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One
of the most valuable sources of information is my buddy,
Dave Johnston. An early coach with Earl Bell at Arkansas
State, Dave was Mike Tulley's coach as he prepared for his
silver medal effort at the 1984 Olympic Games at Los Angeles;
the last time a an American won an Olympic Medal. Is it
a coincidence that the Bronze Medal in those Games went
to Earl Bell?
I
have had the benefit of this chart for nearly 15 years but
didn't take it that seriously until I noticed that most
guys ran the middle of the run too fast and therefore didn't
run the last six strides to the box. At the end of the 1998
season I decided to do a very crude experiment and follow
Dave's list to the letter beginning with the 8' vault for
everyone whether the vaulter had previously made 15', 16'
6", or 18'+. The results were immediate and amazing.
My
theory was that at some point the vaulter loses efficiency
either by running incorrectly, taking off under, or gripping
too high. We call it "Facing Our Demons", or addressing
the problems NOW, because you can't move to the next height
until you make the one before it.
It
is my hope to get DJ's explanation and interpretation for
the use of this fantastic tool here soon. Until then you
may ask him questions at DavidfJohnston@aol.com
|
The
Anatomy of the Pole Vault Run
by Dave Johnston |
| To
use the chart, look at the bar height you want to clear, and
check the list for the requirements. |
|
Bar Height |
Hand Grip |
Take- Off
Point |
6 Stride
Mark |
6 Stride
Time |
Stride
Length |
Penult.
Stride |
Take Off
Stride |
| 8'0" |
9'10" |
6'8" |
33' |
N/A |
4'5" |
4'8" |
4'2" |
| 8'6" |
10'2" |
7'0" |
34' |
N/A |
4'6" |
4'9" |
4'3" |
| 9'0" |
10'6" |
7'4" |
35' |
N/A |
4'7" |
4'10" |
4'4" |
| 9'6" |
10'10" |
7'8" |
36' |
N/A |
4'9" |
5'0" |
4'6" |
| 10'0" |
11'1" |
8'0" |
37' |
N/A |
4'10" |
5'1" |
4'7" |
| 10'6" |
11'5" |
8'4" |
38' |
N/A |
4'11" |
5'2" |
4'8" |
| 11' |
11'8" |
8'8" |
39' |
N/A |
5'1" |
5'4" |
4'10" |
| 11'6" |
12'0" |
9'0" |
40' |
N/A |
5'2" |
5'5" |
4'11" |
| 12' |
12'3" |
9'4" |
41' |
N/A |
5'3" |
5'6" |
5'0" |
| 12'6" |
12'7" |
9'8" |
42' |
N/A |
5'4" |
5'7" |
5'1" |
| 13'0" |
12'10" |
10'0" |
43' |
1.56 |
5'6" |
5'9" |
5'3" |
| 13'6" |
13'2" |
10'4" |
44' |
1.53 |
5'7" |
5'10" |
5'4" |
| 14'0" |
13'5" |
10'8" |
45' |
1.50 |
5'9" |
6'1" |
5'5" |
| 14'6" |
13'9" |
11'0" |
46' |
1.47 |
5'10" |
6'2" |
5'6" |
| 15'0" |
14'0" |
11'4" |
47' |
1.44 |
5'11" |
6'3" |
5'7" |
| 15'6" |
14'4" |
11'8" |
48' |
1.41 |
6'1" |
6'4" |
5'8" |
| 16'0" |
14'7" |
12'0" |
49' |
1.37 |
6'2" |
6'6" |
5'10" |
| 16'6" |
14'11" |
12'4" |
50' |
1.34 |
6'3" |
6'7" |
5'11" |
| 17'0" |
15'2" |
12'8" |
51' |
1.31 |
6'4" |
6'9" |
6'1" |
| 17'6" |
15'6" |
13'0" |
52' |
1.28 |
6'6" |
6'10" |
6'2" |
| 18'0" |
15'9" |
13'4" |
53' |
1.25 |
6'7" |
6'11" |
6'3" |
| 18'6" |
16'1" |
13'8" |
54' |
1.22 |
6'9" |
7'1" |
6'5" |
| 19'0" |
16'4" |
14'0" |
55' |
1.19 |
6'10" |
7'2" |
6'6" |
| 19'6" |
16'8" |
14'4" |
56' |
1.16 |
6'11" |
7'3" |
6'7" |
| 20'0" |
16'11" |
14'8" |
57' |
1.13 |
7'1" |
7'5" |
6'9" |
| 20'6" |
17'1" |
15'0" |
58' |
1.10 |
7'3" |
7'7" |
6'11" |
| 21'0" |
17'4" |
15'4" |
59' |
1.07 |
7'4" |
7'8" |
7'0" |
|
THE
SIX STRIDE MARK
The use of a six
stride mark (according to DJ) is the BEST method of determining
if your vaulter is "OUT" or UNDER." The coach should
watch this mark to see if the vaulter stretches or chops his strides
to take off. The most common error in the approach run is for the
vaulter to stretch and take off "UNDER". Normally if the
vaulter is"UNDER" you would have him adjust his step out.
In this case, if he stretched to be "UNDER" before, he
will now stretch even more, slow down and reach farther "UNDER."
Use this chart to avoid this and other common errors.
For vaulters -using
a 12 to 20 stride approach, the correlations between the hand grip,
take off point, and the six stride mark are very, very close. First,
determine a hand grip based on the vaulter's skill level, that will
allow the vaulter to swing safely into the pit. Then, based on the
chart, place a marker beside the runway for the six stride mark.
By using this mark you can identify problems more quickly, saving
time and much frustration.
The PENULTINMATE
/ TAKE-OFF stride combination is a major indicator of a correct
run-up. The penultimate stride allows the vaulter to settle and
transfer the run-up momentum onto the pole. A shorter/faster take-off
stride, combined with a good plant motion, moves the center of mass
up onto the pole.
The times listed
on the chart we "hand held" and are MEAN times (average
times ) for success a that height. A vaulter who does not reach
the MEAN time for his six stride mark can expect a vault of less
than the height listed for that mark on the chart. A vulter who
runs faster than the MEAN time for a given six stride mark can expect
a vault greater than the height listed for that six stride mark.
These marks may also differ for tall or short vaulters.
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MAKING YOUR STRIDE ROPE
You serve no purpose
by overstriding or reaching to get to a mark except to slow yourself
down or get injured. However, a rythmical run requires consistency
and power. Using a stride rope can do that for you. You can run
it with a pole, without a pole, with a sled, in weighted pants/vest
etc. You can build in acceleration patters or any game you choose.
Studies show that in plyometric activities that the athlete will
progress faster oif there is a goal. Click
here to make your own stride rope.
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