How to run fast with the pole like Bubka.

[PVDaddy]

We all know Bubka was fast. There are other elite vaulters, such as Scott Huffman, that were faster, but Bubka was perhaps the fastest vaulter in history with a pole in his hands. I have been studying videos of his approach running down the runway and going into his 3-step plant to see if there was something special in his technique and have made the following observations. I began by searching through this forum and also on the internet and cannot find much of what I am about to describe.

I will begin by describing what I have learned, from Brian Clymer's (A sprints coach) excellent video demonstartion of Bubka's vault (There is a link to it on the bottom of this post). Bubka does all of this.

1) Clymer first emphasizes the importance of maintaining correct neutral posture of the hips, by maximally lengthening the spine, in order to keep the pelvis in direct line with the spine. Perfectly vertical hips.

2) He then describes how the emphasis of the stride must be to the front of and not behind the vaulters body.

3) We all know the legs must be lifted high (Ostrich steps). This begins and is established early by the very first step out of the back.

4) He then says the legs must be brought down with great force from the thigh. Punch the ground from above

5) He then says the feet must make contact with the runway directly below the vaulters body. There will be controversy on this subject as most believe they should be forward of the body when vaulting, however, I have studied Bubka's vault and he makes contact directly below his body.

6) He then stresses that you do not smash (squash) your feet on the runway, but POP your feet, off the runway.

7) Finally, he makes the point that when the foot makes contact with the runway, both thighs must be parallel with each other This is a Golden position of proper sprint technique.

8) A high pole carry with an Active pole drop(This greatly reduces the weight of the pole and as the pole drops, its forward momentum and inertia, causes the vaulter to accelerate and to become more erect, at the perfect time and posture, to counteract this forward weight. The pole effectively carries the vaulter down the runway throughout the run-up and into plant. See Butlers article. THE POLE CARRY AND ACTIVE POLE DROP :
http://www.nacactfca.org/Butler%20pole% ... n'%204.doc


My observations and thoughts

Premise: In correct sprint technique, the opposite hand swings forward with the opposite leg (right hand with left leg, left hand with right leg). We do this naturally when we walk or run. This is a beneficial system as it adds balance and force to the activity. The swinging arms add balance and forward thrust to the body. If the hands move fast, so do the feet, and the body is propelled forward in a balanced manner. The movement and weight of the arms greatly assist in the movement of the legs and body.

Problem: Besides the fact that the pole adds weight (This is greatly reduced by the high pole carry and active pole drop) and inertia, it must be carried by the hands and on one side of the body. The hands are tied up and have no ability to swing with the opposite leg. To make matters worse there is more weight on one side of the body, so the body is out of balance, with more inertia (The mass of the pole) on the pole side, during the run.

It is my observation and opinion that Bubka counters these problems by doing the following:

9)He keeps the pole centered (not tipped to the left) on his body which reduces the weight and inertia on one side. He also does not have to move the pole back to center at plant which would throw him off balance at this critical time.

10) He keeps the poles motion (forward and backward) to a minimum to limit the inertia of the pole on one side. A poles great inertia swinging widely back and forth on one side of your body will throw off the balance of your run.

11) He makes sure the pole contacts his hip to reduce its large forward inertia as it comes forward with the opposite leg. This also helps him establish the feel of cadence and rhythm of the run. The Forward contact of the pole to the hip serves as a swinging arm as the opposite side leg moves forward with it.

12) To further counteract the poles right side inertia Bubka swings the non- pole side elbow forward with the opposite leg. This also serves as a swinging arm and brings the systems non-pole side and pole side inertia now into equal balance.

13) He cannot use his arms, so instead he swingss the shoulder's forward through the sternum and shoulder joints. (opposite leg, opposite shoulder).

He continues this opposite side paradigm maintaining perfect balance of inertia and rhythm throughout the run-up, but must do the following things to continue it through the 3-step plant:

14) As hes comming on to his 3rd to last step the pole still comes forward with but not quite as much (He has just broken from the hip to begin the plant) still with the opposite leg.

15) As hes coming on to his Penultimate step the opposite hand moves froward toward the plant box to plant the pole

16) Finally, As hes coming on to the Plant foot the top hand Moves up and Forward at plant with the plant foot.

From the very first step to the last, Bubka is able to simulate the inertia of a swinging arm with the opposite striding leg, all in perfect balance, Rhythm and harmony!

Clymers excellent sprint technique can be found at the the beginning of the video (link below) You can compare my observations of Bubkas running with the pole technique at the very end of the Video.

