“State of the Vault in Americaâ€

[dj]

The “State of the Vault in Americaâ€

[craigmtb]

Sorry, I have not coached a 16' foot vaulter yet, maybe by the end of the season (if all goes as planned). However, I am very curious about your post. I have used your charts to compare to my high school vaulters. The mid is right on, for my current 15'6 vaulter, and as a matter of fact it is also on for my 14'+ vaulter. My question is why doesn't hieght of the vaulter play a role, either with their stride length, mid step or the take off mark? My two vaulters have considerable height differences 15'6 (5'7) and 14"+ (6'2). There take off point with the same grip is about 4-5" different.

[Robert schmitt]

when you are sprinting stride length becomes most dependant on how much force you are putting into the ground. I have a 6'7 guy with a 46.5 foot mid. and a 5'11 foot guy a few years ago with a 49' mid. both were at hand holds his chart predicts.

[dj]

good morning

hey

thanks guys for your post...

your exactly right robert.. stride length is created by the horizontal force the runner leaves “pushesâ€

[dj]

Private message question....

I grasp 95% of what you are discussing, and essentially we are assuming (if I understand correctly) that the last 6 steps (3 lefts) of a 6 left approach should be generally similar with respect to force needed to move the pole to vertical and that differences occur in the acceleration during the first 3 steps. So when considering a 14'6" vaulter that I am coaching, who is 5'3" tall the chart should work completely the same as for a 13'6" vaulter that I have that is 6'2" tall? I had another coach who was well versed in the use of mid marks help me out and when my shorter vaulters steps were on, his take off was great but since I've been working on his speed, which has greatly increased with more and more work, I am wondering if anything will change. For your information he is:
5'3" Tall
122 lbs.
13'3" Grip Height
14 156.2 Essx Pole

Thanks for all of your info on the site

_________________
What is nice about this sport is that I am responsible for most everything.
-Sergei Bubka

dj's response...........

hey

your thoughts are correct.. but it's not a MID, middle step persa' .........it is/was always a "coaches check mark".. it was originally called a 50 foot mark but it would vary from 40 to 55 feet based on the caliber of jumper so most vaulters started calling it a "MID"...

it applies at any run distance.. from 3 lefts on up..

yes i feel you should keep a vary simular stride length for the last 6 steps and increase the frequency... that cuts down the stride "ground time" and puts the body "posture" in better position to takeoff properly...just as a long jumper would do..

dj

ps.. you might copy and paste this Q and A on pvp.. all might benifit from it..

any more questions i'll do my best to answer....

_________________
RUN
PLANT
SWING

[dj]

good morning

had another positive experience with the 6 step "MID" yesterday.

the jumper was a little close on his 4 step mid and really jammed at the plant.. 1 foot!!!

he was hitting 47'+ on my chart.. but gripping 14-6!!! his coach moved him out a foot and a half!!! he hit 48+ and started to jump better.. finally hit 49 on his last jumps and started blowing through..

remember he was only in 3/4 inches at his 4 step!! but when he moved out a foot and a half, closer to my "MID".. he started matching up to physics and jumping great..

by the way he did pr... not because of my "MID" but because his coach is doing things right..

he will jump higher this year... maybe by a foot..........

later

dj

[ADTF Academy]

Did the athletes 4 step mark change when he moved back 2 feet to hit the new 6 step mark that corresponded with the correct TO step?

Did the athletes stride pattern change when he moved back 2 feet?

Does the coach actually watch the way the athlete runs?

Does the athlete actually practice his run off the runway with no box checking the marks?

If the overall approach was jammed 2 feet, as it seems, the athlete would of had to chop his stride quite a bit from 6 to go to 4 to go to hit the TO mark. You would assume this would be noticed by someone watching him run down the runway.

[bjvando]

Did the athletes 4 step mark change when he moved back 2 feet to hit the new 6 step mark that corresponded with the correct TO step?

Did the athletes stride pattern change when he moved back 2 feet?

Does the coach actually watch the way the athlete runs?

Does the athlete actually practice his run off the runway with no box checking the marks?

If the overall approach was jammed 2 feet, as it seems, the athlete would of had to chop his stride quite a bit from 6 to go to 4 to go to hit the TO mark. You would assume this would be noticed by someone watching him run down the runway.

Hello, I believe DJ is referring to one of my athletes in his post above. I can answer some of your questions.

The athlete we are talking about was on a 15 190 spirit. gripping 14 ft. 6 or 7 in. He was jumping at a 4.90 bar and he did make it. He weighs about 170ish.. His jump is pretty descent in the air. (in my opinion- DJ can put his 2 cents on his jump if he wishes)

My 'credentials' I have jumped 5.15 (16-11) and have coached 3 4.90+athletes and 2 women over 12 06.

1- When he moved back, his 4step mid did move back.. i believe it was about a foot or so

2. The athletes stride pattern didn't change much at all (he was moving faster bc he was at a PR bar and he was pumped ( he normally has quick somewhat choppy steps at the end of his run- we're working on it)

3. I watch how my athletes run very much. I look for pole drop, timing, how relaxed they are.. height of hips (tall vs. squatty..etc..) rhythm...

4. We do practice OFF the track quite a bit. Painted marks on the track for mids and takeoff..

5. He did chop just a bit. He is learning how to run like I stated above. His run became faster throughout the day. He did sit around a while and did not properly warm back up in enough time, so the more jumps he took the better he ran.

I have been using a 4 step mid for a couple years. I used DJ's "list" years and years ago while working with Bubba Sparks at UC Irvine (I was a 12' vaulter) I didn't think much of it then because it was just a bunch of numbers that I did not understand) but I did see the 6 step mid working with that 1 athlete....

Now, that is ONLY 1 athlete.. I plan on playing with the ideas.. Ofcourse, DJ did give me a copy of his list to play with

If you have anymore questions on this athlete we are speaking of, let me know.

Great seeing you DJ!! [/b]

[dj]

hey

let me throw out a "foot note"

a coach has to be aware of, and know, how to coach the vault for any "coaches check.. or "physics check" to have any value whatsoever..

it may seem that a outstanding coach like pertrov doesn't use any "checks" or "Q's" after the starting position.. but we all know that he does.. great coaches are intuitive and learn from experience and from great athletes… he has said certain things take place along the way to the plant. he knows what he is looking for at each point.. he doesn't necessarily have to have a mark beside the runway to know or confirm what he is looking for.. most coaches know when the athlete is chopping or stretching..

bj didn’t need my mark to know what was happening… I knew and bj knew his jumper was off. by checking the “MIDâ€