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Is pole vault dangerous?

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Pole vault is one of the most dangerous events in track and field. As much as it is known for its spectacle, athletes have suffered serious injuries as a result of competing and training in the pole vault.

It’s essential that athletes and coaches that are participating in the pole vault event exert caution to protect the athlete from the risk of injury.

Some of the risks include:

  • The athlete not landing in the pole vault mats
  • The pole slipping from the athlete’s hands
  • The pole hitting the athlete
  • The athlete hurting themselves on the uprights.
  • The pole breaking/snapping through the jump

Below are a few videos

Stay safe!

Should pole vaulters do speed training?

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There are several factors required to get a high vault in the pole vault event. However, one factor that is essential is speed. The pole vaulter needs to generate enough speed on the runway and transfer that speed into vertical power by using the pole. Without speed, the vaulter won’t be able to catapult themselves over the pole.

The pole vaulter needs to reach their top speed by the time they place the pole ready to vault over the bar. Since the vaulter will have a run-up distance between 25-40m, they must learn how to accelerate and reach their top speed by the time they are ready to attempt their vault.

Pole vaulters need to do speed training. Below are a few training tips to consider.

Focus on building your acceleration.

You will know how many steps you will have before planting your pole to attempt the vault. You must learn how to power through and accelerate off each stride.

You will need to focus on acceleration drills of 30-40m . To begin, it would be good to record a benchmark time across 30m and 40m. Your goal over time will be to improve the time by increasing your acceleration and power, so that you will have more speed when you are approaching to do the vault.

What kind of drills can you do to improve your acceleration?

You will need to focus on building your explosive power, which will increase your speed and the acceleration in your strides during your approach.

Plyometrics

Hops for distance

You will need to do hops on one leg for distance. Aim to do reps of 10 and measure the distance that you cover. Then divide the distance by 10. Get the average and aim to improve on that distance every time.

Bounding for distance

You will need to do bounds on both legs for distance. Aim to do reps of 10 and measure the distance that you cover. Then divide the distance by 10. Get the average and aim to improve on that distance every time.

30-40m stride throughs from a standing start.

Do fixed 30 or 40 metre sprints and focus on improving your time. If possible, use an electronic timer to help you get accurate measurements.

Focus on developing explosive strength that will allow you to improve your horizontal speed and acceleration. This will help you improve your pole vault performance.

Are pole vaulters tall or short?

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Pole vaulters can be different heights. Being taller is usually seen as an advantage, however the technique and athletic components to complete the pole vault are more important.

To vault higher, you must be able to do the following.

  • Have good speed and acceleration with the pole.
  • Have the upper body strength to hold the pole and execute the technique that will catapult you over the bar.
  • Have good technique to launch you over the bar.

Some of the world’s best pole vaulters had varying heights.

Athlete (Men)HeightPole Vault personal best
Renaud Lavillenie1.76 m6.16 m
Sergey Bubka1.83 m6.15 m
Dmitry Markov1.82 m6.05 m
Athlete (Women)
Yelena Isinbayeva1.74 m5.06 m
Jennifer Suhr1.83 m5.03 m
Yarisley Silva1.61 m4.91 m

You can see from the table that the vaulters are different heights. Both world record holders are under 6 feet in height (1.80m), so it shows that the athletic development is more important than the athlete’s height.

Best pole vault grip tape.

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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

When doing the pole vault, you want to have the most amount of confidence when making your attempt. In order to have a chance at clearing the height, you need to be confident enough to hold the pole so that you will be able to vault over bar.

One of the common issues pole vaulters face is not having enough grip, which can cause their hands to slip and will affect their attempt; or worse, lead to injury.

The are often caused by:

The pole vaulter getting sweaty hands during the competition.

The pole vaulter being affected by changing weather conditions, such as rain or damp conditions.

To solve this problem, pole vaulters can invest in grip tape that will minimise the chances of having the pole slip when they make their attempt.

What’s the best pole vault grip tape that pole vaulters can use?

Gill 7002 Pole Vault Grip Tape, Assorted Colors

Gill Pole Vault Grip Tape
Gill Pole Vault Grip Tape

Gill is one of the more widely used grip tapes among pole vaulters. It does have mixed reviews among pole vaulters based on their experience and if they use any additional elements to help with their pole vault grip.

