The pole vault has so many variables. As a spectator you watch us clear a bar by a foot, but then we can't get over the next height just 4 inches higher. Or we have two bad attempts and then clear the bar easily on the third. It doesn't make sense, right? What changed? What happened?
There are so many different things we can choose to do, or that can change from jump to jump. One slightly off step, or movement, and it can be a completely different vault. Each vaulter is unique, and there are various things we each do to make it as consistent as possible.
Because it’s so technical, there are many different things you can change or work on to improve your jump. This is the beauty of the sport and why it’s not unheard of for an athlete to PR several times in one competition. There are so many variables that make it challenging, but can also allow for a great day seemingly out of nowhere. This is why having a knowledgeable coach is so crucial, and we work everyday with them to try and minimize these variables as much as possible.
For example- You're a coach and your athlete misses/knocks down a bar in a competition. They hit it on the way up for a blow-through. You could A. Move the standards back B. Go up a pole in stiffness C. Move their grip up on the pole D. Maybe they fell off/flagged off the pole a little early and that’s why they hit it, meaning it's technique and they just need to stay tighter to the pole longer, etc.
So you have them make an adjustment. The next jump the athlete misses/knocks down the bar on the backside (comes down on it). You could A. Move the standards in B. Move the grip back down C. Maybe their step was too close and they need to back up on the runway D. Maybe they took pressure off the top hand causing the pole to stop movement, etc.
The point is that there is no one right way to coach, or one singular adjustment the athlete should make. The best athletes aren't the ones with the "best" coach, but are with the coach they work with the best. A coach that is knowledgable about the basics and physics of the sport, but also understands how the vaulter adapts to changes in a competition. A coach that can give the right change for them. I've had people tell me, "You'd be jumping much higher if you worked with me." But their "fix-all" might be wrong for me.
This is why I feel that what we do is so cool. To jump high you have to be doing a LOT right, you have to believe in yourself and your coach, you have to have a coach that understands you as an athlete in stressful situations, and a lot of things need to line up.
Elements like wind and rain can also have a huge impact on us that someone just watching on tv or in the stands can’t always understand. I’ll never forget the backlash we received from commentators at one of the Diamond League meetings last year. This was an elite caliber field with many woman having jumped 4.85+ (15'11). The head wind was so strong that one of us actually landed in the box hurting herself, and couldn’t jump the rest of the season. The meet was won with 4.62. Literally a foot lower than was anticipated. The commentators were saying we weren't trying.
The thing about sub-par conditions is that usually several people will have bad results, but the top individuals will still perform well. To have the entire field jump that way says how bad it was for us, but it’s easy to sit in a media box and judge us.
Yes, it’s our job to perform, but hear it from our perspective. When we have a 15 foot long pole out in front of us getting blown around by the wind, or have a huge head wind giving us resistance, it’s going to affect the way we come into that jump. Despite how much we love what we do, we’re fully aware of the danger and risk of injury that comes with it. As the top athletes in the world, we always want to perform to the best of our ability no matter what. As human beings, however, overriding that hesitation in terrible conditions is a bit easier said than done.
These are examples of how Brad and I try to minimize these variables. Disclaimer: I’m not saying other ways are wrong, these are just the things we do and the reasons we do them:
1. Having the standards buried in warmups, trying to get on the biggest pole I can. This is usually a pole bigger than what I jump on in practice. By getting on the biggest pole in warm-ups, rather than a pole that’s just good enough for a jump or two, you won’t have as many pole adjustments to make mid-competition. I gauge it by throwing the bungee up to a PR and whatever pole I’m over or just skimming it on the backside (standards buried), that’s the pole I start with.
At indoor USA’s, when I jumped my PR of 4.91, I was on two poles the entire competition. I had never touched the first pole in warmups before, and had never been on the second in my life, but they were what I needed. The warmups, and my ability on that day, showed that to me. I didn't let my head get in the way of what I was ready to jump on. I didn't hold myself back based on which pole I thought I "should" be on. I let my body and ability dictate the starting pole, not my head or fear of never having been on it before.
When the competition starts with the standards buried, as long as I’m hitting the jump aggressively (which is what I’m always trying to do) the only options I’ve found is it’s either a blow through or a make. Because the standards are all the way back, if I miss on a blow through, I know I HAVE to go up a pole. There’s no playing the standard game, and it eliminates a variable. More often than not it’s a make and I’ll be on that pole for several heights. As we get to higher bars, we move up poles and sneak the standards in accordingly.
2. Always jumping the same way. Always being aggressive and focusing on the cues the same. Trying to jump into the takeoff with a tall open bottom arm, cranking my top arm to my shins as fast as I can, and dropping the shoulders. Just trying to make the whole vault as fast, powerful, and smooth as I can. Not saying I execute this perfectly everytime, but I focus the same way each jump.
This all sounds obvious I’m sure, but I can’t tell you how many coaches I’ve heard tell their athletes to "back off" a pole or ease up on it to “make it work”. I understand some schools don’t have bigger poles, and that’s something I can’t critique. In my situation, however, where I do have access to bigger poles, I never want to change my jump to make a pole work. This creates an inconsistency and can cause a fear of going up poles. And after I make that bar, then what? Back to being aggressive? I’m going to need the next pole eventually and I’d rather jump the same way every time. By focusing on the same cues the same way every jump, it helps me hit poles (and clear bars) much more consistently.
3. We work a lot on pole drop in my run. Ideally running with it straight up in the air (making it lighter to carry) for the first half of my run (4 lefts), and then letting it free fall into the plant box the last 4. I have a tendency to run with it “low” or with the pole almost parallel to the ground. This causes me to lean back and my steps get too long trying to balance out the weight of the pole in front of me. This slows me down, and even a little bit of slowing down (obviously) takes away from the energy going into the takeoff.
The free fall that a good pole drop creates allows me to speed up and charge into the box as it’s falling. From short approach, 4 lefts and shorter, it’s not as much of a focus because it’s pretty much falling the entire time. Poles are also lighter so it doesn’t affect my posture as much, but I still want to start with it up that first step.
4. Focusing on cues. I overuse this word, but that's been the biggest difference for me. Learning how to think on the runway has been a game changer. Cues keep everything consistent. A cue is a specific action I focus on doing each jump. For example, right now my cue is punching my bottom arm tall and open at the takeoff.
With cues, I'm trying to DO something rather than FEEL everything. When I lose my cues, I feel a whole lot more. I feel the wind. I feel my run being off. I'm waiting for things to happen rather than being in control of my jump. All of these can cause me to be hesitant or bail. By powering through to do something, I don't notice variables nearly as much, and I'm so committed to what I'm doing that even when I do feel something, it's not as much of a factor.
5. Plant drills. The first thing Brad ever had me do, when I came to try it out with him, was plant drills. Specifically one I call the “&1” drill (named for the steps on the runway this applies to-"&" being the penultimate step, "1" being the takeoff step). I've explained this drill in a highlight called "Tips and Drills" on my Instagram page- ktnago13. It’s a walking drill. On &, the top hand comes up in front of the shoulder. On 1, the top hand punches straight above the head. This drill keeps it so that my hands are moving the same way every jump. It also simplifies the plant. It helps keep me from round-housing and gives me direction when coming into the takeoff.
Variables make the pole vault challenging, but make it so much more fun when things go well. Each and every day I'm working to minimize these as much as possible. It's far from perfect, but these different things have helped me go from being a 4.60 (15'1) jumper to the vaulter I am today. I hope some of these can apply to you or your athletes!