PoleVaultPower.com

Of course you need the big THREE variables to determine what size pole to jump on!!
1. Weight of the vaulter
2. Hand grip of the vaulter
3. How high are you jumping over your handgrip!

Oh I bet you did not know there were three?
Yes the third variable tells you what length pole to jump on!
If you are jumping below your handgrip make sure you are on a pole no longer than 1' (12") over your ability!

Here is the reason why a 12'4"-140 is the same stiffness of a 13'-127 and if you are jumping on a pole 12" over your ability you will be on a weak upward lifting pole! And especially if you are holding down on that pole beyond the hand grip area shown on my pole chart as being the 12" area 3" down from the top of the pole. Doing so will make the pole much stiffer and hard to roll over!
Many of you are fooled into believing you are on a longer pole than you really are. I hear it all the time, the brand I will not mention, has a ring 6" down and you are not allowed to hold above the ring. So if you pole is 14'1" you are really on a 13'7" pole!!!!!
And if you are on this pole such as a 14'1-lets say a 145 lbs it is equal to a 13'7"-154-156 in other brands that allow you to hold 1" to 3" down.

So what are the benefits of using a 13'7"-156 as appose to a 14'1"-145 that you hold 6" down on?
Long Answer-The shorter length is a more powerful pole will be the same at the plant but return and store more energy at the plant thus providing more lift of your 140 to 145 lbs vaulter! Striving to be in the anti-gravity stage during pull and turn is essential to pushing 12" to 24" above your hand hold.
The Short Answer - to why is you can jump higher!

Other variables that can be used to determine pole selection are;
1. Stride-6 stride or 7 stride or 8-10 stride approaches each add 4.4 lbs to the need of a pole from the previous stride.
2. Bottom hand positioning- bottom hand pressure causes the need for a stiffer pole but also hinders the swing so this is a very delicate phase. Will be a 4.4 lbs addition or reduction in pole selection.
3. Take-off- The angle of list at the take off flat/ slightly upward/or upward are factors! A 4.4 lbs selection decision also!
4. Swing- gymnastic ability will allow you to place more power in the swing to bend poles rather than trying to bend them at the take off! (2.2-4.4 lbs)

Or you could just listen to your coach and use the pole they tell you!

Many of you are fooled into believing you are on a longer pole than you really are. I hear it all the time, the brand I will not mention, has a ring 6" down and you are not allowed to hold above the ring. So if you pole is 14'1" you are really on a 13'7" pole!!!!

I have actually found that once you tape over that pink label all the way to the top, my 13'7 pole magically becomes a 14'1!!! (Disclaimer- For college and elites only).

Because there are also a few things you will learn over time about poles and different manufactures. Like how weight has very little to do with how much the vaulter weighs. It is more or less just some number manufacturers are required to put on the pole so high school officials can have another rule to combat uneducated coaches.

When you are out in the world and can hold where ever you want, the max hand holds become of little importance when you are on stiff enough poles and as long as the pole behaves and you are not over bending, it does not matter. People can argue this one all they want about how they are designed to be held down on and stuff. But on pole vault power it seems like everyone is obsessed with the Petrov model, but they always want to ignore the fact that he has some of his athletes cap their poles (Isi). There is also Renaud Lavillenie who is always holding the top of his poles. When you get into the range where you are gripping 30 or 40 pounds over your body weight on a pole, its not gonna soften it up that much.

Thanks for your comments
Holding above the ring on certain brands will cause the pole to stall or softer by more than 1.9 lbs per inch. SO if it fits you and then you move up the hand beyond the ring you get a very soft pole and you get a pole that comes back with less energy because the pole is not made to store energy holding above the ring.
In fact that manufacturer does not make the pole to hold there unless it is a special made pole.

My post was for normal high school vaulters
not really for the WORLD CLASS or College vaulter!
But since you mentioned it there are big difference between normal high school poles and high grip poles made in a 16'9" pole.

It is a myth that the weight ratings are not relative to anything?
Weight ratings are relative to the load that a pole can hold.
So if you think it is an arbitrary number us manufacturers just throw on a pole, sorry that is incorrect!

Bruce

Well I know it is not arbitrary, but I see it more of a guideline. I know a girl that is 115 pounds, but jumps on 150's, and if she were on a 115' it would probably explode. And then I know guys that jump far over their hand holds that are on poles within 5 pounds of their body weight.

Thanks for the reply and your opinions!

If she is weighing 115 lbs and on a 150lbs weighted pole, She is transferring energy equal to 150 lbs. And should be on a 150 lbs. (I bet she jumps high and has a lot of anti-gravity!)
And you are correct it is a unit of measure that one can use as a guideline to move to what fits!
The selection system is for the normal vaulter who does not have a unit of measure based on their level of experience.
If it was my first time skiing, I would not choose thin blades or come down a triple diamond hill! Or if I was a bowler for the first time use a 16lb plastic gyro balanced finger-tipped ball on a championshiop marked and waxed lane! We do have vaulters who jump 9' on 14'7" 140lbs poles that weigh 150 holding at the top and jumping on the pole with a very big bend! (UGH)
A good vault coach on your first couple jumps can guide you to the proper size pole! but you have to start somewhere!
Gymnast swing with power and can transfer energy to the vault greater than a vaulter who tries to bend the pole at the take-off!
Bottom line the weight rating is the load of the pole and I have seen vaulters who weigh within 5 lbs jump over their handgrip too.
And everyone of them I moved to a shorter and much stiffer poles and they pushed 30"
The best example of this is a high school vaulter from TX 6 years ago jumped 17'5" on a 15'2" pole. and when he went to college the coach moved him to a 16'5" pole and moved the grip up. It was not until after three years before he jumped a pr of 6" higher and finally topped 18'.
Bruce Caldwell