Prices start from $22

Click here to buy it on Amazon.

What’s the world record for pole vault?

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What is the men’s world record for pole vault?

The current world record for the men’s pole vault is held by Renaud Lavillenie. He successfully cleared 6.16m in Donetsk in Ukraine in an indoor athletics competition.

You can see the video of his pole vault world record below.

Prior to the world record being broken, it was held by Sergey Bubka, who had successfully cleared 6.15m.

What is the women’s world record for pole vault?

The women’s pole vault world record is currently held by Yelena Isinbayeva, who successfully cleared 5.06m.

You can see a video of her world record below.

Resources

Pole Vault world record – Wikipedia

Pole vault world record (mens) – IAAF

Pole vault world record (women) – IAAF

Best pole vault spikes

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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

To be successful in the pole vault, you need to have enough speed on the runway to create the force in the pole so that it will catapult you over the bar. All of the conditioning preparation will have you ready to compete in the pole vault event. However, if you are wearing the wrong kind of shoes for pole vaulting, you won’t be able to compete to the best of your ability.

Wearing the right pole vault spikes will allow you to do the following.

  • You will be able to focus on accelerating on your toes in your pole vault runup.
  • You will be able to accelerate better off each stride in your pole vault runup.
  • You will be able to maximise your acceleration and speed on the runway in different weather conditions. (Especially if you have to compete in wet weather!)
  • It will allow you to maximise your leg speed turnover, which is vital for the final phase of your runup so that you prepare to launch yourself over the bar.
  • Your heel will touch the ground as you prepare to take-off, so it is important that you have the added heel padding on the spike.

What spikes are best for pole vault?

You will want to invest in pole vault spikes that have a heel padding. Here are a few that you can invest in.

Adidas Adizero Pole Vault spikes

Adidas Adizero Pole Vault spikes

This is one of the premium pole vaulting shoes on the market. Lightweight and durable, it will help you execute the performance that you need in your pole vault competition.

The design focuses on a thicker heel base that will help launch your body for the vault upon take-off.

Also the design of the spike insoles make it easy for maintaining grip on the runway. But smaller spikes that are used should minimise the risk of injury by getting caught in the mat upon landing.

Pole vault spikes description

Weight7.8 oz
Spikes7 forefoot
UpperSynthetic/Textile

Prices start from $89.

Click here to buy them on Amazon.

Nike Zoom PV II

Nike Zoom Pole Vault II spikes
Nike Zoom Pole Vault II spikes

The Nike Zoom PV II have been a long-time favourite amongst pole vaulters due to their high-quality and inexpensive price point. Nikes tend to design a very light shoe compared to the other brands. However, the heel padding at the back doesn’t fall back as deep as the Adidas pole vault spikes. There are also fewer spikes in the front of the shoe.

That being said, for new pole vaulters, the shoe should be easy to transition to if the athlete is used to wearing a traditional spike.

Pole vault spikes description

Weight8.4 oz
Spikes5 Forefoot
UpperSynthetic leather/mesh

Prices start from $54.

Click here to buy them on Amazon.

Saucony Soarin J 2

Saucony Soarin J2

These aren’t strictly pole vaulting shoes, but they are jumping shoes. So if you are an athlete that is keen to have one set of shoes to compete in the long jump, triple jump, and pole vault, the Saucony Soarin J 2 will provide you with a good option.

The main benefits with this shoe is the inexpensive price and the interchangability between the different events.

Prices start from $59.

Click here to buy them on Amazon.

Are there any risks with not competing in pole vault spikes?

There are athletes that train for the pole vault in sprinting spikes and end up suffering from shin splints. This can lead to athletes needing more recovery time or physio treatment. This will also affect their athletic performance.

So it is better to invest in pole vault spikes (or at least spikes that have heel padding) so that it will minimise the risk or threat of additional injury.

Should the athlete train in pole vault spikes as well?

It’s likely that the athlete will need to train in a set of good running shoes. Pole vault spikes will be used in training among more experienced athletes and pole vaulters that will complete full jump repetitions or specific training drills that require them to wear their pole vault spikes.