Pole Vault Drills

Pole vaulting is a famous Olympic event all across the world. The best pole vaulters of the world spend many years practicing their drills to become better athletes, and to develop a better understanding of this highly technical and physically demanding event. There are many areas that a professional pole vaulter needs to concentrate on, and there are plenty of drills for all of these facets.

A combination of various pole vaulting drills will ensure that an athlete progresses in his jumping ability, and is able to achieve as much height and distance in his jump, along with avoiding some serious injury. The technique of pole vaulting is certainly not an easy thing to learn, and this takes many years of dedicated hard work and commitment to master.

Facets of Pole Vaulting

There are a few fundamental areas that these drills aim at progressing. These are the grip, the approach, the takeoff and the pull of the athlete. Each of these is a vital element to become a good pole vaulter, and the various pole vault training drills aim specifically at these four areas.

A pole vaulter who has not developed these facets of his/ her technique, will not be up to the desired level that is demanded of pole vaulters. The best pole vaulters of the world have been practicing drills since a very young age, and this is perhaps the only way to become an expert pole vaulter.

A very common drill that pole vaulters all over the world learn as beginners is carried out on the long jump pit. You will need to stand about 4 feet away from the jump off line, and proceed to grip the pole in the following way. Hold the pole upright in front of you, grip it as high up as you can with your stronger hand, and grip the pole with the other hand in a place that is comfortable for you, and then make the pole horizontal. Now place your takeoff foot forward, and take three steps towards the long jump pit and make the pole land on the line. You need not start jumping yet, but drills such as this one, for beginners, will improve your technical knowledge immensely.

You can slowly change the routine by moving to a different surface, or by holding the pole even higher, or by practicing vaulting from a higher level to a lower level (preferably just a few feet). You must remember that the potential for injury is very high here, and as a result one needs to be extremely careful while performing pole vaulting drills.

There are many other pole vaulting drills that improve speed, stamina, strength, balance and vision as well, as all these qualities are absolutely essential for a person who wishes to become a world-class pole vaulter. In order to build up these elements of an athlete, indoor drills are most commonly made use of.

The 4 major aspects of pole vaulting are known to you, so you must also learn the various pole vault drills that go into all these 4 facets. Drills for the approach show one how to maintain consistency and a good rhythm while running with the pole, and this is a very important aspect of professional pole vaulting. The planting of the foot in the right manner helps one achieve a good takeoff, and this imperative for an impressive height on the jump. Swing drills teach one about the correct position and shape of the body, that needs to be maintained while airborne in order to avoid touching the pole on top. There are a bunch of pole vault rope drills that help one in achieving this aim.

The technique an athlete adopts while turning their body in the air also helps in achieving a good clearance over the bar. All these areas get their own dose of attention in the drills that a coach or an instructor designs. It is important to learn from a person who has pole vaulted professionally and has a fair amount of experience doing so. This is not something that can be taught by someone who has not pole vaulted themselves.

Famous pole vaulters like Sergey Bubka and Yelena Isinbayeva have spent many years of their lives practicing the various drills to become the champions that they are today. Each and every small detail deserves a fair share of attention, and that combined with laborious hard work is the only way one can become an expert pole vaulter.