Stuck in a Rut, Need Some Help

[lilAJ]

Height: 5' 4"
Weight: 140
Length/Weight Rating of My Pole: 13-14ft? 145, often 110
How High I'm Gripping the Pole: About 6in from the top
Age: 16, female
How Long I've Been Vaulting: 3-4 months

I've been doing sprints and pole runs and I think I've been doing pretty well (I've cleared 6 ft) but I need some help moving forward. I have a good coach but pole vaulting isn't his expertise.
I'm doing a 5 step and I get in the air but I have a problem pushing myself up to gain some more height and turning once I clear the pole.
I really like to be at 8 ft or higher.
Anyone have any tips, drills, etc. that might help? Maybe links to other posts that have good answers?
I'd also like to be a little faster and stonger so if there's any good exercises or drills for that I'd like to know.

Thank you guys!

[powerplant42]

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=17831

Don't fret, the vault takes persistence.

The SWING is THE THING... no "pushing" for you at the moment, there should really be no need.

[Andy_C]

If you haven't been at it for very long your first priorities should always be the take-off followed by the plant and run. All the stuff in the air will come much easier if you get those three things on the ground right. As for drills there are plenty of take off drills you can find here at this website (just use the search function). For beginners, short run (2-6 step) stiff pole jumps with an appropriate grip (not too high / not too low) and an emphasis on a free take off is best in my opinion. Learn the free take off early or else it'll be much more difficult later on down the track.

Also the take off, run up and plant will be the cornerstone for all your vaults. It will set you up for some very good aerial work which you can focus more on later. If you're doing stiff pole drills, just keep focusing on moving the pole up and forward after take off. Do your ground work well and your confidence will skyrocket. You'll be more successful with your vaults and you're going to have much more fun as a result!

For the future just keep in mind that a lot of the problems that look like they happen in the air are actually the result of something that is not well executed on the run up, plant and especially the take off. You'll realize this more as you gain experience. For now just learn to move the pole forward and up! This is paramount to success and very important for safety as well. Also, everybody will encounter little ruts here and there, it's normal. Always maintain focus on a clear and concise goal (moving the pole well), that will help you pull out of ruts much faster. And also don't forget to enjoy yourself and have fun! You're doing something not many people will ever get the chance to partake in!

[powerplant42]

If you want to talk about ruts, look at Steve Hooker!!! A few years ago he was so "out of it" that he couldn't take off from a one step! And now he's got Gold and is probably going to get the WR within the next few years (if he stays healthy).

[bel142]

Ok first off, lets not forget that most vaulters on from about college and up train with macro scales. No one just becomes a 6 meter jumper overnight, ever notice how on non Olympic years only one or two guys are jumping high, then on that Olympic year everyone and their brother is a 19 footer?... so lets not belittle the journey...

Anyhoo... to talk about the original post... I agree with most of the above, learn the fundamentals first, try not to think about bars just yet, if you train hard enough and long enough you will reach your goals. If you get hung up on height then that is your going to be your limiting factor.

When I was in high school, the first time i cleared 14' 6" and won a meet, a father came up to me and said "hey nice jump, but you have to remember the sky is unlimited, there is always another bar." So that put a damper on my whole day, BUT months later i figured out the punch line, work on being the best vaulter you can, and eventually big bars will come.

[yankee814]

When I was in high school, the first time i cleared 14' 6" and won a meet, a father came up to me and said "hey nice jump, but you have to remember the sky is unlimited, there is always another bar." So that put a damper on my whole day, BUT months later i figured out the punch line, work on being the best vaulter you can, and eventually big bars will come.

When I first started vaulting last year, everytime I won a meet I would feel on top of the world. But then I realized that in pole vault there is no winner. The bar will always win. Now I just try to beat the bar until it gets so high they need to get new standards ...one day

[master]

When I first started vaulting last year, everytime I won a meet I would feel on top of the world. But then I realized that in pole vault there is no winner. The bar will always win. Now I just try to beat the bar until it gets so high they need to get new standards ...one day

Now that reminds me of something. Waaayyyy back in time when I was just a wee lad...... If anyone likes old pole vault stories, you may find this a fun one. Click on this link to get to the overview of my high school vaulting. Scroll down to the year 1964 and in that listing of meets select the link next to the listing 13' 4.5". It will load a pdf of an article in the local small town newspaper that tells the story.... or at least part of the story.

After you have had a bit of time to read the article I'll post the unpublished "rest of the story".

- master

[tsorenson]

That is a great lead-in, John! I've used a lot of excuses for why I didn't go higher on any given day, but it has never been, "because the standards couldn't be raised any higher..." Can't wait to hear the rest of this one! This could start a new thread, the top 10 reasons why you didn't clear the bar...I think you just earned the #1 spot

Hope your vaulting is going well; are you jumping in any of the upcoming indoor meets? Jesse and I are going to Springfield on the 17th, maybe Rick's on Saturday depending on weather. Hope to see you there.
Thanks for the inspiration
Tom

[KirkB]

... an article in the local small town newspaper that tells the story.... or at least part of the story.

After you have had a bit of time to read the article I'll post the unpublished "rest of the story".

John, I'm also very interested to hear the "full story". I can't say that I ever used the same "excuse", but we certainly had some school teachers scrambling for makeshift standards "extenders" as I progressed. I recall them setting the standards on top of boxes ...

... in pole vault there is no winner. The bar will always win. Now I just try to beat the bar ...

Yankee, I LOVE this quote!

Kirk

[master]

After you have had a bit of time to read the article I'll post the unpublished "rest of the story".

- master

I had the pleasure of meeting up with my high school coach Al Miller and his wife Betty in 2004 at the Oregon State HS Championships meet. It was the first time seeing him in the 40 years since my graduation. Al is who convinced me to try track, and specifically the vault.

Al and Betty Miller.jpg (113.1 KiB) Viewed 9236 times

Subsequently through various conversations with him he reminded me of how he made it so i could jump at a height more than the 13'0" the standards were designed for. He told me he taped a can on top of each of the standards , placed the bar on them, measured the height and told me that was what I was going to jump! That ultimately was my HS personal best.

Now that I see this written down, I think it may qualify for entry in the "You Might Be A Redneck Pole Vaulter If..." topic.

On a side note to all you "older" vaulters, in the photo did you notice the bent and straightened (many times), triangular cross-section, aluminum cross bar! Remember how those hurt when you landed on them or even hit them with your shins?

- master

EDIT: The standards were only a couple years old. Al told me he had requested standards that went higher, but the athletic director wanted to save a little money and didn't think anyone would be jumping higher than 13'.

[lilAJ]

Thank you guys, all your answers were really helpful!
I'll focus on the basics and work to get where I wanna be