1	"Welcome"
2	"Set goals" Set goals Technical goals Grip and Pole goals Competition Goals Get off to a good start in school Team building exercises Time to upgrade those facilities Paint some numbers Organize the poles Replace any standard padding Replace pit buckles or sew any small tears.
3	"Get Fit" Get Fit Establish a base that will allow you to train with more intensity later without injury. Work on overall body strength. If you are a High School Athlete then doing another sport is great. Drills to establish muscle memory of key movements Sand A-frame Pole runs Sleds Slide boxes Walking plants Short run (usually voluntary in NCAA) Five lefts or less optional for fun vaulting (but no summer competitors) Win the battle Grip PR, pole PR, short run PR, consistency PR FIX things Use video
4	"Warm-up" Warm-up 2 laps Dynamic Stretching Sprint forms Workout 4 closed end Xs Short rest 4 one-end-walk Xs Short rest 4 both-end-walk Xs Short rest 4 x 100 meter stride Short rest 8 x Hills Drills/Cool Down Walking Plants A-frames Med Ball Work Stretching
5	"Typical Fall Week"
6	"Start speed work" Start speed work Start to work in some speed in short (about 3 week) cycles Maintain a mix of longer intervals for endurance and fitness Try to schedule so that the day before vaulting is an easy day NCAA requires one to two days a week off anyway Rotate between short and medium runs Short runs – five or less medium runs – five to seven (two to three lefts in from full run) Whichever run you are using, win the battle Grip PR Pole PR Height PR Consistency PR Technical Change Use video
7	"Meat and Potatoes" Meat and Potatoes (One of two week 1 workouts) 4 x 200 meters – medium slow 4 x 200 meters – medium 4 x 200 meters – slow
8	"Rings" Rings Left Leg Swing to Inversion (3 to 4 sets) Straight Body Swings (2 sets) High Bar Bubkas Tap Swings or Giants Pullovers and Back Hip Circles Free Hip to Handstand Pull-ups Trampoline Basic Jumps Swivel Hips Barrel Rolls Back Drop and Back Drop to Back Extension Back Saltos Floor Exercise Handstands Basic Tumbling
9	"Goal is to develop explosiveness" Goal is to develop explosiveness, not size. This is not football. Speed of the lifts is important. Gymnastics is sufficient for some vaulters. Olympic Lifts are cornerstone. Everything else is supplementary. Summer and Fall are most important lifting periods. Lifting needs to be cut back dramatically during the competition season.
10	"Start increasing quality of running" Start increasing quality of running A little less quantity A little more quality Be back to long run by the end of November Between thanksgiving and Christmas breaks you can’t wait much longer than this. Mix different length runs based on how an athlete is feeling and the recovery schedule (we usually take Saturday off so Sunday is our long run day) Use video Start some mock meets
11	"The Green Mile (One..." The Green Mile (One of two week 1 workouts) 4 x 100 meters – medium 4 x 100 meters – medium fast 4 x 100 meters – medium fast 4 x 100 meters – medium
12	"Have fun" Have fun If it isn’t fun it is not worth doing Music Games (duck-duck-goose, short run comp, Halloween vault) Warm-up activities (frisbee, football) Keep feedback positive, keep cues positive (tell them what to do not what not to do) Know when to stop Be safe Poles stay in socks, socks stay in tubes Catch poles Pad the standards Maintain your pit (sew tears, replace clips, keep it dry) Vault with CONTROL Vault with the standards deep (at least 70)
13	"Clear bars" Clear bars You should clear many bars every practice If you use a bungee it is not a clear if you even touch it If you don’t clear bars in practice don’t be surprised if you don’t clear bars it the meet… a miracle is not suddenly going to happen. Mix high and low bars, it is good to stretch up for some bars. Work on what you’re working on Your coach will tell you what to work on… MAKE A CHANGE. Use and look at the VIDEO to SEE if you were successful. Right often feels wrong at first, be patient. Your coach will likely give you the same correction… over and over and over. Be ready for that. Coaches – don’t work on something too long to avoid frustration, move on to something else. Be focused (Music is great, but no cell phones).
14	"Shift" Shift End of first of the three plant steps Pole should be level Pole should be chest high Left arm should be BENT Free Take-off Lead knee should be up before pole contact Heel of take-off foot off the ground before pole contact Look for straight pole rise frames, not necessarily free of the ground, but the clear act of jumping Arm Position at Take-off Bottom hand should be above head level Right arm should be fully extended or very, very nearly fully extended Right arm should drag back behind the head and left arm should drag back over the head.
