PoleVaultPower.com

ive been having trouble all summer with this and my coaches and i have been working on it alot, but i cant seem to finish my jumps. I get feet to the top of the pole and sart to row through but i row off to the side, away from my body and never really get fully inverted. so what im asking is how can i fix this. my straight pole form is great and i get fully inverted and can almost clear a 11' bungee, but as soon as the pole starts to bend i just cant seem to invert.

heres a video showing what i mean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yCKqeZoHoQ

what are your #s for the jump in the video... i.e.
what is your run/pole/grip??? (run length/flex#&polelength/grip height) for the jump in the video...
I have a few thoughts; however, it would be helpful to have the aforementioned information...

It appears that you are "blowing through" your grip height - not necessarily over-bending the pole (you will from that run if you continue to increase your grip...)

you may need to improve your strength/power in your inversion i.e. work on bubkas/swinging bubkas on a high bar...

also, if you have the strength but are not finishing based on "feel" then that is a feeling you should trust in this example/circumstance...

my rationale is this...
IMHO - IF... you have the power/strength to finish this particular vault with an inversion, you will land much deeper and will compress the pole much more as a result...

I have a few thoughts on remedies/solutions; however, it will be helpful to have some feed back from you...

also... it appears that you are blocking with the shoulders at takeoff but this is arguably dependent on the style and technique in which you are being trained...

also,
what are your straight pole #s... run and grip... pole flex and size isn't necessarily a factor...

I am assuming that your straight pole workouts are from 3Ls..??

after looking at the video more closely...

you are swinging your feet to your hands only...
better to swing your shins/knees to the hands

Based on where you are landing in the pit, your swing dynamics, and the action of pole ...

IMHO you need to...

adjust to a lower grip/stiffer pole
and/or
shorter run (4Ls)/lower grip

the goal and purpose of which is to have a more purposeful swing which results in your hips/COM swinging to a more vertical position as compared to where they are in the video...

IMHO you are over gripping and/or you are on a pole which is too soft...

you may very well be able to vault from that grip height; however, that will be determined by your ability to swing your hips/COM to a position which is much higher and more vertical

lower grip/stiffer pole/swing to vertical...

thank you for your input,

Pole 13'7" 170 holding 13'1" i forget the flex but i think its somewhere around 15-17
Run from 65' 5L's
Vaulter-6'2" 158lb

straight pole
usually on a 14'170 holding 11'-12'
running from about 39'-40' from 3L's

also this video is a bit old, and ive moved up to a 13'7" 175 pole

Stop rowing!

There is no "row" anywhere in the vault. By rowing, you are forcing the pole to unbend prematurely and preventing yourself from being able to drop your shoulders. Keep yours arms up and swing to the back of the pit!

Call it what you want.... Bubka rows. At least in the video that's on your site. Maybe you just call it something else.

Bubka absolutely does not row.

After going elastic, allowing the left hand to move back over the head, Bubka presses directly upward with the left arm, toward vertical, into a hollow-body position. There is minimal forward motion. The upward force with the bottom arm maintains pressure on the pole to continue the "end to end" compression on ther pole, and it accelerates the swing. The resulting space created between the pole and the vaulter brings the top arm back into alignment with the body, which is why some people mistake the action for rowing.

Rowing the hands forward and down in an effort to accelerate inversion directs force down the length of the pole. This forces the ends of the pole apart. Also, downward pressure with the hands forces the shoulders up. These actions together totally kill the swing.

This is not an issue of me "calling it something else." Rowing is a term that has come to carry a very specific meaning to the PV community. It indicates a primarily forward and down motion, and it is based on a fundamentally flawed understanding of the vault.

I see Bubka rowing up and forward. Oops "minimally" forward.

I see Bubka rowing up and forward.

No, you do not see Bubka rowing forward. You see the hands moving with the pole as it is changing shape as Bubka realigns the hands toward vertical and presses up. It is "up pressure," not forward pressure. There is forward motion - not force - in the hands as the pole compresses and rotates.

Also, consider the relevence for this vaulter's thread. Bzugar is driving his hands down in an attempt to move the hips. He indicated in his original post that he believes he needs to row to complete his inversion

I get feet to the top of the pole and sart to row through but i row off to the side, away from my body and never really get fully inverted.

I explained that this effort to "row," or to drive the hands forward and down as is commonly taught by inexperienced coaches, is actually preventing him from being able to invert.

Oops "minimally" forward.

It's not polite to be sarcastic, especially when it comes from a place of ignorance and inexperience.

"It's not polite to be sarcastic, especially when it comes from a place of ignorance and inexperience."

Totally agree!

This is not an issue of me "calling it something else." Rowing is a term that has come to carry a very specific meaning to the PV community. It indicates a primarily forward and down motion, and it is based on a fundamentally flawed understanding of the vault.[/quote]

Totally agree!