Does "Reverse Bend" Stiffen a Pole?

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ClintonMagus
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Does "Reverse Bend" Stiffen a Pole?

Unread postby ClintonMagus » Tue May 15, 2012 3:20 pm

There are a lot of techniques for making a pole feel "bigger", such as gripping lower, etc. This is probably a silly question, but can you accomplish the same thing by reversing the bend of the pole, or is this just a bad idea?

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Re: Does "Reverse Bend" Stiffen a Pole?

Unread postby rainbowgirl28 » Tue May 15, 2012 3:53 pm

The pole will twist in your hands and could shoot the vaulter off to the side. I don't recommend it!

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Re: Does "Reverse Bend" Stiffen a Pole?

Unread postby ClintonMagus » Tue May 15, 2012 4:24 pm

That was my thought, but someone asked me that question yesterday, and I wasn't sure.

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Re: Does "Reverse Bend" Stiffen a Pole?

Unread postby botakatobi » Tue May 15, 2012 4:32 pm

This idea was tested in the early 1960's with some success. In fact, the first 16 foot indoor and outdoor clearance was done by John Uelses who intentionally wanted the pole to bend rearwards instead of forwards.

The pole wants to go forward and turning the soft side backwards would probably result in the pole twisting.

Best bet is to hold down or obtain a stiffer pole.

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Re: Does "Reverse Bend" Stiffen a Pole?

Unread postby maranble » Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:48 pm

Holding down on a pole, while it may make it FEEL stiffer, will only make it roll to vertical easier. One good option is to keep your current grip height but to narrow your grip. It will cause you to back off of your takeoff a little bit and initiate your swing sooner. Which will result in more vertical shoot instead of shooting outwards.
It is often overlooked that the goal of pole vault is to move the pole to vertical.


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