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While at my son's pole vault practice today, a discussion broke out among the parents regarding the correct placement of the standards while jumping. After listening to various opinions from pole vault coaches throughout the years, I've accepted that intermediate-level vaulters should strive to jump with the standards "racked" to promote proper penetration - more of a safety issue than anything else.

If I have understood correctly, a vaulter should clear bars with the standards at 31.5" before moving up to the next size pole. They should remain there during most practice sessions and should only be adjusted for a competitive situation - which is a good segue to my real concern.

We usually set the standards all the way back to begin a competition and bring them in gradually based on the penetration generated by progressive pole sizes. We've always attempted to set them at the apex of a given jump to give him the best chance of clearance on the back side, without hitting the bar on the way up - and have never had them closer than 22".

I asked my son today, hypothetically, what his feelings were towards an 16-18" setting and his initial response was that he would most likely hit the bar on the way up and that he probably wouldn't feel comfortable that close to the box. I need a quick education on the correct strategy to employ when dealing with standard placement - hate to lose an extra height or two because of misinformation.

well for high school kids. I would say never bring them closer than 24". If they are coming down on that consistently, they need to lower their grip or be on a smaller pole.. heres the general outlines.

Too much bend and landing deep - go up poles
Too much bend and landing shallow - go down grip
Too little bend and landing deep - go up grip
Too little bend and landing shallow - go down poles

Always make sure your kids are landing in the safety zone, and as long a they are doing that, the standard placement will sort of take care of itself.

Now people can make bars with their standards closer than 24, but it becomes more dangerous AND they are more likely to pull the trigger on a jump feelign that they are close to the bar. If that bar is above the box, guess where they are landing. 90 percent of my jumps are with my standards back at 70-80cm which is 28-32 inches. In fact my PR is with them at 80cm.

PVTEXAN wrote: ... intermediate-level vaulters should strive to jump with the standards "racked" to promote proper penetration - more of a safety issue than anything else.

Yeh ... exactly what VTV said. But it's not JUST a safety issue. It's how you can jumps higher.

VTechVaulter wrote:... it becomes more dangerous AND they are more likely to pull the trigger on a jump feeling that they are close to the bar.

To expound on this ... there is the safety factor, but from the VAULTER'S perspective, I don't think that's the major factor ...

You want to take each jump with as much energy and confidence going into each jump as you can. If you're confident and feel strong and powerful on takeoff, you'll optimize the technique that you have for that day.

But if you're worried about stalling out ... and falling into the box ... then just the THOUGHT that this might happen is enough to CAUSE it to happen ... a self-fulfilling prophesy. That's because you'll be hesitant on your takeoff ... and WINCE (what VTV calls "pull the trigger") ... and then ... ironically ... you'll fail because you winced (hesitated). Had you jumped off the ground STRONG ... without a fear in the world that you might land in the box ... then you're going to put more oomph into your jump.

You've heard that saying "He who hesitates is lost". Well, that applies to pole vaulting. You must have the confidence on takeoff that you WILL make the pit, and even when you're inverting to an upside down "I", you need to have the self-confidence that you can hold that "scary" position and not "chicken out".

Always knowing that you'll be landing 31.5" into the pit gives you this confidence. It takes away any self-doubt. Once you're 100% confident that you can land well into the pit, the rest is EASY! You can then focus on your technique, without worrying about your safety.

Kirk

Thanks for the quick replies. My son is a high school freshman (6'-145) with a PR of 14'06". He jumped 14' consistently all season, gripping 13'06" on a 14' 170 Pacer FX but has a very strong desire to jump his age (15) this summer. He is getting on his 14'06" 165 pole currently but is also needing the standards around 22-24" to achieve his goal.

I have been hesitant to "help" him over bars by bringing the standards in, though I would consider moving them a little closer for a "must-make" jump i.e. the Junior Olympics. After reading your thoughts and opinions, it appears that we are on the right track during practice for the bigger meets this summer. Thanks again for sharing your experiences and advice - it is greatly appreciated

It comes down to his experience and awareness with the box. When you have jumpers finishing every jump with no hesitation, that over-confidence can get them in trouble. But if he has been jumping long enough and has enough experience, he can feel whether he was a shot at the bar or not. 22" is ok for a jumper with this experience, heck i got beat at nat's with the winners standards on 30cm!! (12in) So it can be done, but its very dangerous at bigger bars. Just make sure he can judge his pole speed before he finishes his inversion, but can do it without hesitating.

PVTEXAN wrote:If I have understood correctly, a vaulter should clear bars with the standards at 31.5" before moving up to the next size pole. They should remain there during most practice sessions and should only be adjusted for a competitive situation - which is a good segue to my real concern.

You're on the right track.

In Texas, there are a lot of parents and coaches with enough knowledge to be dangerous. As your son keeps improving, you'll have to keep developing the skill of politely and tactfully turning down advice from many well-wishers.