Welcome to Pole Vault Education.org

ANSWERED QUESTIONS!!! Continued...

Question: What is a good book, or books to pick up that teach pole vaulting?

Answer:
Thank you for your inquiry. An excellent source for all Track & Field books is Track & Field News (monthly magazine) Call 650-948-8188 to order, or you can order online at: www.trackandfieldnews.com

You might inquire about articles/books by Bob Fraley and/or Dave Nielson. Both are Chairmen of USATF development programs for men and women respectively. Back to Top.

Question: I have only been pole vaulting about 3 months and have a modest best of 2.6m (8'6"). What advice can you give me to make sure I am doing everything right? Also what training methods do you know of that can help people like me?

Answer: by Brian Yokoyama, Pole Vault Coach Mt Sac Community College
Tough question! As a new vaulter there are probably many things that you are doing right as well as aspects of your vault that you can correct.

I am assuming that you are not "bending" the pole yet. One of the best ways in which you can judge yourself using a "straight" pole is the amount of shock at take off. Shock is an indicator of energy loss at take off. You want that energy to be going upward and up into the pole, not into your body. The higher you can grip with the least amount of shock the better you are probably running, setting up and taking off. An athlete who runs better, plants with their hands extended tall, has a body extension at takeoff, and jumps up well will notice that there will be very little shock

The opposite is true for vaulters with poor technique. Don't be too concerned with the swing/rockback and going over the bar. These are factors that are controlled by how well the run and takeoff are executed. A good plant/takeoff with no shock allows the vaulter to swing/rock back very easily.

As far as training methods, try doing your drills (rockback drills, pop ups, pole runs) with a very narrow grip (hands touching). With your top hand at where you normally grip for your drills, slide the bottom hand up to the top hand. This action basically makes vaulting tougher, but what it does is not allow poor technique. In your pop ups you will notice that you must plant with proper technique (arms extended tall and in front, body extended, jumping upward) in order for success. The beauty of this drill is that you will not have success without proper technique. Shock is once again the gauge you will use to judge your technique. Pole runs with a narrow grip will improve your pole run and drop timing. You will know when you master this drill when the pole above your weight begins to bend (yes bend!). This drill demands excellence, but in return builds excellent, technically correct vaulters! Back to Top.

Question: I have heard of a few head injuries that have resulted in serious injury or loss of life. There was some talk of helmets for vaulters and I was interested to see if any track coaches or the national association were encouraging the use of helmets? Are there any helmets made specifically to use in pole vaulting?

Answer:
To our knowledge no helmet has been tested and approved for pole-vault activities.

For more information on the USATF standards, contact the USATF Main Office in Indianapolis, Indiana: (317) 261-0500. Back to Top.

Question: Can you offer any good drills to improve swinging up for athletes?

Answer:
This is a very good question. Some beginning vaulters struggle with swinging to the top of the pole. Moving the pole to vertical is a critical part of learning how to swing and create speed off the pole.

The first comment is to keep the standards deep to develop the concept of an active take off to create pole speed and penetration. Especially useful are stiff/straight pole drills from short 1,2,3,4 lift approach runs. These drills will develop early tall plant and an active take off. It is very important to connect the pole in the box, tall pole angle and and aggressive forward and upward take off.

Problems that can prevent a good swing are a grip too high, pulling with the arm that will slow pole speed and pushing with the bottom arm. The latter will force the shoulders to move back making it difficult to swing. You can be creative in drills with a straight pole to land on the vaulter's back and then with a turn to land on their stomach with other variations also. Repetition of simple drills done perfectly are always helpful. A poor swing is usually a function of timing however, abdominal and core strength is certainly influential. Back to Top.

Question: I am a Jamaican vaulter. I have a 15' 175 lb. pole... I weigh 155 lbs, but when I use a 155 lb. pole it stalls out, even from ten strides... the only other pole I have to use is the big pole (the one previously mentioned). Are there any things I can do to get used to this bigger pole?

Answer:
A "stall-out" usually means insufficient pole speed where the pole may not reach the vertical position. This is an important time to make an adjustment, since you have not created enough energy to move the pole vertical. I would advise you to immediately lower your grip 3" - 4" at first or possibly more. Secondly have your coach evaluate your take-off. You may be slowing down, planting late (low pole angle) or stepping under. One of these may be the cause of a poor take-off. If your approach plant and take-off are good, the grip is appropriate then you may need a softer pole not to be below your body weight. The fundamental objective of landing in the middle of the pit, should always be priority. Back to Top.

