WORST Vault Article I think I have EVER SEEN

[BethelPV]

Here is my shot at the homework altius...

The number one reason why that jumping the way the article describes is because if you jump that way, you are never actually jumping. In actuality you are getting ripped off the ground by the pole, and are at the mercy of the pole at that point. Sure you can do some things to help aid the process a little bit, but for the average vaulter you are screwed.

Pole vaulting is a sport designed around the approach, free takeoff, and jumping motion. Your momentum should never stop moving in some sort of upward motion until you have cleared the bar and fall back to the mats. If you allow the pole to bend more than 90 degrees, there has to be some point in time where your upward momentum ceases to exist and you sink on the pole, which is not a good position to be in. What my coach always tells me is that my hips should be in constant upward motion, that they should never stop moving.

I think of it this way... If you do not continually have some sort of upward momentum, your vault will stop or pause, and you will sink, and then the pole unbends in whatever way is easiest for it to unbend. This is why taking off with the pole straight and driving your chest up and in is so essential. It allows you to carry your upward momentum and continue rising towards your goal, which is clearing the crossbar.

Anothing big thing, is if you pull with your top hand, your bottom hand becomes a fulcrum in which the pole bends around. This can apply so much pressure to the pole that it could break. That is how I broke my first pole before I was told not to pull with my arms at takeoff. Poles are made very durable and are able to withstand all kinds of pressure, but why test for the pressure at which they fail? Also, if you pull with your top arm, it is a breaking motion in your momentum, which will cause all kinds of flaws in your chest driving, swing momentum, and will completely cause your vault to fall apart.

What I think is the best scenario in vaulting is taking off about 3-5 inches outside, which allows for a pre jump to get your momentum going. Then driving your chest in through the plant which loads your core muscles and body in order to ready it for your stretch reflex which is your swing impulse. At this point it is about staying long and powerful, swinging from your upper abs and not breaking your momentum with unnecessary movements. If you do this, you should swing to nearly verticle and meet the pole, and then just hold on, tighten the core muscles and make every effort to remain close to the pole, and ride it out. It takes a lot of work, and I do not by any means do all these things, although it is what I strive to do. So with that article in mind, it is very dangerous to attempt to vault that way, because there are many hinderances that cannot allow you to vault correctly. Not takeoff, no jumping action, sitting on the bend, holding too high, etc. All these things lead to mistakes and bad jumps, and mistakes and bad jumps lead to danger in the sport...

Just what I think...

Zachmo

[banda_b_c]

...unless you are Kyle Ellis who can compress a pole more than anyone on earth (its true) and still have it unbend when the cord is vertical without "mushing" it. Although I think he is a half-God, kinda like Achilles.

Where do we sign up for the KYELLIS fan club?

[robillard]

im not sure if this relates but i just remembered something i used to do. wen i went back to my 7 step about a year ago my marks were off for a couple monthes and nobody realized that i was taking off way under the pole. i would either have a really good jump or get rejected but it was always a slow ride up cause the pole woudl bend so much wen i planted it.
anyways wat im gettin at is that the pole would wind up very bent, possibly past 90 degrees im not sure, and im sure i ran through the plant a couple times and wen this happens a lot of the energy transfers into the shoulder. the way i realized i was doing this was actually cause my shoulder started hurting a lot so i asked my friend to watch my jump closer and i was about 1 ft under. other than that my jump was fine, i would get up and over 11-12 ft np in practice all the time get inverted and go up and not land in the back of the pit the only indication of me being under other than my steps was that my shoudler started killing me.
I'm not sure if you do wat the article describes is close enough to the same scenario or not but i guess one reason not to jump like that is that it will screw up your shoulder.

[EIUvltr]

Where do we sign up for the KYELLIS fan club?

You'll have to email Altius about that Brandon, he founded it.

