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WHAT IS THE ACTUAL HISTORY OF MODERN-DAY VAULTING POLES AND WHEN DID THEY BECOME SO MISUNDERSTOOD?
Here is my brief overview of TRUE facts regarding the origin of modern-day FIBERGLASS "competition" vaulting poles and some of the reasons why failed "traditional" teachings have increasingly caused senseless preventable pole vault catastrophes: Several weeks after graduating high school, 17-year-old Bob Mathias won the decathlon gold medal at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, England, where he used a thick diameter metal pole in his vaulting event (pictured below). Bob, at the time, during his brief pole vault experiences (that had only begun in the late Spring of 1948) expressed to his high school athletics coach, Virgil Jackson, that vaulting poles needed to be vastly improved.
In 1949, shown below left, Bob Mathias won the decathlon National Championship using a BAMBOO vaulting pole. The next year, 1950, shown below right, Bob won the National Championship using the brand new revolutionary FIBERGLASS "Sky Pole" developed by Coach Jackson. The price of the original poles was set from $34.75 to $38.75. The "Sky Pole" name was coined and established as the trade mark by Virgil Jackson. (As confirmed in the 1949 newspaper articles shown below.) Circa 1960, all DUE CREDIT for Virgil Jackson's pole vault innovations had been HIJACKED by a future member of UCS Equipment Manufacturing. Eventually, all traces of Virgil Jackson's early INNOVATIONS were FALSELY CLAIMED by UCS Spirit vaulting pole manufacturers who STOLE CREDIT for Coach Virgil Jackson's accomplishments while purposely casting Virgil Jackson's "Spirit" into obscurity.
PLEASE, peruse the two 1949 newspaper articles shown below, to learn the TRUE origin of fiberglass vaulting poles. (Click on the image of the articles below to read enlarged copies.) The information contained in these articles completely DEBUNKS the 60-year FALSE NARRATIVE contrived by "elite" Track & Field Industrial Complex "expert" deceivers. The revolutionary FIBERGLASS "Sky Pole" was originally conceived and publicized by Coach Virgil Jackson and NOT the feckless principals at UCS Equipment Manufacturing whose unethical conduct is liable for harming thousands of athletes!
VAULTERS NAIVELY CONTINUED USING OLD "RIGID" METHODS ON NEW FLEXIBLE POLES!
In 1952, Bob Mathias again won the decathlon OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL at Helsinki, Finland, where he used the updated version of Coach Jackson's FLEXIBLE fiberglass pole concept BUT still applied ill-conceived "traditional" RIGID pole vault methods. Keep in mind that, when Mathias used his first fiberglass pole in June of 1950, LANDING AREAS, even for the greatest vaulters on the planet, were commonly comprised of ground-level sand. Most pole vault landing pits were the same as long jump landing pits.
For many years, after the introduction of fiberglass vaulting poles, HUGE PADDED LANDING MATS DID NOT EXIST and executing "feet-first" landings continued to be paramount when pole vaulting. The movie below shows Bob Mathias, in 1952, executing "Dutch" Warmerdam's "feet-first" landing method applying a revolutionary original Virgil Jackson fiberglass vaulting pole.
"YOU'D ALWAYS LAND ON YOUR FEET, OTHERWISE... YOU'D KILL YOURSELF!" (Bob Mathias - 1994)
"NO LANDING MATS" is the core reason vaulting methods DID NOT CHANGE at all, when applying the original fiberglass vaulting poles, as verified by Bob Mathias in the next video. This was the exact critical moment in sports history when archaic "TRADITIONAL" RIGID pole vault methods LETHALLY CONTAMINATED the "FLEXIBLE" vaulting pole APPLICATION PROCESS! In the 1994 video below, Bob Mathias, the athlete for whom Virgil Jackson specifically created the first fiberglass vaulting poles, clarifies some very important facts as to why "traditional" vaulting METHODS DID NOT CHANGE for "FLEXIBLE" vaulting poles.
Along with all of the previous documented facts, it should also be noted that Bob Mathias remains the MOST ACCOMPLISHED amateur athlete in sports history based on his unparalleled achievements during the 1948 Summer Olympic Games at 17 years of age and his unmatched 1952 Olympic Decathlon feats in Helsinki, Finland. During the Helsinki Olympic Games, after injuring his thigh while performing the second of his ten events, Bob Mathias pressed on to win the gold medal by the LARGEST MARGIN over his extraordinary competitors in Olympics history: 912 points (11.6% above his nearest competitor). This monumental athletic accomplishment is further emphasized by the fact that the 1952 second place finisher was also one of the GREATEST athletes of all time, future 1956 Olympic Decathlon gold medal winner, Milton Gray Campbell.
