THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
POLE VAULTING 03/04

Attributes of a Pole Vaulter
o Fast
o Coordination
o Strong
o Mental toughness
o Willing to learn
o All around athlete
Training must involve all the attributes above.

Safety
Safety is the number one priority. Risky pole vaulting is bad pole vaulting. Put yourself in a position to jump another day. Do not take unnecessary risks.

Technique
Grip/Pole Carry
1. Cocked wrist
2. Shoulder width
3. Square

Approach
1. Excellent sprint mechanics (heel up/toe up/knee up)
2. Build up, slow to fast
3. Consistent rhythm
4. Pole descending down slowly with approach.
5. Check 'steps
a) 2nd left
b) Mid Step
c) Prep check
6. 10-20 strides
7. Countdown

Plant
1. Start three-steps/two strides out.
2. Left(start), Ear(right foot strike), Reach(Left foot strike at takeoff).
3. Coordinate with takeoff to become Ploff.

Takeoff (Ploff)
1. Top arm directly over takeoff foot (left foot to right arm).
2. Long jump style.
3. Quick last step.
4. Heel up/knee up toe up at take off.
5. Shoulders, head arms fully extended upward through impact.
6. Coordinated with plant which becomes Ploff.

Follow-through/"C" position.
1. Continuation of plant takeoff action.
2. Trail leg (takeoff leg) back.
3. Preparing to swing.
4. Arms dragging.
Swing
1. Whip of a long takeoff leg outward and upward.
2. Shoulder pull.
3. Long radius
4. Slash position

Swing-up (Rock back)
1. Rotate at shoulders and hips.
2. Shorten radius
3. Hips/legs meeting the pole but not stopping.
4. Pike/Tuck/L-position

 Extension
1. Extending feet/legs/body upward.
2. Driving the shoulders downward.
3. Top arm still straight.
4. Bottom arm tucked in.
5. Stay behind the center gravity of the pole.
6. I-position

Turn
1. Starts during extension.
2. Pirouette upward.
3. Keeps hips close and behind the pole.

Pull
1. After the body has fully extended upward.
2. Pulling down the shaft of the pole.
3. Keep hips close to pole/pull across chest.
Push-off
1. Continuation of pull/extension.
2. Head on runway side of pole.
3. Aids in rotation.
Clearance
1. Cave in chest.
2. Elbows out.
3. Rotate over bar.
4. Do whatever it takes

Pole Vault Drills

I. Warm-up
A. Jog/Heat up
1. Jog
2. Bike
3. Jump rope

Static Stretches
1. Hip rotations
2. Right over left
3. Right over right
4. Shoulder width
5. Wider
6. Widest
7. lunge Straddle
8. Butterfly
9. Hurdle Stretch
10. Twist
11. Butt Stretch
12. Knees into chest
13. Left foot to right hand back stretch
14. Right foot to left hand back stretch
15. Arches
16. Calf stretches

C. Leg Kicks
1. Forward kicks
2. Side Kick
3. Back Kicks
4. Rotaries

D. Partner Stretches
1. Extended Arms
2. Hands behind the head
3. Behind the back
4. Over the back
5. Straight Leg
6. Knee to Chest
7. Push on the back/open legs

E. Sprint drills
1. Skip Forward
2. Skip side
3. Leg Kicks
4. Skip Kicks
5. Lunges
6. B-skips
7. Heel/toe touches
8. Butt Kicks
9. Backwards calf stretches
10. Backward high knees
11. Knee pulls
12. Skip Knee pulls
13. Gorillas
14. Carioca
15. Marches
16. Slow High Knee Butt Kick Drills
17. March Rotaries
18. Quick High Knee Butt Kick Drills
19. Slow to Quick
20. Lane sticks

II. Vault Drills
A. Vault Approach Drills
1. March Count Down
2. Slow High Knee Butt Kick Drills
3. Compact High Knees
4. Slow to Quick
5. Slow to Quick
6. 5-10 Left Approaches
7. Check step drills
8. Approach Sticks

 B. PLOFF Series
1. High skips
2. Gallops
3. Double gallops
4. Stretch rows
5. Row overs
6. Row up
7. Left-ear-Reach
8. Teeter-totters
9. Two Step
10. Three Step
11. Four step
12. 3 left
13. Anticipators

C. Sand Drills
1. Two Step
2. Three Step
3. Four Step (with double gallop rhythm)
4. Three left
5. One arm

D. Pit Warm-up
Vault Day
1. Warm-up
2. Sprint drills
3. Pole Sprint drills
4. Ploff Series
5. Straight Pole drills
6. Short approach vaults
a. Down drill
b. Finish
7. Side approaches
8. Work Back

E. Straight Pole Drills
1. 2-4 step drills
2. One arm
3. One Arm Swing ups
4. No Step - Reach
5. No Step - rotate upside-down
6. Turn around
7. Extension Drill
8. Reach-shoulder-shoot drill
9. C-drill - aided
10. Swing to hand
11. Over the bar

F. Stubby drills
1. Ploff
2. Full Simulation
3. Approaches

G. Underwater Vaults
1. Full
2. Stubby

III. Gymnastics
A. Bar
1. Pullovers
2. Shoulder Pulls
3. Bubkas
4. Kips
5. Hip Circles
6. Hip to Hand
7. Giant Swing
8. Pullover to extension
9. Back up rise
10. Cast
11. Hand stand

B. Rings
1. Swings
2. Swing ups
3. Swing to extension
4. Extension
5. Pull-through
6. Swinging Kips
7. Pike Kip
8. Running Swing-up
9. Ring Swings
10. Hand stands

C. Rope
1. Rope Climb right side-up
2. Rope Climb upside-down
3. Swing and shoot
4. Walk and swing-up
5. Ground Rope Vault
6. Platform rope vault
7. Assisted Shoot-up
8. Takeoff drill

D. Floor
1. Hand Stands
2. Hand walk
3. Back-up-rise
4. Back hand springs
5. Back summersault
6. Forward flips summersault

E. Uneven
1. Kip Ups
2. Pullovers
3. walking kips
F. Parallel
1. Swing to hand
2. Kips
3. Extensions w/turn
G. Trampoline
1. Tramp vaults
2. Extensions