Joseph M. Maxwell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e1q_59KHBM

[PVDaddy]

One thing I would like to add is that the hands, or the simulation of the hands (whether it be the pole contacting the hips, the shoulders or the non-pole side elbow) all move slightly BEFORE the opposite side stride leg. This is true during the run-up and through the planting motions.

[KirkB]

I agree with Clymer's 8 points - classic Tellez running technique. This is the technique that Shannon taught me too.

But after that, you lose me ...

... the pole contacts his hip to reduce its large forward inertia ...

Really? He's holding the pole against his hip? Is this by intent? And again, why is this necessary?

... he swingss the shoulder's forward through the sternum and shoulder joints ...

Really? His shoulders are "swinging" forwards? Does he ever swing them backwards? Is his sternum swinging too?

... the hands, or the simulation of the hands (whether it be the pole contacting the hips, the shoulders or the non-pole side elbow) all move ...

Really?

So the "pole contacting the hips" is simulating the hands?

And the "shoulders" are simulating the hands?

I agree that the "non-pole side elbow" moves on that side. At least we agree on something. But the shoulder too? And is this by intent, or a natural consequence of him running down the runway?

Funny that no one else noticed these extraordinary nuances. You must have better eyes than the rest of us.

Kirk Bryde

[KYLE ELLIS]

Actually kirk, I think this a very over looked technique over looked by many beginner, intermediate, and elite pole vaulters. Running with the pole and allowing your body to move with the pole is what I think Petrov refers to as the single vaulter/ pole system.
The movements are natural and maybe pvdaddy was off on some of his descriptions, but the over all idea I like. Once the vaulter has learned to be one with the pole, everything should come natural and the vaulter shouldn't be conscience of the shoulder movement, elbow movement, etc.
Spencer Chang refers to it as the amortization of the limbs, so I know two coaches who have taken note of this. I train my vaulters to allow these movements to happen, and I think they are very important.

I think bubka and renaud do this as well as any vaulter has, and they both run very fast and efficiently because of that.
Many vaulters don't have these movements because they were taught wrong things as a beginner. And I give pvdaddy credit for something not talked about much on here, that I feel is overlooked.

These movements can be restricted by skipping into the run, an incorrect pole carry, tense arms during the run up, etc.
Again, maybe all of his descriptions aren't exact, I think he is describing what he is seeing. We all know in Pv what you see isn't always conscious to the vaulter, most things are natural with a more important objective in mind.

[grandevaulter]

2) He then describes how the emphasis of the stride must be to the front of and not behind the vaulters body.

The trail leg position is as important to he stride cycle as the front/drive leg. This requires a better description to make sense.

3) We all know the legs must be lifted high (Ostrich steps). This begins and is established early by the very first step out of the back.

High knee is only a fraction of the BTB2 Ostrich step. It is a drill.

4) He then says the legs must be brought down with great force from the thigh. Punch the ground from above

A dorsi flexed foot will produce this action without conscious effort.

8) A high pole carry with an Active pole drop(This greatly reduces the weight of the pole and as the pole drops,

It does not reduce the weight. It balances the pole to make it feel less in weight.

its forward momentum and inertia, causes the vaulter to accelerate and to become more erect, at the perfect time and posture, to counteract this forward weight. The pole effectively carries the vaulter down the runway throughout the run-up and into plant.

The vaulter accelerates and the active pole drop aids the vaulter in keeping his / her balance, it creates a non passive phase that also allows the vaulter to keep their posture. The pole does not cause this the vaulter does.

The pole effectively carries the vaulter down the runway throughout the run-up and into plant.

It is not a magic carpet. It does not carry the vaulter. An efficient active pole drop allows the vaulter to naturally accelerate by not fighting gravity and freeing them from the tension created by running with a long pole.

5) He then says the feet must make contact with the runway directly below the vaulters body.

This is not correct. Keep watching.

This begins and is established early by the very first step out of the back.

First step out of the back starts with a claw pushing off like coming out of the blocks.

There is great material out there that is accurate. The BTB2 book and videos teach the drills and make "all" the pieces come together. It does more than explain the models and case studies. There is a wide variety of information. Thorough examination of the material in the book will give you a better understanding of how to develop your own ideas.

[altius]

[quote="KYLE ELLIS"]Actually kirk, I think this a very over looked technique over looked by many beginner, intermediate, and elite pole vaulters. Running with the pole and allowing your body to move with the pole is what I think Petrov refers to as the single vaulter/ pole system."

They may be overlooked in some places - but not in Adelaide. We believe in quickly introducing youngsters to the correct method of carrying the pole as they stand at the beginning of the run up - for this is the key to carrying it easily and under control down the runway. We do this after a few sessions of playing at the vault -ie jumping over a bar using a working model of technique - with every youngster who decides they want to become a pole vaulter.