Answered Questions • Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 • Back


ANSWERED QUESTIONS!!! Continued... Question: What is a good book, or books to pick up that teach pole vaulting? Answer: Thank you for your inquiry. An excellent source for all Track & Field books is Track & Field News (monthly magazine) Call 650-948-8188 to order, or you can order online at: www.trackandfieldnews.com You might inquire about articles/books by Bob Fraley and/or Dave Nielson. Both are Chairmen of USATF development programs for men and women respectively. Back to Top. Question: What is a good book, or books to pick up that teach pole vaulting? Answer: Thank you for your inquiry. An excellent source for all Track & Field books is Track & Field News (monthly magazine) Call 650-948-8188 to order, or you can order online at: www.trackandfieldnews.com You might inquire about articles/books by Bob Fraley and/or Dave Nielson. Both are Chairmen of USATF development programs for men and women respectively. Back to Top. Question: I have only been pole vaulting about 3 months and have a modest best of 2.6m (8'6"). What advice can you give me to make sure I am doing everything right? Also what training methods do you know of that can help people like me? Answer: by Brian Yokoyama, Pole Vault Coach Mt Sac Community College Tough question! As a new vaulter there are probably many things that you are doing right as well as aspects of your vault that you can correct. I am assuming that you are not "bending" the pole yet. One of the best ways in which you can judge yourself using a "straight" pole is the amount of shock at take off. Shock is an indicator of energy loss at take off. You want that energy to be going upward and up into the pole, not into your body. The higher you can grip with the least amount of shock the better you are probably running, setting up and taking off. An athlete who runs better, plants with their hands extended tall, has a body extension at takeoff, and jumps up well will notice that there will be very little shock The opposite is true for vaulters with poor technique. Don't be too concerned with the swing/rockback and going over the bar. These are factors that are controlled by how well the run and takeoff are executed. A good plant/takeoff with no shock allows the vaulter to swing/rock back very easily. As far as training methods, try doing your drills (rockback drills, pop ups, pole runs) with a very narrow grip (hands touching). With your top hand at where you normally grip for your drills, slide the bottom hand up to the top hand. This action basically makes vaulting tougher, but what it does is not allow poor technique. In your pop ups you will notice that you must plant with proper technique (arms extended tall and in front, body extended, jumping upward) in order for success. The beauty of this drill is that you will not have success without proper technique. Shock is once again the gauge you will use to judge your technique. Pole runs with a narrow grip will improve your pole run and drop timing. You will know when you master this drill when the pole above your weight begins to bend (yes bend!). This drill demands excellence, but in return builds excellent, technically correct vaulters! Back to Top. Question: I have heard of a few head injuries that have resulted in serious injury or loss of life. There was some talk of helmets for vaulters and I was interested to see if any track coaches or the national association were encouraging the use of helmets? Are there any helmets made specifically to use in pole vaulting? Answer: To our knowledge no helmet has been tested and approved for pole-vault activities. For more information on the USATF standards, contact the USATF Main Office in Indianapolis, Indiana: (317) 261-0500. Back to Top. Question: Can you offer any good drills to improve swinging up for athletes? Answer: This is a very good question. Some beginning vaulters struggle with swinging to the top of the pole. Moving the pole to vertical is a critical part of learning how to swing and create speed off the pole. The first comment is to keep the standards deep to develop the concept of an active take off to create pole speed and penetration. Especially useful are stiff/straight pole drills from short 1,2,3,4 lift approach runs. These drills will develop early tall plant and an active take off. It is very important to connect the pole in the box, tall pole angle and and aggressive forward and upward take off. Problems that can prevent a good swing are a grip too high, pulling with the arm that will slow pole speed and pushing with the bottom arm. The latter will force the shoulders to move back making it difficult to swing. You can be creative in drills with a straight pole to land on the vaulter's back and then with a turn to land on their stomach with other variations also. Repetition of simple drills done perfectly are always helpful. A poor swing is usually a function of timing however, abdominal and core strength is certainly influential. Back to Top. Question: I am a Jamaican vaulter. I have a 15' 175 lb. pole... I weigh 155 lbs, but when I use a 155 lb. pole it stalls out, even from ten strides... the only other pole I have to use is the big pole (the one previously mentioned). Are there any things I can do to get used to this bigger pole? Answer: A "stall-out" usually means insufficient pole speed where the pole may not reach the vertical position. This is an important time to make an adjustment, since you have not created enough energy to move the pole vertical. I would advise you to immediately lower your grip 3" - 4" at first or possibly more. Secondly have your coach evaluate your take-off. You may be slowing down, planting late (low pole angle) or stepping under. One of these may be the cause of a poor take-off. If your approach plant and take-off are good, the grip is appropriate then you may need a softer pole not to be below your body weight. The fundamental objective of landing in the middle of the pit, should always be priority. Back to Top. Answered Questions • Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 • Back
FAQ's • Register • Email Coaches • Coaches Special • Tools • Home NOTE: Pole Vault Education.org LLC is a non-commercial, information-only Web site created for superintendents, principals, athletic directors, coaches, and athletes as a resource to promote improved safety and performance in the sport of pole vaulting. The materials presented on this site represent the best current knowledge about this sport, but should not be considered as a substitute for proper personal coaching by trained professionals. © 2002 Pole Vault Education.org LLC. (Photos: courtesy of the 2001 UCS Spirit/West Point/USATF Pole Vaulting Camp at West Point, NY)