Stubbie Roll-Up Drill

By Alan Roark, Vault Coach, Amherst Steele H.S., Amherst, Ohio

Here’s another visualization drill.  The purpose of this drill is to pattern the upper part of the swing up phase of the vault into the start of the inversion phase.  It’s a great drill to do every day and during long meets.

Here’s the set up: 

Sit on a mat holding a short stubbie (3’ 6” PVC pipe) using your vault grip above your head as in the first picture like John.  (The body is swinging up and the hands are moving forward while the pole is still bent a lot)

With both hands up, right knee bent, left toe pointed, slight open angle at your waist, roll back on to your back while keeping your arms pointing up to the ceiling. 

Roll up onto your shoulders and start bending your front arm (left), lowering the bottom of the stubbie to simulate the rising and straightening of the top of the pole as you swing up and invert.  Keep your top arm (right) straight and close to your right leg and your left elbow close to your body inside the pole. 

As you swing up and your legs point to the ceiling, straighten your right leg and put both feet together and turn your feet to the left simulating the start of the pull-turn phase.  

The video shows how the drill flows.

An addition to this drill is to pick them up to show them how they have to balance to stay in the drive-line of the lifting pole.  The lifting force of the pole occurs below the top hand. Grab the stubbie there and lift them up off of the ground.  Everything will balance out the way it should as soon as they get picked up.  This also shows them to keep the pole close to their body to go up.

Details to watch for:

Everyone has trouble keeping their top arm pointing to the ceiling. They lose track of where “up” is.

Many forget to keep their left elbow inside the pole as they roll up onto their shoulders.

Have them keep an open angle in their waist.  Don’t let them roll in too tight.

Some kids want to place the bottom of the pole next to their head when they go up onto their shoulders. That position occurs later in the pull-turn. It hasn’t happened yet in the part of the vault this drill simulates. The left hand is still next to their hip in this part of the vault. There are several other drills to simulate that part of the vault.  (The floor slide drill, March 2004, is one and visualizing the vault, December 2004 is another.)

Remind them to stay tight to the pole and stay balanced when on their shoulders. Have them pause at the end of the drill to learn patience on the way up.