Getting inverted

[euroeva]

Hi,
Ok i am writing because I have this problem. At practice when we do warm ups we do short drills, which are runs froum 3-4 lefts and the objective is to work on form. Obviously I am also holding lower than usual and there is barely any pole bend. When i do these I am able to get fully inverted and even look behind on the runway. Sometimes I can even feel myself "pull" on the pole as if I am ready to turn over. I don't know how to quite describe it. But it feels as if I am able to rasie myself higher. Anyway. At regualr runs though I can't fully invert myself. Could this be because I am bending the pole. I think if I use a stiffer pole for my regular jumps it might be easier for me to become fully inverted. Or might this have something to do with there being a bungee there. I always feel as if I can go higher when there is no bungee/bar. Any ideas are appreciated on how to fix, correct this problem. Thanks a lot---eva

[souleman]

There are several very good threads regarding getting inverted. Do a search here on the forum for "getting inverted" it will come up with a ton of threads regarding that. Then read them all. There's a book out there called "Beginner to Bubka", get it. I can tell you are hooked on this sport and really want know a lot about it. That's great! As I believe Master said once before, you can generally get about every question you want to ask answered by doing a search right here the forum. The rest you can get from Beginner to Bubka. Good luck to you and keep up the great attitude towards this event. Later..........Mike

[euroeva]

hey, thanks. Yea I am addicted to it. i can't wait until we start inddor although it is so far away. It is the only sport I love. The only thing I regret is starting so late (outdoor sophmore year), b/c i think w/ alot of work I would could be really good. Thanks for the tip--eva

[sooch90]

haha you're lucky you get to do indoor track.

I'm at a similar stage as you are Euroeva. I can invert quite easily while doing the drill, but when I do a real jump, I can't exactly invert. I can get my feet up next to the pole, but I never get fully inverted.

But as long as you have good technique, I think inverting will be automatic. Make sure you have a good plant with your steps on, make sure you have a distinct leg separation with your trail leg being straight and your drive knee up to your chest. Once you get those 2 things down, I think inverting should be around the corner.

Don't get on a stiffer pole because that's the same thing as doing a drill. You want to make sure you get the bend, but have good technique.

It's helpful to have a bungee like a foot or 2 above your PR when you are working on inverting. This way you can try and get your feet to touch the bungee, if it does then you know you are improving. If you consistently get over the bungee then raise it even higher.


Anyway those are my thoughts/ideas. If anything I said is incorrect please do correct me.

[robillard]

ok a lot of kids at my school have had this problem so ive had some experience with fixxing it. the thing ive noticed the most at my school is the kids get into a kind of L shape. you said on teh drills that you could see behind you one the runway. this is bad because that means your prob throwing your head back, this gives you the illusion that your inverted more than you actually are and it causes you lose track of were you are in the vault. instead i recommen either watching your feet or watching the bar. if your holding low on the pole you can get away with looking at the top of the pole and trying to get your feet up towards there. also having a good trail leg swing is very important. if your strong enough you can get away without one but it will take away from you momentum. if you have a good swing and keep you trail leg straight youll get a lot more power into your jump and invert a lot easier. the last thing i normaly see wrong at my school is not pushing the pole away. some people try and hug closer to the pole. make sure your right arm(if your a righty) is completely straight during your plant and make sure your left arm isnt blocking but also isnt to close to your body. idealy your left arm should push up into the pole and that will help you get more bend and more power( make sure you pushi up and not forward).
hope this helps

[Barto]

Why do you think you should be "inverted"?

It is very difficult (almost impossible) to grip less than 12'6" and achieve "inversion" without doing some very bad things technically.

Work on jumping off the ground and swinging your feet above your hands i.e. "cover the pole". Doing this correctly will not lead to "inversion" unless you are very short or gripping above 12'-13'.