[altius]

BethelPV states "if you jump that way, you are never actually jumping. In actuality you are getting ripped off the ground by the pole, and are at the mercy of the pole at that point!!!!!!!!! Absolutely Correct . ---------

Your momentum should never stop moving in some sort of upward motion until you have cleared the bar and fall back to the mats. Correct ---------

I think of it this way... If you do not continually have some sort of upward momentum, your vault will stop or pause, ------ This is why taking off with the pole straight and driving your chest up and in is so essential. It allows you to carry your upward momentum and continue rising towards your goal, which is clearing the crossbar. Correct -------

What I think is the best scenario in vaulting is taking off about 3-5 inches outside, which allows for a pre jump to get your momentum going!!!!. Then driving your chest in through the plant which loads your core muscles and body in order to ready it for your stretch reflex which is your swing impulse. At this point it is about staying long and powerful, swinging from your upper abs???? and not breaking your momentum with unnecessary movements. If you do this, you should swing to nearly verticle (SP vertiCAL) and meet the pole, and then just hold on??, tighten the core muscles and make every effort to remain close to the pole, and ride it out. Mostly correct.----

It takes a lot of work". INDEED IT DOES - but the above ideas indicate that you have some idea of what you are TRYING to do! ---------

Definitely a good effort - but now go back and consider THE major problem caused by a take off like that recommended in the article under consideration. That will determine your final grade!

[BethelPV]

I think the main problem is the fact that taking off like this is caused one by a bad approach, and since you take off sooo far under and bend the pole soo much, it is not only unsafe, but you cannot complete a proper jump. You cannot work through the jump, the pole works you. Because the pole works you, it is impossible to jump with a technically sound vault, and because you cant jump technically sound, you cannot jump to the best of your ability. This take-off does not allow for proper transfer of energy, thus energy gets wasted... A lot of energy gets wasted!! Lastly, if you take off like this, you are essentially sinking under the pole, which stresses the pole which can cause 3 things; a break in the pole, a random unbending action, or a major loss of energy in the vault. All of these cause UNSAFE actions in the vault, which I think is the main problem!

Zachmo

[altius]

a random unbending action, !!! Zachmo

Yes and where is that likely to put you?

[rainbowgirl28]

a random unbending action, !!! Zachmo

Yes and where is that likely to put you?

Somewhere random!!

Does not sound like a good place to be when vaulting

[BethelPV]

Anywhere, on the pits, on the front buns, into the standard, back onto the track, thats what random means, you don't know where you are headed, thus that is why it is dangerous...

[altius]

"Anywhere, on the pits, on the front buns, into the standard, back onto the track, thats what random means, you don't know where you are headed, thus that is why it is dangerous..."

If this happens to a vaulter early in their career they probably quit, but I believe - not sure -that what happens is even more dangerous in a sense. The kind of kids who come into the vault, boys especially are 'athletic' risk takers who are prepared to follow the advice of their coaches. They can apply this method with some success in the early stages - or even through high school because they can control the pole as it reacts early. So even tho they may occasionaly drop on the front pads or even in the box things dont look too bad. These folk tend to shoot almost vertically up and down but still get some bars.

Paradoxically this is what makes the method dangerous because some lads can jump 'high- (regional/state champions) like this. Everyone sees their height above the bar ( which is usually set as shallow as they can get it) when they go clear, but few observers notice that they are landing close to the box on every jump. Even fewer notice that they tend to come down on the bar more and more often as it is raised.

Finally of course as the excessive bend gets even worse they are advised to go to a bigger pole! That is when it really gets dangerous.

I havent looked carefully at the biomechanics of this but the 'bicycle' article I wrote a year or so ago was an attempt to understand this problem. Thanks for the discussion -interesting.

[BethelPV]

Altius...

I hear you on that one. I had a few friends and competitors who vaulted that way when I was in high school, and still have a few who vault that way in college. I used to vault that way when I was a sophomore/freshman in high school until I got hooked up with a good coach and got sick of slamming my heel into the box!! After my sophomore year I started making sure I was on poles where my standards were at 65 or deeper, usually at 80. So I definately can relate to that, and wish I would have put that into my posts earlier...

[saraf]

Wow Zachmo you made my home work look like crap. I wouldn't think that you would do such a thing since i let you use my GREEN POLE at nationals in 04' But its ok ..