抄録
The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that pole vaulters regulate their stride length during the approach run, and to determine the effects of differently regulated gait patterns on take-off velocity and performance. The approach runs and take-off movements of ten male pole vaulters were analyzed.
It was revealed that each pole vaulter regulated his gait pattern in the approach run in order to adjust for the distance to the toe-box at take-off, in a similar way to the technique used by long jumpers and triple jumpers. The standard deviation of the distance to the toe-box at take-off and the length of each step in the approach run showed no significant difference between high- and low-performance-level vaulters. However, vaulters with a higher personal best started to adjust their stride length earlier than vaulters with a lower personal best, and had finished most of their run-up adjustment by the second to last stride. To clarify the effect of run-up adjustment on the velocity in the take-off phase, the subjects were classified into three groups according to the timing of their adjustment: Early, Medium, and Adjacent. It was found that the take-off velocity of Early Adjusters tended to be higher than in the other groups, and that Adjacent Adjusters had the lowest velocity.
The present findings suggest that in order to perform well in the pole vault, it is important for the vaulter to regulate his stride length in the approach run, rather than performing a stereotyped run-up. In addition, regulation of stride in the first half of the approach run and avoidance of stride regulation immediately before take-off seem to be more effective for achieving better performance.
