Posted by ESSX on June 16, 2002 at 19:55:29:
We have experienced that women are jumping on poles 5 to 10 lbs over their weight if utilizing the proper length pole for their height vaulting. We feel that the success of any vaulter male or female is based on the use of a stronger pole to lift the hips above the handgrip /rather than just holding high riding the pole up and jumping off at a height lower than you hold! Moving to too long of a pole means you have to use a softer pole to enable bending.
POLE VAULTING: To lift the body over a bar placed over the handgrip!
A female’s center of mass is in the hips and a male’s center of mass is in the stomach. This longer center of mass allows women with a proper vault swing to penetrate more on the poles than boys. We have found many women are holding too high on poles that are too long for the ability and height they are jumping.
The above results of too high of a grip and too long of a pole are as follows:
1. It is difficult to bend a pole at your weight rating.
2. It is difficult to vault over your handgrip.
If you want to make it in the landing area and vault over your handgrip: The vault pendulum and the pole pendulum must time, (timing). The pole pendulum (pole swing) timed with the vault pendulum (the vaulter swing) coming together provides the most efficient energy at the pull and push stages of the vault.
Holding too high on too long of a pole results no penetration.
Holding lower on a shorter pole allows the vaulter to bend properly a stronger pole and one that is timed with the height and ability of the vaulter.
If you are using a pole that is more than 12” over the height that you are vaulting you are using too long of a pole.
The rule on the rating of the pole is not the problem and since the beginning of fiberglass vaulting all manufactures warn not to use a pole rated under your weight.
If you use and understand this information, you can learn to Pole Vault more efficiently!
Bruce Caldwell
President and CEO
ESSXsport Corp.