When looking at a pole vaulter most people don’t think, wow they don’t look very strong, but in fact a vaulter has some very strong muscles. It is a lot harder to carry 200 pounds of mass 15 feet in the air, than it is to carry 150 pounds. A pole vaulter wants to be strong but lean. A question then arises, what major muscle groups should be focused while lifting?

From top to bottom, first is shoulders. A lot of movement goes on within the arms and inside the shoulder joint, and to avoid and problems with this vaulters should focus lifting inside this area. To work on this it is easier than it would seem, all that is needed is a set of dumbells. Take the weight at hip height and lift until the eye line, or start to the side and lift up. Any versions of this lift is an excellent way to strengthen the shoulders.

Next is the abdomen, going from being upright to upside down in seconds in extremely hard. Almost any abb workout is good for it. Sit ups, curl ups, crunches, whatever they are, are a very good for of an abb workout and they are easy to do. Lay down, and I like to lift my feet into the air if I don’t have something to tuck them underneath, then the arms go against the ears.

Finally in legs. Pole vaulting goes from running to flying, and a lot of power has to be pushed out for a vaulter to take flight. All of this power comes from the legs and the run. Squatting is one of the best forms of lifting for legs. Here is a video on how to squat.

Those are the main three things that a vaulter should be lifting, but not the only three. If a vaulter ignores all the other parts of the body they will never be able to pole vault. A well rounded full body workout is needed for every time a vaulter goes into the weight room.

While at a competition pole vaulters have to know all of the different rules there are because the “rules” at practice is a lot different then what happens at the meets.

Basic rules: each vaulter gets 3 attempts at each height to clear the bar, failular to do so means the vaulter is out. Vaulters may not weigh the weight label on the pole for safety reasons.

Another basic and obvious change from practice to a competition is that instead of using a bungee, a bar is placed at specific heights. Bar comes down, it is not counted as a clear.

There are some weird rules that have to do with the bar though. If a vaulter were to hit the bar and it come up and flip but still land back it counts as a pass, as long as it doesn’t flip more than 3 times. Also if the pole were to come back hit the bar it would count as a clear as long it doesn’t push off the bar. Sometimes (depending on the judge) if the vaulter makes an attempt to push the pole back and the wind still blows it into the bar and knocks it down, it would count as a clear.

Another rule that is not well known (at least among the high school level) is that a vaulter have 2 minutes to complete there jump from the time that their name is called. If they do not jump within the time frame it is counted as a miss. The only times the 2 minute rule really happens in at state in the high school level, college, and pro.

All the rules that seem awkward, get extremely easy to follow when vaulting. How the vault works, makes these rules easy to follow, unless the vaulter is not vaulting correctly. What everyone needs to realize is that the rules are there for a vaulters safety not to infringe on the way they pole vault.

When talking about famous pole vaulters, one that always comes up in Sam Kendricks. He is an american pole vaulter and is an absolute legion. He is a second lieutenant in the United States army reserves and  is a team Essex athlete.

Standing 6’1″ tall he is just about the perfect sized pole vaulter, which makes pole vaulting ever so slightly simpler. His best vault being 6.00m, putting him in a extremely exclusive club of vaulters.

Sam vaults the way every coach tries to teach. With what looks like near perfect form for the american style of pole vault sam competes constantly as one of the top 5 pole vaulters in the world. But what exactly makes him so good?

Sam uses a fairly average sized pole, 16 feet, but his push off the top of the pole is not so average. Holding the world record for clearance above his grip, Sam can push 4-5 feet off the top of his pole.

His take off is also something of a beauty to watch, and to an inexperienced pole vaulter it looks flawless; although, being human he has flaws, but he manages to make them as misicule as possible.

While swinging he always keeps his swing leg long, and his drive knee bent. Sam also has the timing of the vault to an almost science, managing to push upward just at the right time as the pole uncoils.

Putting all of it together, Sam is one of the best pole vaulters in the world, and continues to prove it. Going from placing ninth in 2015, with a jump of 5.65m, to being top three from 2016-2018. Ranging in jumps from a consistent 5.80m-5.95m. In 2017 Sam won first in both the Uk, and France.

Everything about Sam’s jumps are smooth and consistent, making him one of the great pole vaulters ever.

