PoleVaultPower.com

just how much should you use the recoil of your pole versus the strength of your own swing?

because lately when ive been going up, i feel like the pole is just flinging me haphazardly and i really have no control over where im going--if that makes any sense.

also, any tips to fix a plant thats too early?
anything other than pole runs, because at this point my wrist is hurting too bad to actually lift my pole so im still just dragging it.
but i managed still to get an 11'' pr and break the school record in that way last tuesday, so maybe ill just stick with dragging =][/i]

also, any tips to fix a plant thats too early?
anything other than pole runs, because at this point my wrist is hurting too bad to actually lift my pole so im still just dragging it.

I have the same problem most likely, some wrist pain below your thumb when you pick up the pole. The best thing to do is not death-grip the pole. By that i mean still have a firm grip, but play with it a little it find a way to run that wont hurt your wrist as much. But unless its broken, wrist pain is no excuse to drag the pole . Try stretching and ice everyday if its swollen. These things will come and go, you gotta fight through them.

just how much should you use the recoil of your pole versus the strength of your own swing?

because lately when ive been going up, i feel like the pole is just flinging me haphazardly and i really have no control over where im going--if that makes any sense.

You talk about using the energy of the recoil versus the strength of your own swing. Thats a problem in itself, because you never want two energy sources fighting each other, especially in the vault. You use ALL the energy of the pole as well as ALL the energy you generate yourself. Usually the energy you generate is put into the pole anyway with a powerful swing and pull on top.

If you feel like you are just being flung around haphazardly (nice SAT word, btw ) and you dont have control over where you go, you probably arent doing things right with your take off or hand position. If you arent jumping straight into the pit, if your hands are to one side or the other at any point before your inversion, or if you are gripping too high, you might get thrown in random directions. The best solution might be to short run gripping low. Make sure your plant is up and you are jumping straight into the pit, just like a long jumper! I hope thats kind of the answer you were looking for! Take it easy man.

thanks for the reply vault3rb0y, that helps a lot!

hmm about the dragging--the pains not by my thumb, its like right under my pinky down to my forearm... my doctor said to rest it but believe me im thinkin about going against his wishes pretty soon. cause i really cant get the speed i need with like the friction of the pole, and im super frusterated at this point.

maybe like tendinitis or something like that...

newPVer wrote:maybe like tendinitis or something like that...

I don't know if that's necessarily it, because alot of the throwers and vaulters in my area have been getting the same pain through the pinky down the forearm, causing us to need to wrap it up or completely immobilize it, which kind of sucks...

vballswimvault wrote:thanks for the reply vault3rb0y, that helps a lot!

hmm about the dragging--the pains not by my thumb, its like right under my pinky down to my forearm... my doctor said to rest it but believe me im thinkin about going against his wishes pretty soon. cause i really cant get the speed i need with like the friction of the pole, and im super frusterated at this point.

hmm.... well im no doctor i would never tell you to go against medical advice. All i know is, there is a vaulter in our club who broke his pinky catching a football, and the doctor put a splint on but said he could start jumping tomorrow, as long as hes careful. Point is, first of all a lot of doctors feel differently about the same situations. Second, that you dont need your pinky too much during the vault. If its your top hand, try experimenting with a relaxed grip that does agitate it. Then just make sure you arent death gripping at any point during the jump. If you ice and take ibuprofen every practice, you can jump for a while. Maybe until the end of the season. But the risk is up to you. I would experiment and see if theres a way to vault without it hurting. good luck to ya.

vault3rb0y wrote: If its your top hand, try experimenting with a relaxed grip that does agitate it. Then just make sure you arent death gripping at any point during the jump. If you ice and take ibuprofen every practice, you can jump for a while. Maybe until the end of the season. But the risk is up to you. I would experiment and see if theres a way to vault without it hurting. good luck to ya.

Problem with that:
our coach basically yeald at all of us on the team because some people were taking pain killers before practice... something along the lines of your kidneys failing...

vballswimvault and I are on the same team

I definitely dont suggest pain killers. Especially before a practice. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflamatory. It will get rid of inflamation, not nearly as well as ice, but will keep your forearm and pinky at least free from swelling for a practice. If you are not further agitating it during the practice, ie. no death grip, you should be fine. It will help the healing process. No other pain killers like vicodin or anything of that sort, perscription or not, a definite no before practice. No for fear of kidney failure, but because you can get hurt and not even know it, until it wears off and the damage is already done. Your kidneys wont fail from popping 1 or 2 ibuprofen during a vault session. Especially when you should only vault 2-3 times a week. I could see if you were taking 6 a day everyday, but thats not the case. Its still up to you, im just saying what works for me and what doctors have told me for the same problems .

psh! my bad then! i was thinking midol for some reason...

vballswimvault wrote:cause i really cant get the speed i need with like the friction of the pole, and im super frusterated at this point.

The friction shouldn't be that bad. What kind of pole tip are you using? I have found the Gill tips seems to slide the best, with UCS tips a close second. The soft rubber ones that Altius and ESSX use do have a lot more friction, so if your pole has one of those, see if you can swap it with a different type of tip.

When you slide the pole, are you holding on to the pole with both hands, or just the top hand with the bottom arm swinging freely (then grabbing the pole as you lift it)? The latter is significantly faster.

rainbowgirl28 wrote:

vballswimvault wrote:cause i really cant get the speed i need with like the friction of the pole, and im super frusterated at this point.

The friction shouldn't be that bad. What kind of pole tip are you using? I have found the Gill tips seems to slide the best, with UCS tips a close second. The soft rubber ones that Altius and ESSX use do have a lot more friction, so if your pole has one of those, see if you can swap it with a different type of tip.

When you slide the pole, are you holding on to the pole with both hands, or just the top hand with the bottom arm swinging freely (then grabbing the pole as you lift it)? The latter is significantly faster.

ohh id actually not thought of that, with the bottom arm swinging freely--thanks for the tip! ill try that tomm at the meet =]
and yeah, my pole tip is ucs, i think, so thats good then.