Josef R. Pfister Coaching Tips

• Josef R. Pfister

• Both

• I was a Mid-American conference pole vaulter with a best jump of 15'4"
  and now I am a pole vault coach at Columbia River High school in Vancouver,
  Wa. I have six new vaulters this year. All of them are doing ok on the learning
  curve.

• Jump to the middle of the pit.

• Controlled accelerating speed.

• Tall plant with the lower arm pushing up.

• Latting the pole forward as you bring the hips around mechanically in a dynamic acceleration.

• timing the pull through with the turn and release of of the pole in a fly-a-way motion and keeping the body in line with the trajectory of the vault. Don't snap the chest out- pull the thumbs in and look to the right or left which ever is best and relax over the bar.

• Run miles, swim alot, work the torso porprotionately to the limbs. Do gymnastics.

• working the plant into a heavy box and a light box in establishing the forward positions of the chest and arms at the plant. Top hand needs to push forward at the plant to generate more power at the plant and protect the top shoulder from being out of position that is common to round-house type planting

• Somewhere around should width plus or minus some comfortable distance. New vaulter with large grips generally don't turn out their lower wrist and so they block out the rock back phase, otherwise whatever allows the vaulter to open up the shoulder for a strong lat action into the hip over the shoulder position is fine with me.

• Hand hold is strickly a function of speed.

• Control the pole - as a vaulter you either control the pole of the pole controls you. Jump to the middle of the pit.

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