Pole vaulters all have a height that, they should theoretically be able to reach. If they focus on only the physics of pole vaulting every vaulter is better than they think.

In physics to be able to calculate the height that an object will go, physicians use the formula, (1/2)MV^2=MG(ΔH). The hardest part about the formula is identifying what each variable is:

M is mass, which is different than weight. Weight is mass multiplied by gravity; therefore, for someone to find their mass they just need to divide their weight by 9.8.

V^2 is velocity squared. Velocity is a measurement of speed, that doesn’t mean if someone runs the 100m dash in 10 seconds their velocity is 10 seconds. Velocity is distance divided by time, using meters and seconds. When someone runs the 100m dash in 10 seconds their velocity is 100m divided by 10 seconds.

G is gravity, which is 9.8 m/s inwards towards the earth. If up is positive then gravity is negative.

ΔH, or H(final)-H(initial), is the change in height for a vaulters center of mass.

Assuming that the max height is reached when kinetic energy is 0, the equation would transform into ΔH= (1/2)V^2/g (mass cancels out). Assuming that the center of mass on a vaulter is 1m and they run at 10m/s their max height would be 6.1 meters.

There is a lot more things that go into pole vaulting than straight up and down; the bend/snap in the pole, the weight of the pole, non-constant acceleration, and lots of other things affect how high the vaulter goes. The equation is also based off of near perfect pole vaulting, which very few people do.

Figuring out what is a true estimate of a vaulters maximum height is extremely hard. Time would be better spent for a vaulter to actually learn how to pole vault, then care about theoretical heights they may or may not reach.

Physics of Pole vaulting

Armand (mondo) Duplantis, is getting ready to be the best pole vaulter in the world. Over the 2017-2018 season Mondo broke the world under 20 (wU20) record for pole vault with a jump of 6.05m, which is only .12m off the world record (6.17m). Being only 19, he is the greatest “kid” vaulter and one of the best overall vaulters. In my opinion he will break the world record within the next year. Mondo started his vaulting carrier at 4 years old, the average american does not start until junior high (11 or 12). Mondo holds all of the world records from ages 7 to 12.

Mondo’s pole vault style is pretty much the same as all other vaulters, with a small little exception; his swing. Instead of keeping a nice long trail leg he does a double swing leg, which is not necessarily wrong, but it does not follow the norm. He also does not follow the norm for a double swing leg. People who use a double swing leg do not usually have a drive knee, but Mondo does. He starts his plant with a high drive knee, and a long swing leg. After the initial push he drops his drive knee and starts the double swing, into his invert.

In 2018 at the world indoor under 20 championships, Mondo won with a vault of 5.82m. That was the second time Mondo has won a U20 championship. It was also his 4th time getting first place in a large competitions. When mondo set his U20 record it was not at a U20 competition, but at the European championship. He was competing with professionals who have been competing for years and know how to compete on the professional level. Mondo won the 2018 European championship.

All though born in America, Mondo vaults for sweden because of his mother’s background. This allows him to be able to compete in almost any competition he wants because he has European and American backgrounds.

Mondo will probably one day break the world record for pole vault, become the best vaulter in the world, and be one of the best of all time. Even if he can’t break the record within the next year he is only 19, he has a good 5-8 years of quality pole vaulting time.

Every four years this amazing thing comes on television called the summer Olympics. Yes, it is fun to watch all of events and cheer for your country, but it is also a good way to see all of the different methods of pole vaulting. Pole vault can be amazing for the fact that just because someone does it different, does not mean they are doing it wrong.

That isn’t the only difference in poles that people have as well. People use different weighted poles so that way they are more or less stiff. If a person is really good at pole vaulting they will use a stiffer pole, causing a more extreme bend and snap in the pole. Basically the stiffer the pole the higher in the air you go. People also have to be careful not to weigh more then what the weight of the pole can carry, for example if a 155 pound person could not use a 150 pound pole or else the pole would break.

One of the main “differences” people have, . For starters a difference could be the brand of poles people use. The three main brands are Gill Essex and Spirit. There isn’t much of difference between brands besides the weight differences. If you have a 160 pound Essex pole, it would be like using a 163 pound Gill pole, and a 170 pound Spirit pole. That is why professionals don’t change brands much because they could want a five pound difference and end up with a fifteen pound difference. All of the weights are approximated differences so it might not be that extreme all the time, but there is a difference.

