By Bill Falk
Bill.Falk@mfathletic.com

This is the eleventh in a series of articles covering aspects of pole vaulting. I welcome your questions and suggestions for future topics. Please email me.

I wrote in a previous article that body position during the Pole Vault Approach Run should not change. Maintain upright body posture without leaning or driving forward. The Approach Run does not end until the take-off step contacts the runway. Too often pole vaulters are too eager to drive their bodies forward before their last step is completed. That makes it virtually impossible to convert speed gained from the horizontal Approach Run into a powerful upward Take-Off.
 
Most beginners to the pole vault do not maintain upright posture long enough. Instead, they drive their weight forward before the Approach Run is finished. They roll forward across their take-off foot. This stops them from driving upward. Their take-off step lands too close to the pole vault box causing the pole to bend early - while the vaulter is still on the runway. The pole vault pole bends very low allowing the hips to drive forward, but the chest is locked-out. That forces the vaulter onto his or her back too soon and eliminates any chance of creating a "swing-action" with the chest. Without a good Swing, the vaulter cannot be successful.
 
Convince your vaulters to maintain excellent posture during the entire Approach Run. That's not possible unless a short take-off step is executed. The take-off foot must be driven down quickly underneath the vaulter's knee. This will power the body upward, not forward. The pole will bend high and the speed of the Approach Run will be successfully converted into an upward drive. A great Swing will be created.
 
Unless a short last step is executed to finish the Approach Run, the vaulter will drive forward with a long last step. This spreads out the body, so less upward drive is produced. Vaulters who drive forward (not upward) always have problems finding the right pole to use. If they use a short, light pole, they overpower the pole, but if they use a longer, heavier model, they have great trouble making it into the pole vault pit.
 
It is always very difficult to talk about one or two phases of the "Continuous Chain" that make up a complete vault. I realize that I may have confused you with the intricacies of the above material, because I have isolated the Approach Run and Take-Off.
 
Just remember - maintain good upright posture throughout the Approach Run until the take-off step hits. Make the take-off step short, and drive up on top of the foot to set up the rest of the vault for success. That will take care of a lot of the problems young vaulters have at the Take-Off.

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