In this episode Branko is joined by Lilly Brown and Calvin Gould. They discuss what it is like to jump as adults. Lilly is currently in law school and Calvin is an Engineer. They discuss the shift in perspective from being highly driven and com

Episode 121 Skill and Physical development are the answer to your Pole Vault Problems

Dec 23rd, 2023 21m 27s

In this episode Branko covers recent videos posted on the invert and getting "stuck in the bucket." As explained in those videos working on developing the needed strength and speed for each skill in the vault is needed, and doing the drills req

Episode 120 What to expect at your first pole vault practice

Nov 14th, 2023 23m 47s

If you have never pole vaulted before going to your first practice session might seem intimidating, but it doesn't have to be! In today's podcast episode we go over what beginners should expect at their first practice. And if you are a coach or

Episode 119: How do you rate your jump?

May 4th, 2023 24m 31s

I think if you're anything like me you want to know that you are doing your absolute best. And maybe that's what draws us to the vault. With all the technique there is to master, physical improvements we can make through training, there really

Episode 118: Strength and Conditioning options for Pole Vault

Mar 17th, 2023 32m 46s

Strength and Conditioning coach at Defranco’s Gym Calvin Hartman, former Apex Vauliting athlete and coach, joins the podcast to share an amazing new service we are providing at Apex Vaulting. As a former athlete and coach at the club he has exp

Episode 117: What is your expectation for practice?

Oct 12th, 2022 26m 55s

Did you just have an awesome practice? Did you finally get the grip up, master one of the skills of the vault and it felt like everything just clicked? What should you expect for your next practice? What comes next may be suprising. Often athl

Episode 116: How drill variation can help you jump higher!

Sep 22nd, 2022 29m

Have you ever plateaued three quarters of the way through a season? Are you sick of the same practice routine season after season? Maybe what you need is drill variation! In this episode Branko discusses how you can use drill variation to avoid

Episode 115: If you want to have a good indoor season, what should you be doing now?

Sep 14th, 2022 13m 59s

You can't wait for indoor track and want to have a big year! So what should you be doing right now to give yourself the best shot at having a great season? And what happens if you wait until December to start training? You might be surprised to

Episode 114: Chris Chappell of UCS

Aug 1st, 2022 1h 1m

Chris Chappell of UCS joins the podcast to discuss the recent World Championships and Mondo's new World Record! I ask Chris How it feels to be the company that provides the poles for so many record breaking performances.As always if you enjoy

Episode 113: How to fix Run Throughs!

Aug 1st, 2022 1h 8m

Have you ever had issues with run throughs? How do you fix the run through problem? In Episode 113 with Robert Plumb we discuss some strategies on how to fix run throughs and how long it will take to fix the issue. As always if you enjoy the

Episode 112: Noah Kaminsky Coaching Clinics and Camps

Jun 26th, 2022 1h 10m

Noah Kaminsky joins the podcast again! Noah discusses his experience coaching large groups at pole vault clinics for the Public School Athletic League in NYC. At times Noah would coach up to 40 plus athletes at a time. How do approach large gro

Episode 111: Ellie Fitzgerald Pr'ing past Adversity

Jun 26th, 2022 1h 8m

Ellie Fitzgerald joins the podcast and discusses her last two years of vaulting, including dealing with a stress fracture in her foot during this past indoor season and how she persevered to a PR this outdoor season! Have you ever had to deal

Episode 110 What to do the practice before the big meet?

May 31st, 2022 31m 36s

You have one practice left before your big meet, (States, Conference, Nationals etc.)what do you do? Well Branko discusses how people answered that question on twitter and how he would approach that final practice. He also discusses some mistak

Episode 109 Vaulting for Life Part 2 Calvin Gould

Apr 4th, 2022 59m 19s

Vaulting for Life! Why would adults pole vault? Calvin Gould one of the adults that train at Apex goes over his reasons why he trains. Calvin has jumped at Apex for over 10 years, through high school, college, and now as an adult, and he goes o

Episode 108 Vaulting for Life Part 1 Joe Lesky

Apr 4th, 2022 58m 43s

Vaulting for Life! Why would adults pole vault? Joe Lesky one of the adults that train at Apex goes over his reasons why he trains. Physical fitness, chasing goals, and finding a home away from home are just a few reasons why. Too often in the

Episode 107: How to Program Drills for Practice

Mar 6th, 2022 31m 30s

Branko discusses his recent article, How do you program drills into your practices. Branko breaks down three different types of practice, small, medium, and big days. How to structure the practice and how many drills should be done on each type

Episode 106: Paying attention to detail, and avoiding overcoaching at meets

Feb 10th, 2022 23m 8s

This episode Branko discusses how paying attention to small details as a coach helps your athletes have more attention to detail and the dangers of overreaching at meets. Sometimes as coaches we feel that we need to make adjustments after every

Episode 105: Picking the right college to jump at.

Dec 25th, 2021 54m 32s

Robert Plumb, college junior at NCAA Division 2 East Stroudsburg, joins the podcast to discuss how he chose the school he's at and how he has become an important member of his track team. We discuss what athlete's should be looking for in a sch

Episode 104: Should you specialize in the pole vault

Nov 18th, 2021 40m 1s

Brad Lawrence, owner and operator, of Apex Long Island joins the podcast to discuss the Twitter debate Branko got into with Scott Simpson about specializing in the pole vault. Should people specialize in the pole vault at a young age? Will it c

Episode 103 Calvin Hartman How to provide better service for your athletes

Nov 2nd, 2021 56m 29s

Calvin Hatman joins the podcast again, and he never disappoints. We discuss how you can grow your club and provide service that will attract more athletes. We discuss short term and long term goals you should have with your club/business. What

Episode 102: Ethan Senecal

Sep 27th, 2021 59m 12s

Ethan Senecal, coordinator of Cross Country and Track and Field at Susquehanna University, joins the podcast! Ethan has a wealth of experience from being a decathlete, and coaching at many programs and shares his knowledge with us. Ethan discus

Episode 101

Sep 22nd, 2021 38m 59s

Baseball has spring training, Football has training camp in the summer, and The Pole Vault has fall training! Fall is the perfect time of year to get back to basics and work on all those drills, skills, and weaknesses you have. It's time to sha

Episode 100: Eric Bennett

Sep 6th, 2021 1h

Eric Bennett long time NCAA Division 3 coach joins the podcast to discuss a belt system for pole vaulting and what that would look like. How would a belt system help athletes and more so coaches? Check out the episode and if you enjoy the episo

Episode 99: Apex Long Island Brad and Tobie

Jul 6th, 2021 1h 13m

Brad and Tobie, owners of the Apex Vaulting Long Island location, join the podcast and discuss their journey from being pole vaulters, to coaches and now club owners. They discuss what motivated them to coach and why they chose to open an Apex

Episode 98: Esther Fleigle

Apr 7th, 2021 54m 27s

Esther Fleigle of the Fleigle Flyers joins the podcast to discuss the stress of practice versus the stress of competing and how coaches can help alleviate some fo the stresses of competition, as well as a slew of other pole vault coaching topic