Pipe Swing-ups Drill

By Alan Roark, Vault Coach, Amherst Steele HS, Amherst, Oh.

This is a drill to teach you how to swing up to a good balanced inversion. Another Roark Original…

Here’s the stuff you have to make.  Go to Lowe’s Home Center and visit the pole vault training equipment departments (Plumbing and hardware).  Buy a 36”, 1” diameter black iron gas pipe, two 4” snap links, a 3/8” eyebolt, two 3/8” lock nuts, and enough chain to hang it from a support.

Drill a 3/8” hole through the side of the pipe 12” from one end. Screw one of the lock nuts all the way onto the eyebolt, put the eyebolt through the hole and screw the other lock nut on tightly. Make sure a few threads show through the nut. Tape the handholds and hang it up. (The orange caps cover the pre cut threads on the ends of the pipe. I just left them on instead of cutting the pipe)

We hung ours (5’) from a high strength eyebolt fastened to the underside of our football bleachers.  We also have eyebolts in the rafters of the wrestling room

Adjust the chain so the pipe is hand high when reaching up from a standing position.

Take a small step forward and drive your lead knee up while moving your hands forward to start the swing up.  (Make sure your top arm remains straight through the entire drill.)

Swing your trail leg (power toe) long and fast to help create lift to take your hips up to the bar.

Be sure to hit the triangle position and try to have your hips higher than your shoulders and have your feet over your face before driving your hips to the bar.

Finish the inversion with your hands near your hips.  This drill simulates the vault from the take off up to the pull turn.

(Until you get used to balancing, it’s ok to trap the chain with your feet.)

Note:  All of the pieces that I used for this drill are extremely strong. Whenever you hang kids upside down, you don’t want anything to break.

Note:  Don’t swing the chain when doing this drill. Use other drills to get the forward jump at the take off. For this one just jump up and swing up. If you jump forward much the back swing will be a lot to deal with while you’re inverted.  The purpose of this drill is to learn to get inverted and stay inverted.

Note:  Be sure to hit your points; straight top arm moving forward, drive knee driving hips up and forward, trail leg moving around and staying straight, hips above shoulders in “triangle”, feet over face in “triangle”, hips to “pole” and shoulders down to stay in the “drive line” of the pole, feet close together and balanced above the hips, top arm still straight getting ready for pull turn phase of the vault.

Note: Watch the video over and over. This is a drill you can do with poor technique and get away with it.  Molly hits it all really well.  Make sure you pay attention to detail and this can really solidify your top end positions.

Lowe’s shopping list:

36” long 1” black iron gas pipe (71455)

4” Snap link (49166) (2)

4” 3/8” eyebolt (22216)

3/8” stop nut (63405) (2)

5/16” chain (33477)