I love pole vaulting....right now

In my last post I told that while watching the world championship vault comp I was inspired and motivated. Motivated knowing that to have any chance at a medal I need to be jumping 5.90m/19'4 or higher and inspired because I am just as fast, and strong as the best guys in the world, which led me to ask what am I missing thats allowing them to jump so much higher than I am. I came to the conclusion that I need to perfect my technique, there are major parts of my jump that are holding me back from utilizing the skills and athleticism I have. So im not really taking any time off of vaulting, I need repetitions to relearn proper mechanics and technique. In the past I have taken 3 or 4 weeks off of training but more like 2 1/2 months off of vaulting, then it takes a while to get back in to the flow. So this year Im never getting out of the flow, I had a major breakthrough just last week while watching video of myself and comparing that to other vaulters, something so small that I had never noticed before even tho I had watched the same videos over and over. In the vault, its all about getting on the biggest pole so that you can jump the highest, well to get on the biggest pole you have to be able to"move" the pole which means continuing to put energy into the pole as you takeoff and swing so that it doesnt just unbend and throw you back onto the track. Something that I have struggled with is moving the pole, a lot of my jumps especially this year you see me getting off of the pole at the top, well I believe that is because the pole has stopped moving and so I feel the need to push myself into the mats to finish my jump. After seeing this epiphany, i practiced in the backyard a little, which is tough because Zoey my black lab chases after the end of my piece of broken pole. I was anxious to try out my new found theory so I went and practiced, Ive never had one thing make such a noticeable difference in my jump immediately. When I did this small movement just a little differently it allowed my chest to come through which then allowed me to swing more powerfully, keeping the pole bent and I was able to catch a great ride off the top of the pole. Also this is my 10 step pole that Im using from 8steps! So not only did it allow me to get on bigger poles immediately but also to move those poles and jump pretty high in the air. Anyway Im excited! its really cool when you can find something that really clicks that gets you excited about vaulting again. This is a 15'7" 195lb pacer carbon holding about 15'4" jumping at a 17' bungee, next practice im jumping at a bar so I should have some more good vids up after that.

Always Pursuing -Mark-