Everyone knows that if you grip higher, you can jump higher, but how do you know if you should grip up? Often coaches and athletes will try to raise grip, regardless of pole speed which can lead to athletes getting stood up, veering to the left or right and possibly hit a standard, and or get rejected. This can eventually lead to an athlete that now has developed fear of taking off due to some sketchy jumps. That’s when the run throughs begin. So how can this be avoided? Coac

It seems that no matter how high, or low, you vault all anyone comments on is whether or not your bottom arm is collapsed. Should you care? Probably not as much as the rest of the vault community, but you should probably care about your bottom arm only as much as you care about your pole carry, running mechanics, plant, jumping mechanics, swing etc. Although I don’t think a vaulter should have a collapsed bottom arm I do not think the emphasis that the vault community puts on

During Winter and Spring it is difficult to make major technical or physical changes due to the competitive seasons and Summer is also filled with beach vaults, vacations, and some athletes leaving early for college. Fall is when everyone returns to their normal schedules of work and or school, no more vacations, and few if any competitions. Fall is the perfect time to really hit training hard and get ready for a new year. I always tell athletes Fall is the only chance they h

Many times in pole vault we hear stories about athletes who began working with a coach and in no time they pr several feet. This creates a mindset that lead many in the pole vault community to believe in a magic bullet. We all want to believe that if we just get taught the right drill, or hear the right technical cue we too can pr several feet. However this really couldn’t be further from the truth. Once an athlete is introduced to a system and integrated, progress comes from

Pole speed is how quickly an athlete’s pole passes through vertical. Pole speed is a very good indicator of how well you can translate your runway speed into the jump. The athlete that can generate the most pole speed can grip higher than an athlete that does not generate good pole speed. The speed of the jump is how quickly an athlete can complete their jump, this is the moment the athlete leaves the ground to the moment they clear the bar. The faster the speed of the jump

How do I get on a longer pole? Many vaulters start off a new year trying to get on a longer pole. Most people believe that the only way they can get that next pr is by getting to that next pole and raising his or her grip. Now, never mind the fact that you could increase your push and that too could raise your pr, lets instead figure out how one goes about getting on that longer pole. Let’s say last year you jumped 14’ gripping 13’6” on a 14’ pole, and you would really like t

What is push? Your push is how high above your grip you can clear. How can you figure this out? And why is this important? Well for starters it amazes me how many people do not know how high they can grip? So many people say “I grip here.” What does that mean? Data is always important in training and your grip and push are important data points. You should always measure your grips and know your maximum and average grips for particular runs, 3 left, 4left, 5left, etc. So now

Genetics + Strength/Fitness + Technique = Performance At Apex for years now we have always discussed the above equation. If you want a particular performance in the pole vault you need to plug in three variables: genetics, strength/fitness, and technique. Now a great discussion could be which of these three variables is the most important, but that’s a discussion for another day. Instead lets look at the influence each of these variables has on one’s performance. Genetics Wel