Are you a pole vaulting fanatic? Well you came to the right place! In here we talk about all things pole vault - we also will answer any question you have on the sport and there are no stupid questions here! Also if you have any questions about a certain product or don't know the pros and the cons to the product we will do a review on it. This is a safe and non-judging place for beginners and masters to come and enjoy.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Friday, August 29, 2014
Beach Vaulting
Jersey Jumps Beach Vault
By:Samantha Kaplan
Because I am writing for the women's pole vault department, I am going to talk about day 2 of the meet, specifically the three women's high school divisions and the weather catastrophe that could have ruined the meet if the competitors weren't dedicated vaulters with high spirits and determination.
The three women's high school divisions were supposed to be novice A, novice B, and championship, with the novice groups competing on separate pits in the morning and the championship in the evening, with college divisions competing the following day. When the novice groups arrived at 8 am to warm up for a 10 am start, it was pouring rain with a 20 mph head wind. Vaulters took shelter in restaurants on the boardwalk. People walking by could barely stand because of the wind, but the troubling forecast did not make anyone lose hope.
A few hours later it was clear the wind would be a head wind all day, so Mike Pascuzzo, meet director, made the decision to turn the pits around. All three boxes, pits, and standards were moved from the left to the right side of the beach. With the help of many coaches and vaulters, what could have been a huge task that could have taken hours was accomplished in about an hour. Warm up finally began around 3:00 and competition around 4:00, but all three women's high school divisions had to share one runway, giving it 60+ vaulters, and the meet only reached 10 feet for us girls before it was too dark. The vaulters were encouraged to stay in a hotel or come back the next day to continue competing, but sadly many could not.
The 2014 Jersey Jumps shows how even after 6 years of everything going right, it can always go wrong. Even after 6 years of a tail wind in one direction, it can turn into a head wind the next. Pole vaulters are some of the most dedicated athletes out there. With the expenses of poles and practice, traveling with giant, inconvenient sticks, and being the highest people at the track meet, the Jersey Jumps dilemma, that may have cancelled any other beach sporting event, adds to the list as to why vaulters are the most dedicated, brave, and just plain awesome people out there. Keep jumping, vaulters, rain or shine!
Eat, Sleep, PV, Repeat,
Samantha Kaplan
Check out these links:
Vertical Adventures Website (they run beach vault): http://www.verticaladventures.org/index.cfm?bhcp=1
Mike Pascuzzo contact info (runs all Vertical Adventures camps including On the Road Track and Field World Tour...which was awesome):http://www.verticaladventures.org/contact.cfm
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Pole Vault Spikes Guide
A Beginners Guide to PV
Spikes
By Devin Miller
Edited by Peter Chapman
This "article" is for beginning pole vaulters or really anyone who is curious as to why you have to specifically go out and buy pole vault spikes. Not sprint spikes or mid distance spikes, but pole vault spikes.
What is
arguably the most important aspect to pole vault spikes is the heel to toe
cushioning. This thick outer sole you find on pole vault spikes is there
because we, as pole vaulters, have to jump in order to propel ourselves over
ridiculous heights.
The sole
cushions our feet and aids in preventing injury to our legs and feet from
repetitive jumping.
Another aspect to many pole vaulting
spikes is a strap in order to lock down your mid-foot. The reason for this is
because you want every movement to be precise when running down the runway and
you want to be locked down into the shoe in order to get the best use out of
the spikes in your shoe.
Spike Placement:
Almost every
single pole vault shoe has a certain spike orientation in the forefoot. This
placement allows for us to generate the greatest speed when running down the
runway. Avoid high jump spikes that have spikes in the heel. These encourage
running more on your heels and slows you down drastically affecting your vault.
Buying Spikes:
When
it comes to purchasing pole vault spikes there is a lot of advertising and
marketing in your face. The best advice I can give is to find what feels right
for you. If the Nike PV line of shoes doesn't feel right on your feet then don’t
buy them just because you see most people wearing them at meets. Go to a
running store and try on as many options as you can and
choose what feels the best for you. Thank you and good luck! Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Why ESSX poles are the poles for you!
Why ESSX poles are the poles for you!
Written by Dara Binder
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| http://www.essxpv.com/ |
UST-ESSX is selling poles
and a NEW product! UST ESSX poles use engineered pattern clocking that calculates
the exact alignment of the soft side with the pole pre-bend curve. This reduces
twisting and lowers take-off stress making our poles easier to load. The UST
ESSX pole design keeps the pole from bending low which improves roll over
capabilities when compared to other brands.