"The movements are natural and maybe pvdaddy was off on some of his descriptions, but the over all idea I like. Once the vaulter has learned to be one with the pole, everything should come natural and the vaulter shouldn't be conscience of the shoulder movement, elbow movement, etc."

The movements are NOT natural -- simply because they depend on the pole being carried correctly in the first place and few athletes do this naturally! Take a look at any group of vaulters in a competition at almost any level and you will see that they are not carrying the pole correctly and many in fact are fighting it all the way down the run way. The only way it becomes NATURAL, ironically, is tons of practice -so that with very few exceptions our athletes did virtually all their running WITH A POLE - again that is the only way it will become NATURAL.

Spencer Chang refers to it as the amortization of the limbs, so I know two coaches who have taken note of this. I train my vaulters to allow these movements to happen, and I think they are very important.

Note that on Page213 of BTB2 I stated " Coaches should encourage athletes to think of using their arms as shock absorbers as they support the pole."


I sincerely hope that we are not inventing yet another variation on the wheel!

[altius]

There is great material out there that is accurate. The BTB2 book and videos teach the drills and make "all" the pieces come together. It does more than explain the models and case studies. There is a wide variety of information. Thorough examination of the material in the book will give you a better understanding of how to develop your own ideas.[/quote]

While I appreciate your kind thoughts I would now like you to cease and desist from expressing them here because they will only encourage folk to set out to question the value of BTB2 and to begin to deconstruct it. Get a copy of my new book "Play Practice" which deals with completely different issues in sport and find somewhere other than PVP to comment on that book - please!

[KYLE ELLIS]

Alan I think you always assume everyone on here has read your books, I have not. If you want to send me a copy I'll read it.

[PVDaddy]

Kirk, You said yourself on numerous occasions that you were slow running down the run way and that you felt it was the worst aspect of your vault. Did it occur to you that you could have employed a different approach to your running with the pole technique that could have made you faster? You then said that you were coached by Shannon who learned from Tellez. You have also posted that Clymer's first 8 points that I referenced and emphasized in this thread were classic Tellez technique. So you were taught many of these classic Tellez techniques from Shannon and yet you were still not very fast? This just further illustrates my point that there were elements missing in your running with the pole technique and many of them very well could have been some of the techniques I emphasized, that I see Bubka employing, that would have made you faster! I don't think you can attribute to the fact that you were not very fast with the pole purely on genetics? You were a descent Olympic athlete after all.

When I watch vaulters at (all levels) I see very little consistency (So many different styles and methods!) in the way they run with the pole. The best way (or even if you should?) to swing the pole, your shoulders, or your elbow during the run-up is very little understood, written about, or coached. I do know that when Bubka was first being trained by Petrov, that was the only thing he did, for years, before he even started vaulting. I read some were that it was estimated that Bubka had performed around 10,000 pole runs alone. Just pole runs!

The more I study Bubka (even more so after really studying his run with the pole), the more I am convinced, there must have been a panel of sports scientist working alongside Petrov to develop his technique to the smallest of detail, every jot and tittle! Its interesting that today many of us are celebrating a man, who's name I cannot mention, who fulfilled EVERYTHING written about him to the finest of detail, from his birth, to his death, to his life. The Book that describes his life is were this phrase comes from and its Author is evidently also concerned with the details. Coaches and vaulters are making a grave mistake by not doing the same, because, " Every jot and tittle adds up to much more than a little!"Just coined that rhyming phrase. My biggest point here is that there are a lot of "jots and tittles" that can make one faster during the approach run and plant.

The Broader point I raise about how Bubka is able to simulate the inertia of the swinging arms of a good sprinter WITH the opposite stride leg THROUGHOUT his entire run and plant (It never stops!) and how he achieves a balance of inertia on both sides of his body , I have never before heard or read anywhere. My thoughts and observations on this subject are completely my own.

I am convinced that it was more than just a natural occurrence and was planned in great detail by his coaches. If what he does is all just natural, it takes nothing away from my points, because, he still does it and he's the best at it! I suggest we emulate what he does.

Watch the video.

Is the pole not centered on his body?

Does the pole not swing very much?

Does the pole not make forward contact with his hip at the same time the opposite leg strides? Does that not help him establish rhythm? would this not slow down the forward motion of the pole?

Does the non-pole side elbow not flare forward with the opposite leg? Would that not add a balance of inertia to the system by counteracting the greater pole side inertia? Did I ever say he was holding the pole against his hips? Never!

