Definitions / Block 2 — Event Sequence
Free Takeoff
A takeoff in which the vaulter does not actively resist the pole while still on the ground. It does not require an air gap between foot leaving the ground and pole resistance.
The free takeoff is a takeoff in which the vaulter does not actively resist the pole while the takeoff foot is still on the ground.
It begins after the takeoff foot touches the ground and ends when the foot leaves it.
It does not require an air gap between the foot leaving the ground and transfer of body weight and impulse onto the pole. What it requires is only that the athlete does not actively resist the pole while on the ground. A small degree of the vaulter’s weight and impulse transferring to the pole through the top hand is acceptable, due to basic takeoff point variance. Impulse transfer onto the pole is not resistance.
During the free takeoff, while the foot is on the ground, the hips move substantially forward — between 2 and 4 feet (0.60m–1.20m), depending on the stature of the vaulter.
Free takeoff is not pre-jump. Pre-jump describes an air gap after the foot has left the ground, which is outside the interval this term covers.
Related
Final Plant Position · Pre-Jump · Free Jump · Takeoff Point · Rotation Acceleration
The diagnostic use of this term, and how it is applied in coaching, is in the member vault.