What are some good drills for PV?

[JumpinSkiing]

We don't do many drills at my school, and i have some big problems with my vault, I was wondering what kind of drills you guys do to help your vault.

[PV4Free]

An indispensable drill for practicing your plant mechanics is the slide box drill. This is where you practice running with a pole and planting it into a slide box. It helps improve your pole drop, timing, and takeoff position. These can be done every day from a 4 or 5 step.

You can purchase a commercial made slide box but they are quite expensive. You can also build one yourself with wood, or simply use an old towel.

Hope this works out for you.

[Cooleo111]

I agree...the slide box drill is one of the best drills out there. If you want to make your own, here's a diagram from http://www.fiberbenders.com that will make a nice heavy slidebox to offer resistance when you take off.


Also, I use a lot of drills from the Drill of the Month section at http://www.pvei.com[/url]

[ACvault]

just a quick ques. don't you put something on the bottom of the box, it makes it slide?

[PV4Free]

just a quick ques. don't you put something on the bottom of the box, it makes it slide?

Nah, that slide box is best used on a runway or similar surface. It is supposed to slide, without being frictionless. The little bit of resistance that is generated helps improve technique faster than a box that slides very easily.

If you feel there is too much resistance however, you can do like my coach did and steal a street sign to fasten to the underside. The metal sign, (or similar, legally obtained sheet metal) works well on all-weather runways as well as grass and asphalt.

Hope this helps and don't get caught.

[Carolina21]

One of the best drills I have ever learned is what we called jump overs. All you need is a pole. Find some soft grass or a rubber track or gym floor to do these, grass is best though. Stand the pole up right next to you and reach up as high as you can to get your standing grip. Place your top hand there and place your lower hand about 6-8 inches below. Ok, now what you want to do is pretend like you were going to plant the pole in the ground and ride it over, except the point of the drill is to jump so high and reach your hands up so high that pole passes underneath you and never touches the ground (with a standing grip it should be realitively easy). Start with a few steps and as you get better you can progress to a jog into the jump. With each time you are able to pass the pole underneath without touching raise your hand grip up 1 inch. Continue to raise your grip until you reach the point where you jump and then a split second later the pole hits the ground and you ride it over. This in a sense is your PR grip. As you get better at reaching up and timing your jumps you will be able to grip higher and higher and should see improvement in your actual vaults and take off. It will lead you to be able to do the same with your real vault and teach you habits that allow for a more efficient take off. By learning this you learn to anticpate your take off, you learn to hit a take off with you hands way up over your head, and the only way to grip higher without letting the pole touch is a great jump and huge reach up at the take off. You learn to jump over the pole not underneath it. In the fall we will start every practice with a set of these jump overs.

[JumpinSkiing]

Man, I wish my coach knew of these drills, he's an old style pole vaulter, always talks about the days of sawdust pits and metal poles and such.

All we do is full runs.

Now I didn't think this question, or little dilemma was enough to warrant a new thread so i'll ask it here.

I weigh about 145, sophomore in high school.
I'm on a 13' 160 right now, main pole i use in competition, i've cleared 12'6" with it and i think it's time to move up in length.
I've tried excessively to make it into the pit on the only 14' pole my school has, a 155, not happening right now, few times i've barely made it into the pit, but mostly i've been on the side mats. I asked my coach to look around the other school he coaches at, and to see if he could find a 14' 150, today he came to practice with a 13'7" 150, and another 14' 155, the 13'7" 150 is a little soft, and is going to take some time to get used to, but i'd ultimately want to be on the 14' 155, Meet of Champions is on saturday and I want to at least vault 13'. What should I do? Should I keep working on the 14' 155?

[cormanac]

As you are getting real close to the meet, I would suggest holding lower on that bigger pole. (14' 155) Holding lower should allow you to penetrate the pits more. It is going to make the pole stiffer (but I am sure you knew that).
Your 13' 160, where are you holding the pole, how does it feel on top, and where are you landing on the mats?

[JumpinSkiing]

I've tried holding lower on the 155, it was very stiff and i didn't really get anywhere, although to the end of practice i started coming closer and closer to the pit on the top of the 14' 155, at the beginning of the practice i didn't get anywhere holding lower on the 14', so maybe i can get into the pit now that i've at least gotten used to it a bit on the top, holding lower, i'll try it again today. The 160 is pretty much perfect, I don't bend it a whole lot, but it definitely throws me up very well, and i'm landing in the middle of the mats with it, standards were at 22 on my 12'6" jump on that pole.

In practice yesterday i vaulted on the 13'7" and cleared 12 easy, but i'm not used to having to be that patient because it bends a lot more than the 160, and i don't know if i like it or not.

[vault3rb0y]

I've tried holding lower on the 155, it was very stiff and i didn't really get anywhere, although to the end of practice i started coming closer and closer to the pit on the top of the 14' 155, at the beginning of the practice i didn't get anywhere holding lower on the 14', so maybe i can get into the pit now that i've at least gotten used to it a bit on the top, holding lower, i'll try it again today. The 160 is pretty much perfect, I don't bend it a whole lot, but it definitely throws me up very well, and i'm landing in the middle of the mats with it, standards were at 22 on my 12'6" jump on that pole.

In practice yesterday i vaulted on the 13'7" and cleared 12 easy, but i'm not used to having to be that patient because it bends a lot more than the 160, and i don't know if i like it or not.

are you holding higher on the 13'7 than you did on the 13 160?? Because for every foot down you go on the pole, its basically 20 Ibs stiffer. So from a 13'7 150, going down to where you hold on the 13 would be approximately like a 13 165?? Although the flex is HUGE in this situation. If i were you, i would stay with the 13'7 150 and really work on the inversion. It will be a lot easier on a softer pole. If your hand grip is at 13'4 on the 13'7, and 8 inches in the box, your handgrip to the bar would be 12'8. From there, if you work on the inversion and just stay back as long as possible, no doubt you can go just 4 inches for 13' feet in the meet.

[JumpinSkiing]

I was vaulting on the top of the 13'7", but its a little soft for my liking, i think i'll move down a bit.

Practice went well, used the 13'7" at the top.

[vault3rb0y]

I was vaulting on the top of the 13'7", but its a little soft for my liking, i think i'll move down a bit.

Practice went well, used the 13'7" at the top.

yea just work the free take off, and swing really hard. If you start hitting the bar on the way up with standards at 30.... i think you can work on the 14' 155. Because its basically about 10-15 Ibs stiffer. Hold at the same stop after you are blowing through the 13'7 easily, and you should be alright. I weigh 142 and jump on a 14 160 holding at 13'7.... just get a good take off and swing hard, it will bend just fine.