Another large difference that people tend to have from each other is the how they swing. Theoretically there is no right or wrong way to swing depending on who is talking, but there are three very distinct methods of doing so.

The traditional swing is one that most people are taught, and what most tend to use. It involves a long swing long extending back and a high drive knee. Using the swing leg to propel a vaulter upside down by “kicking” the swing leg forward.

The next most common some people see as a bad thing, but as Armand Duplantis, or Mondo, can prove it isn’t all that bad. The double swing leg starts the exact same as the traditional swing, long swing leg and a drive knee, but instead of using the drive knee and going forward, it is dropped down and used as a second swing leg to get upside down.

The final method is named the tuck and shoot. This method of swinging does exactly as the name would imply, there is a drive knee but no swing leg. After the initial hit both knees get curled up towards the chest, and then shot out upwards to flip upside down.

None of these methods are “wrong”, the traditional is the most popular because it tends to yield the best results. There are always going to be people who use that other two and pole vault amazing, take Mondo for example, he clear 6.05 meters to set a new Under 20 world record.

There will always be differences in the pole vault world, like whether people should use helmets or not; nobody can say there is an exact way of doing it because there is always someone who is really good doing the exact opposite method.

Pole vaulting has a list of steps that every vaulter needs to complete to be able to vault; however, each step is the direct result of the step before it, and one always has to think forward to the next step. When people are running down the runway, they are completing actions for the plant. When people are planting, they are completing actions for their swing, and so on. The swing, though, is such a big step that it has multiple little steps through out.

In the past post, we talked about how when planting, a vaulter needs a solid “drive knee.” The drive knee isn’t necessarily part of the plat, though; it affects the swing more. To have a good drive knee, all vaulters have to do is put their knee parallel to the ground at a 90 degree angle. Along with their drive knee, people need their “swing leg,” also known as the take off leg. This leg should be straight back, and once the leg starts to leave the ground, it should “kick” forward like you are trying to hit a ball. To have a good swing,  all pole vaulters should try and kick their hands with their feet.

When a vaulters feet are at their hands, it is called chair position. It gets its own name because it is so common for people to reach that point and stop. Never in pole vault should there be no movement; there is always something to do, and in this case it is pushing through. The thing that worked for me to understand this maneuver is having my coach tell me to bring my hip to the pole. Other things people have said is to get your hips up, or to try and touch your hips to your hands. Everyone understands things in different ways, so listen for different sayings to try and figure it out.

All of this cause a person to be completely flipped upside down, and we get to the fun part. Turning over and passing with the bar underneath you has to be one of the best feelings in the world. To be able to do this is simple; you are upside down facing the runway, just do what you would do to turn around if you where standing. Put one foot across the other, and turn! Most people, as they turn, approach their max height (unless you turn to early). So, you should be dropping your legs down past the bar and pushing off the top of your pole. Voila, you cleared the bar. If you reach the problem that you are too close the bar as you bringing your arms over, then make sure to throw them up in the air.

Six mini steps for one larger step is a lot to think about while you are vaulting, so don’t. Pick one piece that you are struggling with, and focus on that step. Swinging correctly can be one of the most rewarding things for a pole vaulter because it makes life so much easier. Once you are upside down, don’t let go till you are up right!

When people here the word planting, they might think about their new flower garden, or the tomatoes they just watered. When pole vaulters here the word planting, they think of the very aggressive, high energy hands they put up to throw themselves in the air.

What a lot of pole vaulters seem to forget though, is that running down the runway with the pole in the correct place is a vital part of planting. You don’t want to have the pole pointing straight up right as you get to the pit, or else you wont have time to get the pole down. When you are 2 lefts (4 strides) from the pit, you should start to drop your pole. Do not drop your pole all at once, gradually let it fall, resisting it on the way down.

Your last 2 steps may be the 2 most important. When you right foot strikes the ground, your hands should be year level. Then when you last left strikes the ground, it should be above your head. Your top hand should be even with your ear, fully extended. Your bottom hand should be almost fully extended and pushing the pole forward to start the bending the pole. This should be happening directly above you. If you plant to your right then you will end up in the left side of the pit because you have to correct yourself later on. Your legs should not be ideal either; you right should be at a ninety degree angle to drive you forward, and your left leg straight.