Need a new pole case? ESSX pole cases can adjust with three sections to fit all length poles up to and including 17.6” poles. Built to be water resistant and can carry 4-5 poles with their tubes. If you would like to order a new pole case, Ask Jamie for the ESSX model add your name or school to the bag, contact Jamie for costs and details.
Wait there is more! In addition to
these pole, check out this product that is a new feature to the pole. It is
called the ESSX Flame Pole Tip. This new ESSX tip is made of a unique engineer
polymer for the World’s Premier Material Formulator, to their specifications
and formed in house with a special material that has exceptional high shear and
tensile strengths, this tip has unmatched resilience and balances impact
without busing with no absorption or deforming. The ESSX tip has a simple
design. The tip is not your everyday tip it’s shape creates a greater angle in
the box to allow you to handle 2.2 to 4.4 lbs. stiffer poles. This could also
allow, if all other things are equal, a higher jump. Also check out the new UST ESSX Recoil pole easier to bend and faster to return
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Top 10 Drills
Top 10 Drills
Written by Jacob Flores
Edited by Scott Powers
1. 3-step swing up - going from a short run,
normally around a three step, gripping fairly low, or higher if you can,
running, getting a nice big plant, and swinging up to be parallel with the
pole, making sure your bottom elbow collapses in past the pole.
2.
Cone runs - set up cones on the track or runway,
setting each cone 5, 5 and half, 6 feet apart from each other, or how ever long
you stride length is. This is good
practice to get the knees up, and help lengthen out your stride. make sure to measure them out, and
start small, and gradually increase the distance in between each cone. Can be done with or without a pole.
3.
Bubka swing up drills - on a high bar,
preferably one you can hang from where your feet don’t touch the ground, get a
good swing going, and have a drive knee if you want to practice good form, then
swing your trail leg through to get completely inverted, like in a vault.
4.
Handstands - Though handstands are difficult for
some people, they are very beneficial to pole vault training. While practicing handstands, you are
developing a sense of balance, proprioception, and all of the muscles in your
traps, back, shoulders, and abs.
5.
Extensions - done a high bar or gymnastic rings,
these help with core strength. You
start in the ending position of a bubka, being fully inverted, holding yourself
up. Then you want to slowly lower
the bottom half of your body until your legs make about a 90 degree angle with
the rest of your body, then shoot back up to be fully inverted. This takes a lot of practice, and if
you are starting out, assistance is more than ok.
6.
Straight pole drills - going from a short run,
anywhere from 3 to 5 lefts (or rights) and holding a little lower than normal
on a big, stiff pole is a very useful drill. When using a pole that you cannot bend to vault with, the
height of the jump solely relies on you and your form. Great to fix mistakes in technique.
7.
Pole throws - These are done standing in the
field, or a grassy area. Hold the
pole upright, like you are about to start your run. Start to drop your pole, pull your bottom arm away, and
shoot your top hand straight up above your head, launching the pole forward and
up. If done well, your pole will
fully rotate in the air, with the buttplug facing back towards you. If you need help, ask a coach, or
search videos on youtube.
8.
Inversions on full jumps - Many people do this
in warm ups for meets, as well as practice. Going from a full run, or even shorter, you’ll go through
the vault like normal, with you run, plant, and swing up, but when you swing
up, just try to get inverted as possible, and hold the position all the way
down to the pit. Practicing your
inversion will help your vault tremendously.
9.
Slide box take-off drills - Using a slide box,
mark up your runway with tape or chalk to simulate a runway leading up to the
slide box. You can go from any
step you wish, however a full run would probably be best. Slide box drills are great for
improving your take off and building confidence, because you can put up a huge
plant, and you will move the slide box.
10.
Just plain vaulting at practice - Actively vaulting and practicing is one
of the best ways to improve. Make
sure you always vault with a coach, or someone who is well trained and knows
what they are doing to ensure maximum safety.
Written by Jacob Flores
Friday, July 18, 2014
Hollis hits 19
Hollis hits 19
Written by Connor Guidry
A huge triumph for American pole vaulting was achieved recently at a meet in Europe. Mark Hollis, 2010 National Champ, reached his goal of 5.80 meters at a meet in Liege Belgium. For those who dont know much about Mark he has been striving for that 19 foot bar for a long time and to witness him achieve it is amazing for all American vaulters. Mark's jump was a great starting point for Americans because the United States has not held a mens world record since 1976 and has had only one world champion in the past thirty years. The women have also been stumped by the jumping of Yelena Isinbayeva in the world record category. Hollis's jump was a good preview of what the next American vaulters can do. The future also looks bright with some of the collegiate athletes such as Sam Kendricks, and Jake Blankenship, however Renaud's record still stands. America is in need of another 6 meter vaulter and Hollis showed us that we are closer than it seems.
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| Mark Hollis |
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