You can see more recent ongoing examples of FLAWED "TRADITIONAL" pole vault artifacts for yourself (illustrated in the images below). These three images display the primitive "traditional" method of bracing the lower elbow on the outside of the vaulting pole while attempting to invert. This primitive tactic was applied going way back to pre-1900s' pole vaulting when the goal was to achieve horizontal distances, NOT vertical heights. This is the same ill-conceived "traditional" pole vault method that Bob Mathias applied during all of his record-setting decathlon wins and the same primitive "traditional" method John Uelses applied while using a fiberglass pole when he became the first athlete to vault higher than 16 feet in 1962.
VIRGIL JACKSON CREATED 3 ORIGINAL FIBERGLASS MODELS IN 1949, EACH WITH 6 FLEXIONS!
TRUE HISTORY unveils the FACT that, when Virgil Jackson introduced THREE MODELS of "Sky Pole" in 1949, EACH WITH SIX FLEXIONS, Coach Jackson clearly REALIZED the potential of flexibility but NOBODY knew how real-life vaulters could achieve the manufacturer's pole-bend specifications. AIR STRIKE HORIZONTAL FLEXED POLE ROTATION solved this problem in 1992. From the very onset, lethally flawed "TRADITIONAL" pole vault methods could NEVER duplicate "mechanically" produced manufacturer flexion "specifications."
The glaring IRONY is that NO HUMAN BEING was ever documented "CORRECTLY" bending a fiberglass vaulting pole until 1992, when Chris Toledo (also a former Tulare Union High School athlete) performed AIR STRIKE "HORIZONTAL FLEXED POLE ROTATION" 43 years after Coach Jackson introduced the first fiberglass "Sky Pole."
Within 12 MONTHS, we accomplished MORE to IMPROVE this event than “TRADITIONAL” pole vault “EXPERTS” have throughout entire careers!
Contrary to negligent misinformation destroying this event, ours are the TRUE FACTS behind the history of flawed "traditional" pole vault teachings. For more than 30 years we've had the remedies to achieving BETTER & SAFER pole vault.
WHO ARE THE BENEFICIARIES OF FLAWED "TRADITIONAL" POLE VAULT METHODS?
It should be obvious, to any rational observer, that most vaulters who SURVIVE and thrive applying horrible lethal "TRADITIONAL" pole vault methods are amongst the "privileged" few. Historical documentation confirms that, in this event, throughout decades, the same family names appear repeatedly. Access to extremely expensive pole vault equipment, exclusive gymnastics training and vaulting facilities is provided for those "connected" with like-minded "insiders." In turn, lowly undesirable "outsiders" can easily be EXCLUDED and arrogantly snubbed as "INFERIOR"! Thus, as "status quo" requires, lethal "traditional" concepts continue while, primarily, it is the "less privileged" who become hapless victims ignorantly suffering easily avoidable catastrophic consequences that are the result of naively accepting intentionally flawed "traditional" pole vault propaganda.
In the next two videos below, observe world-ranked "traditional" pole vaulter, Sam Kendricks, who, not coincidentally, happens to be the son of a "traditional" pole vault coach who has always had exclusive access to very expensive vaulting equipment and training facilities. You will see for yourself why "insider" access purveyed exclusively to the "privileged" inevitably produces an abyss of avoidable lethal consequences. Sam Kendricks, who boasts of his own senseless pole vault injuries, is a documented fan and enabler of Coach Shawn Michael Francis, founder of specious "Team Hoot Pole Vault." In their perceived "safespace," huddled together, fearing their "insider" secrets might be revealed, "traditional" pole vault "insiders" are terrified by the facts published on this website exposing their ignorance, true ineptitude, deadly deceit and purposeful negligence.
