Safe Luxury

How does someone learn to pole vault?

What on earth do you do on the first try? Surely you expect to be dumped in an uncerimonious heap on the (possibly hard) ground, then have a big stick land on top of you? How much does it take before you learn to actually pole vault successfully and land safely every time?

Public Comments

1. First of all, do sit-ups and pull-ups. Lost of them. Your abs, arms and back muscles are what lift your lower body over your head and propel you up and forward. Second, start off by doing high jumps. The way your body twists in mid-air, curves over the bar and lands on the mat is about the same way your body flips over on a vault landing. Third, have your coach or friend help you out. Take the bar off. Use the correct pole for your weight range. Have that person hold the pole in the box, right in front of the mat. The pole should be positioned with the bottom in the box and the top toward you so that when you take off on the runway, you can grab onto it and pull yourself up. Once you've grabbed it, your friend should move the pole toward the mat, as if gently flinging you onto it. As you catch air at the apex of the arc, let go and push the pole away. Twist around so you can land your back, facing the start of the runway. Keep in mind that while doing this, you're NOT holding the pole the way you're supposed to while doing a real vault; this is just a way for you to get a feel of the take-off, the bend of the pole and the release. As you get better, you can work on twisting and landing.
2. There was lad at my school who's a big thing in the pole vauling world - always wondered how he thought of takin up pole vaulting. 'Hhmmm, im rubish at football - hello - theres a big long pole - think i'll run and jump over something" There a man walking down a street in a vest, shorts, and trainers carrying a big long stick. Quickly a woman runs over and asks 'are you a pole volter?' 'No' He replies. 'Im German....but how did you name was Walter?" Thats the only thing i know about pole vaulting.
3. Wax, First, please don't try the advice offered above. Yes, you'll want speed and strength to vault, so building in that area is good. No, spending time high jumping isn't really a good use of your time. And absolutely don't run down the runway attempting to grab a pole that someone else is holding there... So in reality, you won't start the first day vaulting - the progression is smooth. Your coach will take you through drills to orient you to the pole, explain the runway sprint & critical last three steps before planting, and your jump. Things should start with easy run throughs where you simply plant the pole and continue on, then some drills where you'll hold on and plant, but just swing your body hanging from the top hand. Eventually you'll progress to popping up and landing on the mats. Because of the technical requirements, first year vaulters tend to progress slowly. You won't find detailed information here - look for a good book in your public library or check at school. Techniques change, but the basics should set your mind at ease. Notice I've talked about a coach here - having a coach is essential. Timing - in one track season, an individual should progress to attempting low heights and have some success. All jumps should include safe landings!-) steve