Speed or Strength?

[BethelPV]

I know that so far in this technique section there have been discussions about Grip Clearance and a lot of discussion of different technique's in the Manifesto topics, and I have read a lot of really interesting things while taking part in these discussion's myself.

We all know that in order to get a good clearance above your grip you have to have solid technique, especially if we are looking at 30"+ for clearing over your top hand hold. You cannot get a good push off if you do not set your body up and use your technique to help guide you over the bar.

What I am wondering is what everyone on this board thinks is more important, Speed or Strength and why you think that it is more important than the other one... I know you have to have a combination of a least a little bit of each to be a fairly successful vaulter, but which one do you all think is more important?

Me personally I believe that Speed is more important. If you can really bring it down the runway, you can store a lot more energy into the pole at takeoff thus causing you to get more energy back from the pole in the end. If you rely on all strength but do not have any speed, you cannot apply as much force into the pole at takeoff, although you can try to make up for it by muscling your way through the vault and adding energy to the system through the way you work the vault...

This is just my opinion and I am curious to see what others think! Just something to get you all thinking i guess

Zachmo

[theczar]

I agree that speed is most important, because I know that many HS vaulters have either speed or strength to get them on big poles (i know this is not the case for everyone, but where I come from, kids do whatever it takes to jump high, and 12 gets 1st or 2nd). It seems to me that the kids with the fastest speed jump higher than most, reguardless of form. But, from what i have noticed, the people with greater speed tend to have better form than those who use mainly muscle their way over the bar. I dont really know why, but that seems to be the trend in southern Illinois.

[Robert schmitt]

Speed- If it was strength I would have jumped.....well......Alot higher

[baggettpv]

as a coach both are necessities within the structure of any good training program.
But if you have speed you better have good technique. If you are strong you can get away with many technical flaws.
If you are fast, strong and have solid technique? Watch out!


Rick Baggett
WSTC LLC

[blakedow]

I am living proof that you dont need strength to be a successful vaulter... I'm not all that fast either, but much more fast than I am strong... I think that speed is the obvious answer to this question as it is the only way you can put energy into the pole... Once you leave the ground, it is all about finding a way to not lose energy, no matter how strong you are, you cannot put energy into the pole once you leave the ground... So speed on the runway, with the help of a good takeoff, is the only way to put any kind of energy into the pole, thus concluding that speed is far superior to strength...

[AVC Coach]

Once you leave the ground, it is all about finding a way to not lose energy, no matter how strong you are, you cannot put energy into the pole once you leave the ground... So speed on the runway, with the help of a good takeoff, is the only way to put any kind of energy into the pole, thus concluding that speed is far superior to strength...

I would have to disagree with those statements. If you can't add any energy to the system after you leave the ground then you better be running about 18 m/sec. And at that speed, you'll need that strength you're talking about just to keep your arms from getting ripped off.

[vault3rb0y]

What about bubka being proven to ADD energy to his jumps after take off with his swing?? Clearly you can add energy, and i think thats what most college vaulters concentrate on.... thus needing more strength and leg swing to do so. However in high school i think the majority of kids that can run fast and have decent form will just wait for the energy they put in the pole off the runway to throw them.... because they dont really HAVE to add energy to go high.
So in response to the original question... i believe speed (and technique, of course) are the most important aspects to reach hieghts around 15'6 or 16.... the high class high school vaulter. But when you get to college it is important to keep that speed and technique, while at the same time adding the strength into the swing and pull to put you in the 17's or 18's.

[vaultwest]

Interesting debate,

But I would have to say that it would be just as valid to debate which arm is more important to have attached to your body to allow you to vault high.

In other words I think both are equally important and if you are trying to decide which is more important to have I would guess you would be trying to decide which one to focus on and at that point I think you are missing the point, as they both are equal and very interrelated.

Just my two cents.

Vault On

[achtungpv]

What about bubka being proven to ADD energy to his jumps after take off with his swing??

This is always thrown around, but has anyone actually seen the original study that proves this? Same thing with him effectively clearing 6.40 on a 6.01 vault. Everybody cites a "japanese study" that no one has ever seen. I've always wondered if these are just urban legends.


Assuming you can add energy during the vault...how much does it really add to the amount of energy added from the approach/take off? Maybe an additional <5%?

[AVC Coach]

In my opinion, there is a substancial amount of energy that can be added after take-off. Not sure what the percentage is or if it would even be possible to put a number on it, but I'm sure it's far more than 5%.

Vaultwest does have a good point that without strength there is no need for speed and vise-versa. I guess it's just to hot outside to find something else to do besides tinker with these thoughts and ideas.

[Robert schmitt]

If you are strong you can get away with many technical flaws.



Rick Baggett
WSTC LLC

That is spot on. I find that so many HS vaulters that think they don't have the strength to jump above thier grip. When they need to improve on technique.

[BethelPV]

Now here is what I think, and then I am going to pose another question...

I definately agree with AVC Coach and a few others who said that you need to have both speed and strength in order to reach certain heights to be able to compete with some of the best. That is key in my mind and there is no replacing someone who has the all around package in speed, strength, body awareness, and technique. That is what we all strive for isn't it?

I am also very intrigued by this discussion going on about how much energy can be added after you leave the ground. Yes I believe you can add a lot of energy after you leave the ground as I have seen people who are not very fast just work like crazy in the air and clear big heights above their grips. A perfect example was a guy from Southern Oregon, I think his name was Shawn Trimble. Last year I jumped against at the NAIA Indoor National meet, and he was not able to get his poles shipped to Tennessee, they got shipped to Georgia I think... but anyways he jumped on a 15' pole right at his weight, which was about 190 I believe. He was not very fast, but once he left the ground he worked the vault so hard that he was able to clear I believe 15'9" and tie for 3rd on pure strength.

What I was asking in the beginning was if you had to choose between the two, which is more important, speed or strength. Most of you chose speed on the basis of you can add more energy to the vault with a faster run-up, although some of you also wisely said that you are able to hide flaws in your vault by being able to muscle your way through a vault.

Now what I want to know is which do you all think will lead to an improvement in other aspects of the vault, say your technique of your swing, plant, push off, and clearance? If you are looking to improve these, which would you focus on more in training and why? Just something I would like to see what others think as well...

Zachmo