Product Description
The world's top track and field coaches. The world's top track and field resource.

Long jump, triple jump, high jump, and pole vault. From techniques and training to strategy and mental preparation, Winning Jumps and Pole Vault is the only book that covers it all.

Renowned coach Ed Jacoby and the all-star line-up of Cliff Rovelto, Tom and Kyle Tellez, Irving "Boo" Schexnayder, Greg Hull, Will Freeman, and Keith Henschen share the secrets and strategies that have produced 62 NCAA champions, 15 Olympic gold medalists, and numerous other U.S. and world medalists and champions.

Every phase of every event--from approach to takeoff to landing--is described to convey proper technique. Learn how to recognize and correct common technical flaws and rely on over 25 event-specific drills to perfect technique.

With preevent preparation, conditioning programs, and jump and vault strategies, Winning Jumps and Pole Vault is the one resource track and field coaches and athletes can't afford to be without. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

great buy
A good addition to his previous book - Complete Book of Jumps.Lots of great information for the jumper/pole vaulter.

Best in "Field"
When I heard Ed Jacoby was putting together a new book on the "jumps", I thought it would be tough to top his earlier collaboration with Bob Fraley.But this book is the best in its "field!"Ed recruited the best jumps coaches on the planet for this one-- Greg Hull, Cliff Rovelto, Boo Schexnayder and Tom (and Kyle) Tellez are inarguably among the best in the world, if not the best.Each obviously put great effort into their sections.The descriptions of drills for each event are superb-- it's usually somewhat difficult to visualize a drill from pictures and written descriptions, but these are outstanding.I really appreciate Ed's inclusion of Keith Henschen and Will Freeman's contributions as well-- they're a valuable addition to this text.I'd highly recommend this manual for every track & field coach from youth to international-level! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Great subject - writing could be much better
I am very disappointed in Mr. Livingston's writing style.The subject matter is wonderful, the story great, the history interesting, but the writing is full of childish ananologies that would be ok if they were sporadic, but are so frequent that they are inappropriate and detract from the story."In the Great Lakes area, on the Malone football field, which is only a punt, pass and kick from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio....""The wind, a pole-vaulter's vane, is often fanged with sleet, which rattles off a man's skin like birdshot."I have not read Mr. Livingston before so do not know if this is typical, but given my experience with this book I don't plan on reading any more of his writing.

Like New!! Quick Shipping!!
Overall, very satisfied. The book looks like I bought it from Barnes & Nobles.
I would purchase again anytime.

Altius!
A great read for anyone who's curious about what kind of dedication it takes to bring home the gold as an American competitor in Track and Field. The book sheds light on the fact that, unlike in many other countries, there's really no support structure for Olympic athletes here in the 'States -- just blood, sweat, tears, and dedication.Not to mention the fact that (surprise, surprise) sailing through the air at 15+ feet above the ground can and has killed men aspiring for greatness in pole vaulting. Livingston's renditon of Tim Mack's quest for the gold is a fascinating read with a serious potential to reach out and grab anyone even vaguely interested in Olympic athleticism.

Fabulous read...
It helps to be a track and field fan while reading this amazing book, but it's certainly not required.The writing is so good and the stories so compelling that anyone who picks up the book will get hooked.

If you thought that the act of pole vaulting could be described in a couple of sentences, beware.Livingston could make a rainbow from one color.His descriptions of the danger, the art, the complexity, and the mystery of the event will make you start watching pole vaulting in a new and exciting way.

Get the book.Get several and send them to friends for Christmas.

Up, up and away
I spent my high school years in the high jump pit and was always jealous of the glory guys who needed a pole to achieve lift-off.
Now I know why I was jealous. Pole vaulters really are more interesting than the rest of us, regardless of whether we've ever competed in track and field.
Bill Livingston's crackerjack telling of Tim Mack's high flown adventures is the most interesting book I've read all year -- and there's not a high jumper in it.
"Above and Beyond" proves that some of the best writing in this country is done by the lonely guys way up there fighting deadline pressure in a stuffy press box. Livingston is one of the sportswriting's finest practitioners. And Mack's story is infinitely worth the telling.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A History of The Airborne Division of Track and Field.
Despite some defects this book is a sheer joy. It traces the history of the pole vault from ancient times to Bubka's record shattering performances. It has many illustrations and excerpts from contemporary sources. One easily follows the progression of the vaulting poles, from relatively heavy wooden ones, through metal to fiberglass. The most salient character in the history of the pole vault was the great Cornelius "Dutch" Warmerdam. I vaulted with a metal pole back in 1961 and looked upon Dutch as a model. I had forgotten how great he was. He dominated the event for over a decade, generally from 1940, when he broke the "impossible" fifteen foot barrier (43 times!) to the early fifties. Unfortunately he was never able to win an Olympic medal due to the war years. No one came close to him. And he vaulted with a bamboo pole! He is without question one of the greatest athletes in history. It is amazing how few people know of him. I also enjoyed the controversy surrounding the advent of the fiberglass pole. You get some great coverage here with particular emphasize on Don Bragg's objections. Despite his objections the fiberglass pole opened the way to sixteen feet and beyond, culminating with Sergei Bubka. A previous reviewer is correct in asserting that the clarity of the illustrations and articles is suspect. Many are very tiny and the images are very hazy. Nonetheless, I really enjoy this book. I realize that it appeals to a rather small market. This is all the more reason to praise the authors. This was a true labor of love to them and in consequence vaulting aficionados are amply rewarded. I want to personally acknowledge my profound admiration to the authors for this project. It transported me back in time and the experience was pure joy. I even got the smell of athletic balm in my olfactory senses.

great book for pole vault history buffs
This is by far the most comprehensive history of the pole vault available.It's packed with information and is lots of fun for anyone interested in the history of the event.It should be noted that except for broad discussions about the evolution of pole vaulting technique over time, there is very little discussion of vaulting technique.This is not a book for those just interested in getting advice or suggestions on vaulting technique.As the title indicates, it is a history book.

