of the country, where indoor track facilities do not exist and the winter is intense or prolonged, this is the only way a coach can introduce aspiring young men to vaulting. Rope vaulting can be included in one of the weekly physical education classes to provide variety in activities because any student can "rope vault" a modest height if he can support his body weight with his hands (11).
Experienced vaulters like to step back 5-6 strides or more from the pit, run in and plant the pole applying pronounced pressure with the left arm and land on their back with the feet elevated as high as possible overhead. Some coaches teach this exercise from the beginning of vaulting practice which we do not favor, because THE POTENTIAL VAULTER CAN LEARN BAD HABITS BEFORE HE HAS EVEN MASTERED THE FUNDAMENTAL TECHNIQUES INVOLVED IN POLE VAULTING. IT MAKES THE BEGINNER THINK THAT ALL THERE IS TO POLE VAULTING IS BENDING THE POLE (14).
A POLE VAULTER MUST FIRST LEARN HOW TO POLE VAULT - - WHETHER THE POLE BENDS VERY MUCH OR NOT AT ALL (14).
It is one thing to see a world champion warming up for the vault with some elaborate pole bending technique which has taken him 10 years to master and another thing to have a rank beginner think that this is a basic pole vault learning exercise.
The fallacious carry-over of this of this rocking back, pole bending technique is seen in many high school vaulters who ONLY LEARN TO TAKE OFF AND ROCK BACK ON THE POLE. THEY NEVER COMPLETE THE ROCKING, PIKING ACTION OF THE LEGS, PULLING AND TURNING...THESE YOUNG VAULTERS, WHO MAY ALREADY BE ACHIEVING 13-14' IN THE VAULT SIT IN THE AIR WAITING FOR SOME MIRACLE OF FIBREGLASS to throw them over the bar. They haven't even learned how to pole vault yet! (14-15)
ATTACK-ATTACK-ATTACK
One word can describe the run approach of many young vaulters we see, to use a kind word, as CASUAL. To be able to attack the pole vault box the vaulter must have the quality we call POISE. A sense of controlled confidence...confidence in his skill, the accuracy of his run, and the pole and a sensitive awareness of what he wants to do when he reaches the take-off point.
The unsure, hesitant vaulter exhibits his lack of poise from the very beginning of the runway. He stands around waiting for a favorable wind, all the spectators to quiet down, and race on the track to start or stop...in other words, he PROCRASTINATES JUST AS LONG AS POSSIBLE DOING WHAT HE KNOWS HE HAS TO DO. The poised vaulter checks his standards, walks back down the runway, sights on his check marks, lines up the box visually and drives in, optimistically dedicated to the idea that "I can make this jump (18)."
With the advent of modern synthetic tracks in many parts of the world the problem of analyzing the stride pattern of jumpers has become more complicated because the athlete leaves very little evidence of his passage (19).
WE DO NOT FAVOR THE USE OF TAKE-OFF MARKS BECAUSE THE VAULTER WHO IS IN ERROR HAS NO TIME TO SEE THEM OR TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION ANYWAY. HE SHOULD BE CONCENTRATING ON TAKE-OFF ACTION NOT FOOT PLACEMENT AT THIS TIME. The depth perception of many jumpers is so remarkable that they can often make a spectacular recovery of their run strides relatively close to the box and still make a successful jump (20).
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