Does he not swing the shoulders flare forward with the opposite stride leg? Perhaps the use of sternum was a poor choice? That's fine. You really can't see the shoulders move forward?

Does the pole not still come forward with the third to last (Left) step?

Does the left arm not extend forward to plant the pole on his penultimate (Right) step?

Does the plant (Right) hand not move in the forward direction with plant (left) foot?

Do not every single one of these forward movements create forward inertia with the opposite leg, similar to what the swinging arms would if you were sprinting without a pole?

No disrespect Kirk, but are you opening your eyes? Of equal importance are you opening your mind to anything I had to say

[KirkB]

Did it occur to you that you could have employed a different approach to your running with the pole technique that could have made you faster?

I actually did improve my running technique and my speed during college. I improved from a terrible runner in HS to a mediocre runner in college.

So you were taught many of these classic Tellez techniques from Shannon and yet you were still not very fast?

That's correct. I was still not world-class fast. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

I wasn't missing "elements" in my running - I just couldn't move my legs as fast as any of the other vaulters. ANY of them. Yes, I think it was a genetics thing, but also a lack of good HS training in good running technique. I shied away from running in HS, which compounded the problem. In fact, it even affected my basketball abilities as a defender, because my reactions (like defensive "leg stutters") were simply too slow.

Try as I might (and believe me, I tried as hard as I could - in basketball), I just couldn't run (or move) any faster on my feet. Ironically, I didn't have this "slowness" problem with my upper body or arms. I was a relatively good gymnast (at the HS level - even without any formal gymnastics training). Have you ever seen the poor running technique of a gymnast approaching a vault horse? That's how I ran. My legs just wouldn't move any faster (in HS).

I'm with Altius on this - I don't really see the point in you taking what BTB2 says (or Petrov or Tellez or Clymer or Pfaff) and adding your own spin to it. It's not going to be very productive for me to engage in a point-by-point debate with you over this. There's just no point.

For anyone that wishes to improve their runway technique, I highly recommend reading BTB2 (and Clymer's and Pfaff's articles/videos).

And for any vaulter that feels the same as I felt in HS about my running ability, I would highly recommend that you LEARN to run at an early age (preferably Jr. HS) - the sooner the better. Don't just vault (that was a big mistake of mine). Instead, devote a fraction of every week and every practice to a running program. Work on this weakness.

Put yourself at the mercy of your sprints coach, and do whatever he advises. Just DO IT. Even if you HATE running, know that you MUST learn to run properly (and quickly) to become a better vaulter. That's what I should have done.

Kirk Bryde

[PVDaddy]

Kirk. said

I'm with Altius on this - I don't really see the point in you taking what BTB2 says (or Petrov or Tellez or Clymer or Pfaff) and adding your own spin to it. It's not going to be very productive for me to engage in a point-by-point debate with you over this. There's just no point.

Altius was refering to Grandvaulter not me. I did not have the time or energy to exchange with him either because he was off on so many points most of which he should take up with Clymer and Butler.

Also I referenced Clymer clearly and let his points stand as they were. My Broader point and the other 8 points in my method under "My thoughts and observations"are entirely my own! This thread raises an excellent Broader point with a lot of other ones all of which everyone could greatly benefit a great deal by discussing.

But as far as your point by point comment. You should not criticize "point by point" on somebodies fully explained method if you are not willing to back your criticisms with any substance, especially after hearing there rebuttal ? It was you who began this debate with me on a number of subjects YOU criticized after all. If you can't, one must question your original motives?

[PVDaddy]

Again I ask these questions?

Is the pole not centered on his body?

Does the pole swing very much?

Does the pole not make forward contact with his hip at the same time the opposite leg strides? Does that not help him establish rhythm? would this not slow down the forward motion of the pole?

Does the non-pole side elbow not flare forward with the opposite leg? Would that not add a balance of inertia to the system by counteracting the greater pole side inertia? Did I ever say he was holding the pole against his hips? Never!

Does he not flare the shoulders forward with the opposite stride leg? Perhaps the use of sternum was a poor choice? That's fine. You really can't see the shoulders move forward?

Does the pole not still come forward with the third to last (Left) step?

Does the left arm not extend forward to plant the pole on his penultimate (Right) step?

Does the plant (Right) hand not move in the forward direction with plant (left) foot?

Do not every single one of these forward movements create forward inertia with the opposite leg, similar to what the swinging arms would if you were sprinting without a pole?

Is not the overall point I make here and the other 8 ALL not very excellent points that if trained for would add A GREAT DEAL OF BENEFIT to the athletes ability to run FAST with the pole, Plant and take off!