Bubka Heresy 2

[Tim McMichael]

Every illustration or explanation of Bubka’s vault that I have ever encountered includes the observation that he did not tuck. The first picture shows him swinging beneath the pole with his trail leg straight and little or no bend at the hips; the next shows him completely inverted. There are no steps in between, and the description is always something to the effect that he is swinging directly to vertical. This is contrasted with the despised and outdated “tuck and shoot.â€Â

[master]

This is likely to become a discussion about semantics. That being said, I would offer my opinion that Bubka carries his bent drive knee through the entire whip-swing. His trail leg is virtually straight throughout his swing to a pike position. From there he executes what is commonly referred to as a Bubka (last photo on second row through the third photo on the third row) with the hip thrust and shoulder drop.

Bottom line: I can understand how some might call this a tuck, but I would still choose to call it a pike. More importantly in my mind, it doesn't matter what it is called as long as we can look at an image sequence like this and see and agree on what technique is desireable (and perhaps what technique Bubka was striving for).

- master

[science geek]

I use the term pike for Bubka's (and the preferred)technique as well. Too many high school athletes think that a tuck is to ball up, which is not what I want my vaulters to do.

[fx]

Most definitely not a tuck based on what I know. The trail leg stays pretty much straight the whole time. I agree with you, there are very few pictures showing Bubka going from takeoff through the swing and into invert. Still, from what I know, you are not supposed to go straight from swing to vertical. In fact, I think this would be detrimental to the vault, because it would involve extending or lengthening the body during the swing, thus moving the center of mass too far from the pole.

[vaultfan]

Bill Falk’s writings are based on Petrov/Bubka stuff. Hopefully, you will find his explanation interesting on how a vaulter can become inverted.

http://www.everythingtrackandfield.com/ ... eVaulting5

Inside Pole Vaulting #5 - You Need a Swing!

By Bill Falk
Bill.Falk@mfathletic.com

This is the fifth article of a new series in which I’ll cover aspects of the pole vault event. I welcome your suggestions about pole vault topics you’d like to see included. Please email your ideas to me.

With the pole vault, the Approach Run, Plant and Take-Off lead into the all-important Swing phase of the Continuous Chain. The Swing is easier to execute if the preceding phases are done correctly. A good Swing builds momentum and sets up the Pull/Turn and Fly-Away. Without good swing action, you cannot enjoy success in the pole vault.

I divide the Swing into two parts – but the parts blend together smoothly.
Part 1. The Drive-Swing

Stay upright in running posture and follow the inward bending pole vault pole. Don’t go on your back during the Drive-Swing! The chest must move forward/upward in front of the top hand. Otherwise, there is no Drive-Swing. If you bend your lower arm at the elbow, the chest will move forward. Don’t pull or row the pole. Keep your top arm straight as your chest moves in front of it. Remain in an upright posture with your chest moving forward/upward until the pole stops bending inward. Make sure you don’t drop your head in back of your top arm. Instead, stay in front of the top arm. As soon as the pole bends to the side, (left for right-handers, right for left-handers) the Swing-Up starts.

Part 2. The Swing-Up
Stay in front of your top arm in the Swing-Up as you draw both knees into your chest. Once your knees are into your chest, drop your head and shoulders down – not back. This action resembles a seesaw with your head and shoulders moving downward while your lower body moves upward. If done well, the Swing-Up puts you into an inverted position with your hips, legs and feet up and your head and shoulders down. It is essential that you do not pull or row the pole vault pole across your body. Keep your top arm straight. Your lower arm will also straighten as your head and shoulders drop. If properly executed, you have been able to invert your body without using your arms to pull yourself up.

At the end of the Swing-Up your torso will have completed a 180 degree seesaw action from the time you took off from the runway. Now your head is the lowest part of your anatomy and your feet are the highest. You are well along on the Continuous Chain of the entire pole vault action. Now you are ready for the Pull-Turn.

It is often said that the Plant is the bridge between the Approach Run and the Take-Off. I believe that’s true, but you must be able to swing to make the Continuous Chain continue.

[vault3rb0y]

I think your deffinition for a pole vault tuck and shoot may need to be slightly changed, and it helps everyone to realize how bubka wasnt tucking and shooting. I believe for the most part the deffinition is correct, but i believe that a tuck would be considered when BOTH knees come "down" to or close to your chest with bend in them, after a partial or full inversion, only to shoot back up as the pole recoils. This Allows for bubkas trail leg to stay straight like it should, and his drive knee simply stays where it should, only to straighten to the top of the pole as it recoils. You can still "shoot" to the top of the pole with the already bent drive knee, by un-bending it as you come off the top. im not a physics major (like many lucky vaulters on this site) but i do not see how straightening the bent knee and "shooting" off the top is going to give you a substantial amount of boost off the top.... compared to unbending the knee as soon as the inversion is complete.

[KYLE ELLIS]

I think wether you tuck or swing-keeping your trail leg straight has several factors determining what style you do. I think guys who jump like tim and drive through the bottom of the jump keeping their hips under their shoulders long as possible have to take to shorten their levers (tuck) get their hips back faster so they can catch the pole. And everyone who keeps their trail leg straight that i have ever seen gets on their backs early (loses their hips through the middle). i dont think its possible to keep your hips under your shoulders through the middle and the swing with a straight trail leg unless you have a freaky center of gravity...plus your center of gravity has an effect on how you get your hips loaded.

[vault3rb0y]

I think wether you tuck or swing-keeping your trail leg straight has several factors determining what style you do. I think guys who jump like tim and drive through the bottom of the jump keeping their hips under their shoulders long as possible have to take to shorten their levers (tuck) get their hips back faster so they can catch the pole. And everyone who keeps their trail leg straight that i have ever seen gets on their backs early (loses their hips through the middle). i dont think its possible to keep your hips under your shoulders through the middle and the swing with a straight trail leg unless you have a freaky center of gravity...plus your center of gravity has an effect on how you get your hips loaded.

true, because your hips want to pull your body forward, which drops your shoulders. The only way to do it is to be very strong abdominally, to hold your hips back to just move your feet to the pole without dropping your shoulders too early. very tricky stuff...

[KYLE ELLIS]

The only way to do it is to be very strong abdominally, to hold your hips back to just move your feet to the pole without dropping your shoulders too early. very tricky stuff...


i dont think it realy matters how strong your abdominal muscles.

[vault3rb0y]

why not? if your hips are trying to come forward and you are only holding on to a grounding force with your hands, you have to use your arms, abs, and back, and probably a few other muscle groups to keep them from coming forward. Vaulting deffinitly takes ab muscles.

[KYLE ELLIS]

yes strength helps, you wanna be strong as possible! but when you hit a good enough plant and create enough force everything happens so fast and easy it doesnt really matter how strong you are. look at smokinvaulter as an example he was fast as hell but looked like a toothpick. ill take speed and technique any day over trying to muscle yourself up.

[vault3rb0y]

yes strength helps, you wanna be strong as possible! but when you hit a good enough plant and create enough force everything happens so fast and easy it doesnt really matter how strong you are. look at smokinvaulter as an example he was fast as hell but looked like a toothpick. ill take speed and technique any day over trying to muscle yourself up.

oh no doubt. Yea i think we've come to a happy medium, haha i agree completely.