In my opinion the pursuit of "getting vertical" or "inverting" is the biggest problem with developing vaulters in N. America. Watch the following vaults. After takeoff you swing your feet to your top hand with as much force as possible. If you get them there with enough force then you will fly off the top of the pole. If you do not swing to that possition, but rather get there by any other means, you will not come off with much force. In other words, DO NOT TRY TO DO ANYTHING BESIDES SWING! Any pulling, pushing, rowing, twisting, wiggleing, flopping, or humping actions will only take away from your swing.

http://www.stabhoch.com/movies/20000929_Hysong_590.mov
http://www.stabhoch.com/movies/20010809_Markov_595.mov
http://www.stabhoch.com/movies/20060212_Pyrek_476.mov
http://www.stabhoch.com/movies/19920713_Bubka_611.mov

I'm not sure Pyrek is not the best technician in the world. She just has no blow.

[rainbowgirl28]

Any pulling, pushing, rowing, twisting, wiggleing, flopping, or humping actions will only take away from your swing.

LOL quote of the week.

[bel142]

Although technique is always great, and you want lift your self up with your core and your not strong enough too, then even the best technique in the wold will only take you so far.

My remedy… as well as doing drills towords working on getting inverted… Off the runway, with out poles, start doing abs as a workout after running/vaulting… as a schedual perhapps - abs 3 times a week and core twice a week on the alternate days. I would say at least 5+ sets of 15+ reps of different abb exercise Find a partner and a high bar work on Bubka’s/modified Bubka’s… Gym class rope, climb up, climb down, climb upside down.

Although Technique is extremely important so is speed and strength… Its easy to over look lifting when you’re a young athlete, but if you want to get better it’s a must. Look at any vaulter, male/female, all very athletics, all very strong.

Work hard, work smart, keep chipping away and eventually those big bars will come.

[vault3rb0y]

Be sure you arent blocking out with your bottom arm, and swing from your hips not your shoulders. Those are the 2 most common problems i see when someone can invert on a pop-up and not in a vault.

[souleman]

Barto, you brought up a very interesting point that I hadn't thought of. All the guys that are working with me have told me that the inversion will come with higher grips (basically what you said). Problem is, I wish there were some videos out there of vaulters jumping techinically correct holding on at that 11' to 12' 6" mark. Now that would be beneficial. Most of the kids I work with (and myself included) won't be holding on above 12' 6" their whole high school vaulting career (or my masters career for that matter). As I've said many times over, We see what the "world classers" do and (other than BTB) we don't have a road map to get us there. I beat myself up mentally all the time because I can't do the handstand on the pole like Gary Hunter. Who knows, maybe I am right on track for where I'm holding and where I'm at. Repeating again, some low height technically correct videos would sure help me, and the kids I deal with, and probably many more on this forum. Later..........Mike

[LHSpolevault]

Be sure you arent blocking out with your bottom arm, and swing from your hips not your shoulders. Those are the 2 most common problems i see when someone can invert on a pop-up and not in a vault.

Instead of creating another thread, I'll add to this reply... Just recently I've begun to have a pretty solid takeoff where I don't "fall" into the pole leaving my bottom arm collapsed. However, through my swing, I fail to collapse it, because it's something I've never had to worry about when my arm was already broken in.

What drills are there for stopping the blocking of the bottom arm? Thanks!

[altius]

"some low height technically correct videos would sure help me"

Souleman - take a look at all the young athletes shown on the BTB DVD - especially Lauren Eley clearing 3.85m - a low height??? As you know she is shown on page 50 of the BTB book executing almost all of the elements you need to 'invert' effectively - and I have to say is doing so gripping below 12'. She was an 'amateur', training for less than two years - 80/100 sessions total.

However as we all know, it is about the take off and whip swing - so if you take off under - as 90% of vaulters do - then you will find it difficult to invert.

To revive an old chestnut - the 'rock back 'drill is often/usually counter productive to producing a good inversion in the vault because it teaches the vaulter to skid through the take off and tuck off the ground -both no nos if you want to invert on the real pole.

Finally - inversion has little to do with the ability to do sit ups /half levers etc. it is about technique and timing in the first two phases of the vault.