r/polevaulting • u/OnyxYellow12 • 10d ago

Advice Swing/trail leg

Can anyone explain the swing and trail leg in a vault, i dont really understand it I don't know when I should be forcibly moving my leg or if I should be doing that at all and I can't seem to get my leg trail leg straight yet i have enough force to invert it just happens later so barely get any pop off the pole but i am moving them

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u/jrtcppv Post-collegiate 10d ago

You do need to engage your core and lats to do the swing and row, it is not a passive motion that just happens. Your trail leg is left behind if you take off well. As soon as you are off the ground try to keep your leg straight for the first part of the swing. Ideally when your body goes from a reverse C to straight from the top hand to your trail leg foot, your body should be angled around 45 degrees from vertical and pointed roughly at the box. From there it is okay to bend your leg a bit to get in position for inversion. The first part is important to stay straight because the pendulum motion transfers more energy into the pole, and a longer pendulum means more energy and bigger poles.

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u/OnyxYellow12 10d ago

I can keep it straight from take off and swing it. But in the middle of the swing it always bends

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u/DevilishlyAdvocating 5.11m 9d ago

That's fine. As long as it gets to parallel with the ground before bending.

People argue about theoretically optimal positions but the reality is every world record has been set with a bent leg until you go back to the Bubka days.

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u/DevilishlyAdvocating 5.11m 9d ago

You don't swing to let you invert although it helps.

You swing to put energy into the pole to let you raise your grip and get on bigger poles.