15	"Number of meets" Number of meets Taylor the number of meets to the needs of each vaulter. Consider their health, how late their season went the previous year, their own preferences. Train through early meets Taper for qualifying and championship meets Limit the number of back-to-back travel weekends Tapering and Periodization Running (work schedule back from key meets) Lifting (taper for key practices and heavily for key meets)
16	"Typical Competition Week"
17	"Get Ready Eddie (Beginning..." Get Ready Eddie (Beginning of week workout before meet) 4 x Competition Pole Runs 4 x 150 meters – fast 4 x 100 meters – fast 4 x 50 meters - fast
18	"Preparation is the key" Preparation is the key. A coach will know if their vaulters are ready based on practice. If it is not right in practice it won’t suddenly be right in the meet. A vaulter should have one or at most two (one for the run, and one for the jump) technical keys to focus on during the meet. Safety issues are primarily the coaches responsibility. The athlete should be preparing to jump. The coach should be lobbying for runway changes, rain delays, pit adjustments, etc. If a facility is not safe the coach must take the lead in refusing to jump their vaulters. Warm-up Complete Warm-up to start. When you step on the runway you should be just as prepared as if you were running the 100m dash. Do whatever is needed to get back to that readiness for every jump. Don’t waste any jumps because you weren’t ready. Starting Height Not determined until after warm-up. Primarily the coaches choices, coach is more objective. Better to start too low than too high. “I have to start high because I am only good for x jumps” is crap. Get in shape. You can’t “practice” starting high. Do it when you have to. Increasing your chances of no-heighting by starting higher than you need to does not build any confidence for the times when you are required to start high. Lots of no-heights is a sure way to loose support for the event at your school. Pole selection and progression Better a first jump blow through than a pole that is too big. First jump should be with standards deep or you are on too big a pole. Try to stay on the same length and model of pole during the competition. There are enough variables to deal with in the vault without adding unnecessary ones.
19	"Wind adjustments" Wind adjustments If winds are inconsistent take 2 poles to the end of the runway. Be ready to jump when your 60 seconds starts so you pick the best conditions. When it is time to go make a final step and grip adjustment and then everything else is exactly the same. Rain adjustments. Bring towels, garbage bags (for pole handles), extra tape, and rain gear to the meet. Not much adjustment is needed when a light rain first starts. It is not rain that makes it tough, it is when everything gets wet. Once things are wet drop your grip. Some of my vaulters that normally use chalk only will use some sticky spray or reverse (twisted) tape in the rain. College vaulters can tape a pole any way they want. High school is still stuck back on the two layer rule which should be changed. Coaches need to know which young athletes need to be shut down or brought to a closer run in the rain. Help and Support your teammates When you exit the meet, take a minute to compose yourself. Then help your teammates with step, mid, video, or just cheering. Respect your opponents If you didn’t win, you should be watching the person that did and not heading to the snack bar. No 4^th attempts When the meet’s over it’s over. Good or bad you should learn something from every meet.
20	"Try to take a break..." Try to take a break between indoor and outdoor season One week physical break A couple of weeks away from vaulting Provide a rebuilding period between seasons. Outdoor vaulting can feel like a different sport sometimes. Be mentally prepared to deal with poor conditions… adjust your goals on that day. Make bad weather an advantage for your team.
21	"Recognize that it happens to..." Recognize that it happens to most vaulters at some point. Don’t panic. NIP IT IN THE BUD This can be a brutal habit to break. So, don’t let it become a habit. STOP if there are even two or three run-throughs, sit out a rotation, and then retreat to a shorter run, and/or smaller pole, and/or lower grip. If you still run through, go home. Check for Technical Causes Check your mid mark Check your posture Check your hand positions Count your steps. Go away for 10 minutes and then start over. Change your environment (vault on a different runway, etc) Get someone to watch (head coach, girl friend, etc) Vault more often but from a shorter run. Take a break (a week or two or longer if the problem is just burn-out) Schedule an easy day or rest day the day before vaulting. If you can hardly walk because of squats the day before it will be hard to jump with confidence. Jump because YOU want to, because you think it is fun.
22	"Take a mental break from..." Take a mental break from vaulting Cross Train Fun, something you WANT to do Something quick twitch (tennis, volleyball, etc) Something to help stay fit Occassional jumping, short run only with maybe an exception for a street or beach vault and even then maybe medium run. Build your lifting base.
23	"Questions ?" Questions ?