The next thing that happens is an extremely fast movement. The pole starts to push back at you. This is a GOOD thing. The term my coach uses is called going elastic, where you allow your hands to be pushed slightly backwards. Once your arm has cleared your ear you want to start pushing forward, and abracadabra you planted the pole.

All of this may not seem to complex, but doing is harder than saying. There is nobody in the world who can do this one-hundred percent correct, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Pole vaulting is just transferring your horizontal energy into vertical energy, and that is why planting is one of the most import parts or pole vaulting.

Pole vaulting in general is physics with a few mental breakdowns here and there. To be able to go high, you need to have speed. Gravity’s acceleration is -9.8 m/s^2, and if you run anywhere close to that down the runway, it converts to height (when you do the rest of the vault correctly). Think about it: the best vaulters in the world are in the air for about 2 seconds, and for the first second, 1^2 is still just 1. That means if you run faster than 9.8 you will defy gravity for 1 second, but being on the runway has to do more than just going balls to the walls all the way down the runway.

You don’t just hop on the runway at any random spot. The distance that you stand back is calculated, and I measure my steps in how many “lefts” I take (every time my left foot hits the ground is a left) because I use my left foot as my take off foot. What you should do is find your “magic number”. Now, magic numbers are not fool-proof and should be re-done every once in a while just to stay consistent, but they do work out good for a rough estimate. To find your magic number, do a standing plant in the box from your highest grip, look where you feet are, and turn around, but make sure you keep your feet in the same spot. Then, run like you would down the run way for 6 lefts and don’t worry about planting. While your running have your buddy see where your fifth step is. Once you have your number , e.g. 60, divide by five. Then, whenever you need to go back another left, like going from five to six lefts, just add your magic number. Magic numbers truly only work if you have consistent strides, and if you don’t, they would be something to try to work on. They help you try to figure out where to go and help your coach to see if you are accurately running.

Every pole vaulter knows that running down the runway comes down to more than just having a good starting spot and consistent strides. Pole vaulting in itself is a massive mental game; everyone has or will have a point where they overthink the run and mess things up. It is OK to be nervous, as long as you stay calm and don’t overthink. When running down the runway, don’t think about a million things; just focus on one or two things. Good things to think about on the runway can be remembering to keep accelerating through your last two steps, or to make sure you are running consistently. There is and always will be a million different things you could comment on in a person’s vault, but there is always something good to say when they don’t freak out down the runway.

The most important thing for people to remember on the runway is speed. Speed directly converts into height. When heading down the runway, always try to give the best run you got, unless of course you enjoy vaulting low.

No matter how high you jump or how funny looking your plant is, everyone has their own way of vaulting. That being said there are a few basic rules, and everyone “knows” them, but how much do you truly know them? Last year I vaulted and let go of the pole, and by a freak accident broke my knee and disconnected my ACL, and because of this, I had a unique experience to better understand how pole vaulting REALLY works. This allowed me to attend the meets with out competing and enabled me to watch/coach some the other vaulters. When I would step on the runway, I would usually think, “Don’t look so dumb this time,” then I would sprint like a bat out of hell, only to get my hands half up, I wouldn’t drive my knee, I wouldn’t swing, and I would aim for the bar. After that, I hit the mat, dazed and confused as to why I did not clear the bar. Pole vaulting requires not just knowing what to do but also being able to actually do those things on the runway. One of the most helpful things for me is to do drills.

Drills are one of the most important things for a pole vaulter to be able to learn all of the rules. They help you work on whatever you need to work on, and more importantly, they are a safe way of working on something. If you try to only focus on your swing on the runway, you probably won’t get your hands all the way up or maybe you won’t drive your knee like you are supposed to, but with drills, you can take a rope, or some sort of bar, and swing as much as you would like to, or maybe your hands need work, so you can do wall plants and pole drops. Take all this from someone who did the drills but didn’t care to learn what the drills did for me. Don’t be like me with an injured knee, take the time to learn what you need to do before you do it. Not all drills have to be killer work outs, that make you not want to do them. A simple sprint ladder going up to 40 or 50 meters and coming back down is just as effective as running 200s, if you give it 100%. When going to do drills you have to make sure each one you are giving it your all, effectively it will make you faster, stronger, and you will come out with more knowledge of pole vaulting