PoleVaultPower.com

First, I'm a relatively new Pole Vault coach. I've never vaulted and got thrown into it last year. I was the assistant to someone who definitely knew what she was doing but, unfortunately, she got a job elsewhere and now I'm in charge.

Now, I have an athlete who's currently on a 13'-150. His PR is 11'3" but is having major penetration issues. HIs standards are always between 18-20 and no matter what I do, doesn't go much farther than that. He is currently capping his 13'.

I have a couple questions. How do I get him to penetrate? Since he's capping the 13', do I need to move him to a bigger pole? If so, which one? THANKS!

As a new pole vault coach, your default correction to an athlete having issues with penetration is to ALWAYS have them drop their grip. Practice with the standards all the way back - at least 30 inches. Most of the time I have my athletes training with the standards back at 40 - 50 inches. It teaches them to move the pole to the back of the pit.

There are a number of technical issues that could be causing the penetration problems, but the most common for 11' vaulters is their habit to pull soon after leaving the ground instead of staying extended. It would help if you coudl post a video.

The bigger the pole and the higher the grip, the less penetration. He needs to hold lower and/or use a smaller pole. Always practice with the standards all the way back!