THESE REPROBATES CONFORM TO THREE VITAL COMMANDMENTS:
1. NEVER ADMIT YOU HAVE BEEN WRONG!
2. NEVER RELINQUISH POWER!
3. NEVER LET A SELF-INDUCED CRISIS GO TO WASTE!
1. NEVER ADMIT YOU HAVE BEEN WRONG!
2. NEVER RELINQUISH POWER!
3. NEVER LET A SELF-INDUCED CRISIS GO TO WASTE!
Please, re-watch the first video below at 0.25 playback speed between 23 seconds and 25 seconds (video should automatically start on that time its first "PLAY"). After that, on the second video below, click the center button to begin play, then, enter "full screen" mode (symbol at lower right). You can carefully observe the facts for yourself by starting and stopping with the pause/play functions (or use "k" on your keyboard).
Source: U.S. Army Website Videos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC7f9quDmPQ - Creative Commons
In negligent "TRADITIONAL" pole vault (documented thousands of times over the decades) ARROGANT DISREGARD FOR PROPER TECHNIQUE HAS REPEATEDLY PROVEN LETHAL. Deadly flawed "traditional" philosophies need to be taken seriously by any responsible person with the desire to prevent senseless injuries being inflicted upon intentionally misinformed gullible athletes! For example, an email I received from Coach Scott Kendricks contained his following misguided notions and misconceptions:
"The straight pole sequence you show of Sam isn't fair at all! We know we're doing that wrong. It's just a warm up drill! Your hands should be together for a 'correct' straight pole like Bob Richards and Warmerdam did!"
It is quite telling that Sam Kendricks DOES NOT execute the proficient "RIGID" pole vault methods that I and my son PROVED decades ago are far safer and much better than archaic "traditional" methods of "Dutch" Warmerdam and Bob Richards. These folks are grossly negligent or buffoons, or both. In this deadly track & field event, hazardous "traditional" lack of concern for detail is a fatal mistake and should NEVER be taken for granted. Please, note for yourself that Coach Scott Kendricks' (as he confirms in his email message quoted above) believes primitive ill-advised "traditional" Warmerdam/Richards methods are "correct."
In the moving picture immediately below, you can plainly see Chris Toledo correctly executing our Air Strike "rigid" pole vault techniques which completely DEBUNK Kendricks' primitive ill-advised methods irresponsibly endangering naive lesser-privileged "wannabe" vaulters attempting to imitate Sam's flawed examples. Our AIR STRIKE PHILOSOPHY IS: "PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!"
Also, in contrast to Sam Kendricks' videos, carefully watch the 1990s video below of Sergei Bubka to see for yourself how Bubka correctly places his left elbow between the pole and his torso to properly invert during his "rigid" pole demonstration just as Chris Toledo (in the 1990s) performed the same "elbow-in" procedure shown here. Please, keep in mind that, in 1992, when my son performed our Air Strike "RIGID" pole vault concepts (his first day using a metal pole) we did this on our own. We had NO INTERNET ACCESS (a truth that shocks many who live in today's world). In 1992, we did NOT have pocket-size cell phones containing miniature cameras and no access, whatsoever, to online video sharing technology to assist us. You can "take it to the bank" that my son's and my pole vault solutions are founded upon our own GOD-GIVEN COMMON SENSE, firsthand experiences, logical deductions, talent, intelligence and FACTUAL PHYSICS. (NOTE: I am specifically complimenting ONLY Bubka's "elbow-in" method demonstrated in his "pop-up" video below and specifying nothing else.)
Carefully observe at 0:10, 0:20, 0:57 & 1:05, how Bubka brings his left elbow inside, between the pole and his body. This move is crucial to properly inverting when applying Air Strike "rigid" pole vault TRAINING techniques that MUST BE MASTERED before ever attempting any full "flexible" pole vault.
"USING AIR STRIKE BAMBOO POLE VAULT METHODS, LEBRON JAMES IS CAPABLE OF VAULTING HIGHER THAN ANY 'RIGID' POLE VAULTER IN HISTORY, WITHIN 14 DAYS!" (M Thomas Toledo)
AIR STRIKE "RIGID" POLE VAULT FUNDAMENTALS
ANY ATHLETE CAPABLE OF "DUNKING" A BASKETBALL INTO A STANDARD TEN-FOOT RIM IS CAPABLE OF VAULTING HIGHER THAN 16 FEET (4.88M) USING BAMBOO WITH AIR STRIKE "RIGID" POLE VAULT METHODS!
