Pay with Purchase Orders Inside Pole Vaulting #3 - The Language of the Pole Vault
By Bill Falk
Bill.Falk@mfathletic.com
This is the third article of a new series in which I'll cover all aspects of the pole vault event. I welcome your suggestions about topics you'd like to see included. Just email your ideas to me.
We use expressions every day in coaching the Pole Vault that we understand, but others may not know what in the world we are talking about. I use the following expressions all the time. Take a look at them. Maybe you can use them in your coaching. I'm interested in expressions you use. Email your expressions to me.
| POLE VAULT PHASE | MEANING |
| Grip & Carry Palm up, palm down Shoulder width apart Up and to left | Lower hand palm down, top palm up Space between hands on pole Pole tip is up and to left (if right-handed) |
| Approach Run Gently up and down Run upright Lower tip of pole Tight stride | Action of pole Good posture Pole movement approaching vault box Foot strikes runway underneath knee |
| Take-Off Point Straight Line | Drawn from top hand to down foot's toe |
| Plant The bridge Lift left hand Gather Eyes up Go up the stairs In front & close to right ear Push Put the pole on its back | Changes horizontal run to vert take-off Lifts pole tip on next-to-last left step Lower body on last right step Focus eyes on lower hand throught vault Move upwards after gathering Action of right hand during Plant Both arms should push Continue pushing top of pole forward |
| Take-Off Full extension | Position of body when leaving runway |
| Drive-Swing Follow inward-bending pole Stay in the "pocket" Keep swing going | Stay upright with chest-up Behind bottom hand, in front of top hand Remain upright, chest leading |
| Swing-Up Keep chest up Stay in front of top arm | Bring knees in before going on your back No "rock-back", don't turn upper body early |
| Pull-Turn Go up the pole Make a unit turn Stay close to pole | Continue legs and hips going up pole Upper and lower body turn at same time Make tight turn around pole |
Pole Vault Training Zone Main PageBrowse Pole Vault Books and Videos