The title also includes the word "illustrated", and the book is loaded with pictures and reproductions of old newspaper articles.Unfortunately, this is where the book is much less than what it could or should be.The small format of the book is not conducive to an illustrated history.The pages should be much larger than they are to accommodate the illustrations in an effective way.

The pictures are tiny, miniscule in most cases.As these are also old pictures, the tiny size makes it extremely difficult to see much in the picture in many cases.The reproductions are also very poor in most cases.So while there are certainly LOTS of pictures, most of them are so poor in size and quality that they're not worth much.Larger pictures (requiring a larger page size), and much more attention to quality reproductions would have improved this book enormously.

The newspaper articles are even worse.Many of these are great articles which add much to the text of the book, but they are so poorly reproduced that it is extremely difficult to read the text of the articles reproduced.In some cases a magnifying glass might help.In many cases the articles are unreadable under any conditions due to small size and, especially, due to poor reproduction.

The flaws described above are serious in an illustrated history and unfortunate in this book, which is a unique document.I am still giving the book four stars, because even though the graphics are of abominably low quality, the subject matter is so unusual and available nowhere else, that students and fans of pole vault history will want this book in spite of its flaws.

One would hope that there will be future editions in which a great deal more attention will be paid to the size and quality of the qraphics so that this book can fulfill its promise and be what it has the potential to be.

AWESOME!!
This is a comprehensive history of the origins of the pole vault, the sport of gods.However, Mr. Johnson also accurately captures the ebb and flow between the greatest vaulters in history during each season in modern times.The USA produced the greatest pole vaulters for many years having never lost an Olympic games until 1972 when, due to cheating, the East Germans won the event.Mr. Johnson won the bronze despite the obstacles placed in his and fellow tem mates way.Full of pictures that will bring back memories to any and all track fans this book is a must have!It will serve as the historical reference for the sport of pole vaulting for many many generations to come.GREAT PIECE OF WORK! ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, published by Thomson Gale on February 1, 2007. The length of the article is 443 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Biomechanical aspects of learning pole vault.(BIOMECHANICS)
Author: Istvan Kovacs
Publication: Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 78Issue: 1Page: A-15(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Arkansas Business, published by Journal Publishing, Inc. on May 4, 2009. The length of the article is 667 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Chasing the bar: Lake Hamilton pole vaulter owns second-best jump in nation.
Author: Philip Seaton
Publication: Arkansas Business (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 4, 2009
Publisher: Journal Publishing, Inc.
Volume: 26Issue: 18Page: S16(1)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Gone But Not Forgotten
Although Doctor Ganslen has been gone several years and the book is now out of print, it remains the foremost authority on pole vault technique and training - with detailed photos, illustrations, and concise language.
Ganslen was the first to analyze pole vaulting in all its technical phases from the viewpoint of a physicist.
Of all the editions of Mechanics of the Pole Vault, the 1980 Olympic version is the most relevant today.
Those studying Ganslen's research will like to know that Ganslen collaborated with an apprentice and illustrator, Jerry Hock, on two posters - one published in 1980 and the second published in 1988. The posters were Ganslen's last work and are out-of-print collectors items today.Hock went on to produce a more recent poster in which Ganslen's Mechanics of the Pole Vault theories are reinforced.

Good History Book
I have read and studied this book in Russian in 1983. The book gives basic understanding of the event. It also describes the roots of the fiberglass vaulting. I would recomend this book for any vaulter, however keep in mind that the event has moved beyond the understanding described in the book.

Roman Botcharnikov

The Bible for All Pole Vaulters
It's been years since I've even seen a copy of Ganslen's book, yet it still remains the foremost publication of any form of media for the sport of pole vaulting.Ganslen takes a comprehensive look at pole vaulting fromtraining, technology, psychology, technique analysis, culture, and history. This book is both inspirational and informative and it is a tragedy thatit is out of print.

Mechanics of the Pole Vault is for Winners!
Though it is more than 20 years old, I can't conceive of a better guide for the young pole-vaulter than "Mechanics of the Pole Vault". From the era when Bob Seagren and Steve Smith held sway atop the sport,Ganslen describes in intimate, if prosaic, detail the mental and physicalminutae of the most elegant and difficult endeavor in sport.

In some wayspole technology and sports science may have surpassed the content ofGanslen's book. His exquisite grasp of the complex activity of polevaulting, however, is surely unsurpassed and could be a boon to a newgeneration of vaulters.

It is truly a shame that this valuable text isnot currently in the canon of modern track and field. ... Read more