I’m going to spend a little time and “preach’ about the run.
Every day I’m stunned and flabbergasted with how high numerous jumpers can jump with a “short’ run, especially with American jumpers!
All a short run does is “short run = short vault.
The one thing I’m sure I know is the RUN and speed. Right now, today, I think I can RUN (at 62 yr) with most 14/15 foot vaulters. Why do I not jump 14 feet? I can run, I know the technique but have not spent the time teaching my body to vault with a fast run.
The run is the reason no one is challenging Bubka’s record. The run is the reason no one is challenging Isi and the women’s world record.
A short run becomes and “excuse”. Have you ever heard “we don’t need no @#$%# badgers!” we don’t need no short runs in world competitions.
A long run can actually be easier, faster and can put LESS stress on the body. A short run generally takes more “effort” (strain) especially over the last 3 steps, a short run many times creates a “stretched” last step, under takeoff and poor takeoff position, which adds up to strain on the body! Ergo injury.
A long run allows the vaulter to accelerate, “level” the speed, increase the frequency over the last 6 steps and still be traveling/running with much more speed (and posture) at the takeoff than can ever be gained with a short run.
It takes practice… correct practice… I am confident I can teach every vaulter how to “correctly” use a long run. On occasion I have had the opportunity to “introduce” the correct way to run to a few world class vaulters, but it takes more than one session. One session doesn’t even get the vaulter to the point of “feeling” what I’m trying to explain about the “physics” of speed. Plus almost every vaulter that has been heavily “overloaded” with the short run process will “mentally” resist (fear) going to a long run (14 strides or more).
The fear should not be there at all.
I had one young lady that simply practiced the run on the track for 3 months. Went from a very erratic 5 left run to a 7 left run and jumped a PR by a foot of 13-6.. on a borrowed pole no less, and then 2 months later borrowed another bigger pole, between jumps, and moved from a 6 lefts to 8 lefts.. she was at least a foot over the bar at 14-2 and still went too deep and bumped the bar with her wrist!
I think I could show any world class vaulter how to make the change in 3 weeks. But they have to have an “open” mind. The more they resist and the less time they spend on the track with the long run the more “confused’ they will become.
The beginning of the run from start to “MID” must be addressed in-depth at some point.
For those of you that have read Tim Mack’s book. The note about the run in Sacramento from “Tully’s Coach’ needs some clarification,
"B"
“I had talked to the coach of Mike Tully, the 1984 silver medalist in the pole vault, who has done a lot of work on stride pattern,”
“When you run the uphill part, you have to keep your posture. You also don’t cover as much ground because it’s uphill, so you move your marks up a little.”
This is slightly “true,” but that was not the entire “story” nor was it the most telling reason the run needed to be “shortened” for every vaulter, not just Tim.
First, all athletes that are in events that need an “approach” (long jump, pole vault, high jump, javelin even the hurdles) need “control.” Why do they need control?, mainly because of accuracy.
But what we really need is speed or speed and accuracy. To have both you have to understand the dynamic of acceleration. Also you have to understand that 90% of the world’s pole vaulters will come out of start of the approach and run “faster” 90% of the time when the bar is higher, when you are going for a record, when a championship is on the line and the adrenalin is up. Long jumpers do it all the time and seem to not understand and continue to foul there best jumps! Why? Because they have more speed but generally “stretch” slightly and foul.
You must “play” into that natural tendency to go faster.. because you do want speed, but with accuracy.
Learn how to be “real” fast 6 steps (3 lefts) from the box… what is great about this method of thinking and training is when you start getting faster at the “MID” the “MID” will move out and the grip will go up and……….. ; )
90% of the time when Tim (or Tully, or Bell or any other vaulter I have watched for 40 years, including Bubka) was “jacked up” he would accelerate faster (good), have shorter but faster steps and be one to 2 feet out at the “MID”. One to two feet!!! At the “MID”! I have only seen Bubka be able to make a jump with a mark “out” that much and he could only be successful if he was gripping high on his strongest pole.
A world class sprinter takes 8 steps (4 lefts) in 42 feet/12.80 meters, if you have a 14 step (7 left) approach with a 42 “MID” your total run would be 84 feet. A world class sprinter takes 12 steps (6 lefts) in 70 feet/21 meters. If you have a 18 step (9 left) approach with a 52 foot “MID” your total run would be 122 feet.
This is the type of acceleration, rhythm and speed you need from your start to your 6 step (3 left) “MID”.
Of course you are not a sprinter and you are carrying a pole but you need more speed at the “MID” if you are going to be faster at the takeoff and want to jump your best AND you need to train correctly to adjust to the natural way you will run when the Gold Medal is on the line.
Thank you for your time
dj
