PoleVaultPower.com

Hello guys,

This is my first time here and i'm quite impressed with the huge and helpful community that is present . well heres my problem. Firstly, this is my third year in polevaulting, i'm 6 ft tall and i weigh bout 138 pounds, and i'm holding a 15'160 at the highest grip. This pole is kind of too 'soft' for me when i get inverted and start with my extension, it being unable 'support' my weight in a sense. I do not feel any recoil from the pole at all. However the only poles available to me now that i possibly can use are:
16' 160
14'6 170
i am kinda hesitant on moving on the 16' but from a chart in previous posts i saw that there isn't much difference btw 14'6 170 and 15'160.
i will post a video if possible on my technique asap. Is there anyway for me not to make my pole become 'soft' when i jump on it?
anyhelp anyone?

Thanks in advance,
Ben

Where are your standards and where are you landing when you vault with this pole? How high are you jumping?


There are two factors at play... the amount of bend the pole gets, and the speed at which the pole is moving toward the back of the pit.

Raising your grip on a pole makes it bend more and have less pole speed. Lowering your grip makes it bend less and have more pole speed.

So it sounds like you are bending it a lot... if you are also landing really deep in the pit and have the standards all the way back, you can either move to a shorter run, or go to a bigger pole. You didn't say your PR, but I am going to guess that you're not ready for 16' poles, so I think moving the run a left or two steps closer would be wise (IF you are landing deep).

If you do not have the standards all the way back, I would suggest dropping your grip (in fact, I would suggest the 14'6 170) and put your standards all the way back. The pole will be less squishy and you'll time up the swing better.

BenPV wrote: Is there anyway for me not to make my pole become 'soft' when i jump on it?

There's 2 ways to make the pole stiffer ...

1. Lower your grip.

2. Have less speed and momentum at takeoff.

There's 2 ways to have less speed and momentum at takeoff ...

2a. Shorten your run.

2b. Run slower.

Here's your poles ...

The grey one is the one you use now.

The yellow ones are the other ones that you have available.

I don't see much point in using the 14-6 170, since it's about the same weight as the 15-0 160. I'm sure that Becca's right about the difference you'll feel between them, but I suspect that this is minor, compared to the basic fact that you need a longer, stiffer pole. Or just go with plan 2a or 2b. (My preference is 2a.)

The blue one is the ideal pole for you. Since you're already gripping at the top of the 15-0 160, you should definitely use a longer pole.

This recommendation will be short-lived, since it likely won't take long for you to get onto the 16-0 160. Perhaps early next spring - at the latest.

I might modify my recommendation after I see your vid. Be sure to state the pole you're using, your grip, the setting of the standards, and the height of the bar. At 138 pounds, you should be getting a fairly good pushoff if you're not flagging out.

Kirk

rainbowgirl28 wrote:Where are your standards and where are you landing when you vault with this pole? How high are you jumping?


There are two factors at play... the amount of bend the pole gets, and the speed at which the pole is moving toward the back of the pit.

Raising your grip on a pole makes it bend more and have less pole speed. Lowering your grip makes it bend less and have more pole speed.

So it sounds like you are bending it a lot... if you are also landing really deep in the pit and have the standards all the way back, you can either move to a shorter run, or go to a bigger pole. You didn't say your PR, but I am going to guess that you're not ready for 16' poles, so I think moving the run a left or two steps closer would be wise (IF you are landing deep).

If you do not have the standards all the way back, I would suggest dropping your grip (in fact, I would suggest the 14'6 170) and put your standards all the way back. The pole will be less squishy and you'll time up the swing better.

Hi,
Thanks for the input. My PR is bout 4.30m. Heres the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmkN0ZCnOWE] i'm not really landing deep in, its just when i get to the top, there isn't really any recoil at all for me. My standard for this jump is 40 and i am running 12 steps with a 15'160 at top grip.

KirkB wrote:

BenPV wrote: Is there anyway for me not to make my pole become 'soft' when i jump on it?

There's 2 ways to make the pole stiffer ...

1. Lower your grip.

2. Have less speed and momentum at takeoff.

There's 2 ways to have less speed and momentum at takeoff ...

2a. Shorten your run.

2b. Run slower.

Here's your poles ...

Ben's poles.JPG

The grey one is the one you use now.

The yellow ones are the other ones that you have available.

I don't see much point in using the 14-6 170, since it's about the same weight as the 15-0 160. I'm sure that Becca's right about the difference you'll feel between them, but I suspect that this is minor, compared to the basic fact that you need a longer, stiffer pole. Or just go with plan 2a or 2b. (My preference is 2a.)

