Monday, April 13, 2009

Birger Solberg Invitational


Birger Solberg Invitational from Richard Stark on Vimeo.
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5 comments:

  1. BoedeApril 13, 2009 at 4:26 PM

    Wow!!! Cat and Felix...you are making tremendously fast progress! Both of you need the gymnastics rings and rope to help you swing faster and higher. It will also help you to start dropping your shoulders. You may remember that in the last couple of meets last year I started to yell at Alyssa to "Drop!" midway through her swing which kept her on the pole a little longer and shooting skyward. If all of you can start doing that a little better...look out. Well done. These videos are so neat to watch, especially with music. Thanks again Rich.

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  2. FelixApril 13, 2009 at 5:47 PM

    lol, thanks for the advice Boede. I remember you yelling "drop" to Alyssa last year and i will do my best to improve my swing.

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  3. BoedeApril 13, 2009 at 8:05 PM

    Rings and rope, man...rings and rope. Watch the girl in the video and how quickly her trail leg comes through on the rope swing. That's what we're looking for. She gets a little crazy after that pulling up the rope multiple times, but I expect things will really start to fall into place when you improve that swing speed. The real swing speed comes from the fact that she's airborn before she grabs the rope and gets the stretch-to-whipping action described in that other video Rich posted (with the Autralian coach and the girl on the high bar). The challenge is getting a similar effect off the runway. If your step is under and you are bending the pole a lot with your take-off foot on the ground, then the best you can do is just pull it through by shear strength. If your take off is further back (closer to "on" or optimally, if you can manage to be nearly in the air without the pole contacting the box with the same arm position you have at plant now), the stretch and whip action occurs...add a little drop of the shoulders in the process, and that's when the magic happens...but it's already starting to develop for you and Cat. A steady diet of rope and rings should make it happen faster.

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  4. FelixApril 13, 2009 at 8:37 PM

    Okay, ill look into getting a rope of some sort. I know Cat has some rings, we could probably use those. Oh, by the way, i am ranked 1st in the district for pole vaulting and tied 6th in the state(4A).

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  5. UnknownApril 13, 2009 at 11:27 PM

    Way to go guys!!! Keep the positivity going, big improvements happen in clumps! The next thing you guys might want to focus on is the position of your body at the plant, this goes for C-rob, Kat, and Felix alike. I see that you guys are rushing the swing without loading the pole and hitting the "C" position. Your trail leg should be back and your chest forward with your left arm directly above your head. This is where you stretch the body out, gaining the energy used in your swing and its also where you deposit energy into the pole for when it unbends, shooting you upwards. Improving your plant position will dramatically effect the energy of your swing and the height of your jump. I also noticed that all of you are FLAGGING AWAY from the pole too early, this is a result of insufficient swing energy and lack of core and back strength. (I'm not trying to be mean, I'm working on it too) The bottom line is you are not swinging up far enough. Your hips and shoulders should be aligned with the pole after inversion. If you do not get aligned with the pole before it unbends it is very difficult to stay on the pole due to the torque of your legs and hips. Bubkas are the absolute antidote to flagging off of the pole. The exercise uses all of the same muscles required to finish the swing and get the hips directly vertical. That is how you really go high.

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