How can i get better in pole vault? What are some workouts.?

Question

I pole vaulted 11'6 this year as a freshmen...and my goal height for next year is 12'6....what are some things i should do to get to that height.

Answer 1

Below are some tips that I have posted for other pole vaulters.

The First and most important thing a beginning pole vaulter should work on is speed down the runway. You need to practice running the length of your approach on the track runway, or in a gym. It is good to also practice running a longer distance than your approach. You need to become very comfortable and relaxed while carrying the pole and the only way to do this is to practice constantly. You should be accelerating to full speed and when you hit your plant you need to be a top speed. Many beginners are really slow because carrying the pole can be very awkward at first. You can also practice running your runway approach into the pit without the pole just to become comfortable with it.

I have listed some drills below from another one of my answers. Some of them are more advanced but for the most part they are good to work through.

Rope drills – You need a heavy duty rope preferably an inch and a half thick at least 10 to 16 feet long. Tie the rope up. (in a gym tying to horizontal basketball supports works well.) Place a gymnastics matt 8+ feet in length under the rope for safety. What you are going to practice helps simulate the rock back part of the vault. Start by standing with your arms straight out and grab the rope. You will then drive your lead leg forward as you rock back and kick your feet directly over your head while hanging on the rope. Once upside down you can quickly wrap your legs around the rope (while keeping them straight) to help hold you upside down for about 3 to 5 seconds. Drop your legs back to the ground and repeat. Once practiced, you can vary this drill by sitting on the ground holding rope and doing the same rock back and then taking a few step running approach into it. The running approach should be last, and then instead of holding the position up side down, once you reach the apex of your rock back your will turn and push away from the rope as you would a pole.

Trampoline drills – What you will be working on in this drill is body control in the air. Obvious its best to have the largest trampoline possible. Local gymnastic academies usually have large rectangular trampolines, and with some persuasion they may let you use them for training. With a spotter standing on the side, bounce just slightly high enough to land on your back with your feet directly over your head. You feet can be just past your head a little bit as well. When you start to spring back up hold your body in as straight and as vertical position as you can, this is how you would be in your rock back while vaulting. As you feel your body moving up, move your arms to one side; the same side as you would turn in the vault, left side for right hander’s and right side for left hander’s. At this point begin to twist your body one half of a revolution placing your hands palm down on the mat and pushing with your arms. You will spring straight into the air still holding the straight body vertical position and now looking down at your hands. As you reach the apex bend your body at the hips into a jack knife position and throw your hands upright. This simulates the point at which you go over the cross bar and then back down. You will most likely land on your feet, maybe on your knees until you develop some height. Once you get the drill down you will be landing on your back again 180 degrees rotated from where you started just like in the vault.

Vaulting drills – Practice rocking back getting your body upside down and vertical with out bending the pole. This is a drill that you can not practice too much. Constantly do it in your warm ups as well. When practicing this try different variation of your position. Once position is to keep your drive knee bent and trail leg straight the whole time, another position is to drive you knee but then straighten it to meet your trail leg and it swings through to the vertical position. Finally another position is to do both swings while throwing your head back so you are looking directly behind you keeping you body vertical. This is not the optimum position for your head while vaulting but it helps when you’re practicing to train your body to follow your head and if it’s back then the body will follow. Our coach used to stand behind us on the runway with his hand raised and we had to tell him which arm was up. Finally one of my favorite drills is to put up a high cross bar and kick for it. This drill helps you shoot for a high goal and trains you body to really extend off of the pole. You want the bar or bungee cord usually 5+ feet higher than the end of your pole. I recommend the bungee cord since if you hit it, it usually stays up. If you don’t have a bungee cord you can easily make one look online for details. If you have extensions on your Crossbar standards then you can use two bungee cords about 5 feet apart. This allows you to shoot for the high cord while clearing the low cord.

Good luck with your training and stick with it. Vaulting can be one of the funest things you’ll ever experience.

Answer 2

Get a longer pole