The blue one is the ideal pole for you. Since you're already gripping at the top of the 15-0 160, you should definitely use a longer pole.

This recommendation will be short-lived, since it likely won't take long for you to get onto the 16-0 160. Perhaps early next spring - at the latest.

I might modify my recommendation after I see your vid. Be sure to state the pole you're using, your grip, the setting of the standards, and the height of the bar. At 138 pounds, you should be getting a fairly good pushoff if you're not flagging out.

Kirk

Hi,
Thanks for the input. Above post contains the video the height is 15 ft. i am now using it 15'160 with 12 steps. I am able to do it at most with 8 steps. Will try it out. Currently i'm using the 14'6 170 but it feels very much the same.

First impression:
You have almost no penetration into the pit. Take your standards all the way back (and let them stay there ). Grip down 2-4" OR get a more active take-off (JUMP).
Avoid getting away from the pole too early.



This is what I mean. Your are pushing away from the pole, but the pole is not past vertical. You always ned to stay firmer on the top. You can't push an arrow made of a piece of string anywhere (energy leaks away into nothing).

This is indeed very good:


I might suggest a slightly narrower grip, but that's being picky

golfdane wrote:First impression:
You have almost no penetration into the pit. Take your standards all the way back (and let them stay there ). Grip down 2-4" OR get a more active take-off (JUMP).
Avoid getting away from the pole too early.



This is what I mean. Your are pushing away from the pole, but the pole is not past vertical. You always ned to stay firmer on the top. You can't push an arrow made of a piece of string anywhere (energy leaks away into nothing).

Hi,
Thanks for the advice! Hmm apparently this is one of the few jumps that i had less penetration on. My extension on top is very messy. I have a feeling its because i'm kinda afraid of not falling on the mat. Another thing that i see in my jump is that i feel there isn't much recoil from the pole when compared to other jumps i have seen. Is it just my rockback and extension that is causing this? so is the pole kind of like unable to support my weight on top? Just a few thoughts.

'stay firmer on the top' i'm not very clear on this. A little elaboration could help?

Thanks
Ben

golfdane wrote:This is indeed very good:


I might suggest a slightly narrower grip, but that's being picky

Hehe, thanks. But theres much to work on in the later parts.

I don't think it's picky at all... That grip width is HUGE. Try jumping up on a horizontal bar as if you were going to swing, and then see how far apart your hands are. That's how wide your grip should be.

BenPV wrote:Hmm apparently this is one of the few jumps that i had less penetration on. My extension on top is very messy. I have a feeling its because i'm kinda afraid of not falling on the mat. Another thing that i see in my jump is that i feel there isn't much recoil from the pole when compared to other jumps i have seen. Is it just my rockback and extension that is causing this? so is the pole kind of like unable to support my weight on top? Just a few thoughts.

'stay firmer on the top' i'm not very clear on this. A little elaboration could help?

Thanks
Ben

A "messy" top is energy leaking away. Which is going to fly straight and true: An arrow made from a cooked noodle or a carbon fiber arrow? This is what I mean by "firm".
You need to focus on penetration for a while, to remove fear of falling into the box. Standards should be all the way back when training. If you peak too far out, adjust your grip or pole selection, not your standards. Focus on penetration should remove your fear, and hopefully allow for a cleaner fly away. The pole you are on, should be able to give a decent recoil.

BTW, you don't look like 138 lbs (138 on a 6 feet frame is skinny). My son on this vid is 5'7" and weighs about 135-138, and he's definately lean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4unNiVtxDtM&feature=channel_page
Trying to fix his inversion and his swing (he's not swinging long since he feels that it's going soft on him).

A "messy" top is energy leaking away. Which is going to fly straight and true: An arrow made from a cooked noodle or a carbon fiber arrow? This is what I mean by "firm".
You need to focus on penetration for a while, to remove fear of falling into the box. Standards should be all the way back when training. If you peak too far out, adjust your grip or pole selection, not your standards. Focus on penetration should remove your fear, and hopefully allow for a cleaner fly away. The pole you are on, should be able to give a decent recoil.

BTW, you don't look like 138 lbs (138 on a 6 feet frame is skinny). My son on this vid is 5'7" and weighs about 135-138, and he's definately lean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4unNiVtxDtM&feature=channel_page
Trying to fix his inversion and his swing (he's not swinging long since he feels that it's going soft on him).

Hmm okay. i will work on it. Will post my results asap.

P.S i'm actually only 138 pounds haha. i just had it reweighed