In the early 1940s, applying ONLY BAMBOO poles, Cornelius Warmerdam vaulted 15 feet (4.57M), or higher, 43 times. No other athlete has ever been documented using a BAMBOO pole to vault higher than 15 feet. When he set a world record greater than 15 feet 8 inches (4.78M), using archaic "TRADITIONAL" vaulting methods WITHOUT any knid of landing mats, Warmerdam's "GRIP HEIGHT" was only 13 feet 8 inches (4.17M). Today, there are thousands of basketball players easily capable of routinely executing "GRIP HEIGHTS" exceeding 14 feet (4.27M) applying AIR STRIKE pole vault teachings. As our examples demonstrate, Lebron James is clearly capable of executing "GRIP HEIGHTS" higher than 16 feet (4.88M) using elementary AIR STRIKE pole vault methods. This is simple FACTUAL PHYSICS.
HOW TO CORRECTLY "COCK" FLEXIBLE VAULTING POLES APPLYING AIR STRIKE!
In 1992, when Chris Toledo was documented as the first vaulter to CORRECTLY "COCK" a flexible "COMPETITION" vaulting pole since their inception 43 years prior, it was our God-given ingenuity and tenacity that produced our revolutionary "HORIZONTAL FLEXED POLE ROTATION." In the image sequences below, you can see the resulting VERTICAL END-OVER-END properly COCKED flexible "competition" pole orientation we documented nearly 30 years ago. It took only 0.490 (milliseconds) for Chris to cross the back of the BOX after the "STRIKE" of the pole's tip. The SECOND LOADING of the flexed pole, we refer to as the "TURBO BOOST," can be seen in both animated images below. The SECOND LOADING occurs when the properly positioned vaulter's body weight presses down on the lower (thicker) portion of the competition pole and forces that section of the pole to flex even further during the vaulter's nearly vertical ascension skyward.
To date, nearly 70 years after the introduction of the first "Sky Pole" in 1950, Chris Toledo is the only person ever recorded correctly cocking a flexible "competition" vaulting pole according to the manufacturer's built-in physics specifications.
The animated image sequences above display our 1992 PROOF that Air Strike's properly executed "HORIZONTAL FLEXED POLE ROTATION" completely ERADICATES "traditional" pole vault's TWO DEADLIEST CORE TEACHINGS: "FULL-SPEED" approach runs and the lethal forward "PUSH" of the bending pole. AIR STRIKE pole vault techniques provide solutions that permanently eliminate DEADLY teachings of "TRADITIONAL" coaching.
Let's use REAL laws of physics to combine the jumping skills of 6' 8'' LeBron James with 2500 year-old Pythagorean mathematical formulas to validate the potential results of LeBron James applying the AIR STRIKE POLE VAULT SYSTEM. NBA player, LeBron James, applying AIR STRIKE POLE VAULT methods on a primitive BAMBOO pole, is physically capable of "out-heighting" at least 90% of the world's "traditional" FLEXIBLE pole vaulters. LeBron James, applying AIR STRIKE POLE VAULT methods incorporating a FLEXIBLE "competition" pole, is capable of "out-heighting" 100% of the world's "traditional" pole vaulters. PERIOD!
THREE LAWS OF PHYSICS displayed in the above image are: (1) UNCHANGED grip height plus INCREASED vertex, INCREASES strike angle. (2) FIXED strike angle plus INCREASED vertex, INCREASES grip height. (3) UNCHANGED vertex plus LESSER strike angle, INCREASES grip height.
In the chart above, the @60% column beneath the heading Bent EOE Distance From Ground to Top Tip Less 8" (.203M) Box Depth shows in the POLE LENGTH column, that a flexible vaulting pole 19' 6" (5.944M) long needs only to have its top tip located approximately 11 FEET (3.353M) above ground-level at "STRIKE" to create a 15' 7" (4.750M) required forward distance to reach proper END-OVER-END vertically "cocked" position, according to manufacturer specifications, during the HORIZONTAL FLEXED POLE ROTATION process. The AIR STRIKE GLIDE PATH follows a HORIZONTAL LINE because the vaulter's bodyweight matches exactly that of the pole rating. The "rotating" flexing pole's increasing resistance, while the vaulter glides forward, holds the vaulter in the air as the suspended vaulter's uninterrupted forward momentum and bodyweight properly "load" and "cock" the flexing vaulting pole according to its built-in "linear elastic behavior" principles.
At this point, the vaulter's perfect "INVERSION" position launches the athlete VERTICALLY (rather than diagonally), which enables extraordinary APEX potential that ultimately enhances all of the colossal advantages produced by revolutionary AIR STRIKE vaulting techniques.
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