Advanced Techniques - The Pole Plant

1. The pole plant needs to be all the way up over your head before the tip of the pole hits the back of the box. It is acceptable for the top arm to extend back over the body and the lower hand push up overhead ... as long as it is from tremendous knee drive and not from lazy arm extension - or worse a late plant. It then snaps back by rowing at the shoulder and swinging the trail leg up into a rocked-back position.
2. The advanced vaulter has the awareness, strength, and agility to permit the arms to flex some from the plant into the takeoff. This can help the transition of energy from the vaulters run into the pole -- but the pole must be pressed back out and the airspace maintained. This is dangerous for inexperienced vaulters because they often think that they should let the arms bend in order to rock back - usually resulting in absorbing the forward momentum of the pole (killing the pole-speed), and the vaulter stalling -- often causing them to land in the box - VERY dangerous.