We attend many meets where folks don't know how to run the vault or don't understand basic rules. To provide you with confidence in understanding the rules, here are some essentials. 

Landing Area (see accompanying picture)

• Landing pads in sections must be encased in a common cover.  Rule 6-5-7 

• Hard surfaces shall be padded with a minimum 2" of dense foam/suitable material. Rule 6-5-9 

• Support bases [aka, standard bases] must be weighted to prevent them from tipping over. Rule 6-5-10 

• Width between support pins is between 13'8" and 14'8". Rule 6-5-10 

• Pole Vault crossbar shall be circular, non-metal and between 14'8" and 14'10" in length. Rule 6-5-11 

• A box collar is required around the planting box. Rule 6-5-14 

• The crossbar is placed 18” to 31½” in back of the stopboard toward the landing pit (see figure, below). Rule 6-5-17 

Runway: the track on which the vaulter runs

Box: metal-lined ‘hole’ in the ground that holds the pole while a vaulter jumps. Its dimensions are standardized.

Pits or mats: the 'foam rubber' cushions on which the vaulters land. These have standardized minimum dimensions for safety.

Crossbar or bar: a round fiberglass tube that the vaulter clears to make a height. In the 60s – 80s, these were triangular-shaped aluminum tubes.

Standards: the vertical arms that hold the bar in place. Standards move vertically, usually to heights between 4’ and > 20’. They move horizontally to approximate where the vaulter’s peak height occurs. For safety, high school regulations require that standards be set between 18” and 31.5” from the top back of the box. Within this window, vaulters clearing the bar should land safely on the pits.

Blowing through: this happens when you use a pole that is too soft or too short for your weight, speed or skill level. If you blow through, you won’t be able to position the standards ‘deep’ enough (31.5” is the maximum depth) to accommodate where your vault peaks. Blowing through means you need to move to a stiffer or longer pole. If blowing through is due to over bending the pole, that is called crushing the pole.

Stalling out: the opposite of blowing through. It happens when you use a pole that is too stiff or too long or if you run too slowly or don’t jump well at take-off. It can also happen if certain biomechanics suffer during a jump. Stalling out means you won’t make a height, and you’ll land on the front part of the pits or hard ground. We really, really, really, really don’t like it when this happens!

Pole speed: the rate at which the pole moves to a vertical position once it's planted in the box by the vaulter. This is considered a very important mechanical aspect of pole vaulting to make a vault successful and safe. If you think of the pole as a musical metronome (or upside-down pendulum), then pole speed is how fast the pendulum moves from its low start position to the vertical end position. Technically, pole speed is angular velocity.

Vaulting movements/positions Lingo

The run

Simple version: run as fast as you can while staying in control.
More advanced version: About 67% of an elite vaulter's maximum clearance is due to run speed according to work done by Dr. Peter McGinnis at SUNY Cortland; the other 33% is due to what they do on the pole between takeoff and flyaway. Vaulting converts the kinetic energy (KE) of the run (KE = 0.5 x mass x velocity squared) into height or potential energy (PE = mass x gravitational acceleration x height). Assuming no friction, KE is converted completely into PE; in other words KE = PE. Via simple substitution, 0.5 x mass x velocity squared = mass x gravitational acceleration x height. Gravitational acceleration is a constant, and you can remove mass from both sides of the equation; therefore 0.5 x velocity squared ~ height. That is, take your running velocity, square it, and that is proportional to how high you can go. Thus, your velocity matters a lot!
It takes about 30 meters or more to reach maximum velocity; therefore, the further back you start (within reason), the faster you can be going at take-off. But, the faster you run, the faster everything is happening from take-off to flyaway. Without sufficient practice and understanding of how to pole vault, the more lost, out-of-control, and dangerous vaulting is when it's fast. So, as you become competent at shorter steps, you can begin to move your step back in order to gain more speed.

Additional aspects: Your run should be tall and upright. Vaulters run more upright than sprinters, in order to counterbalance the weight of the pole. Your run should essentially be a combination of an "A" skip and a "B" skip, using heel returns that include a dorsiflexed ankle. This represents current biomechanical understanding of what allows a human to run as fast as possible. If you take speed training ultra-seriously, then a part of your training should involve experiments to see what combination of stride frequency (steps per second) and stride length (distance between two steps) gives you the fastest running speed. For instance, Usain Bolt probably could take 4.5 steps per second, but he uses 3.8 steps per second when running world record times in the 100 m dash. Finally, the last few steps in pole vaulting should have relatively small stride lengths, because this helps raise your center of gravity in preparation for vaulting. As odd as it may sound, where your center of gravity is at take-off can be subtracted from how high you have to vault using the P.E. formula above. So, for every inch taller you can make yourself at take-off, the higher you can vault.

The plant

Simple version: Move your arms in order to move the pole from the position it is in while you are running to the position it is in when you take off.
More advanced version: Planting should occur over your last three steps, i.e., for right-handed vaulters, your second-to-last left, last right, last left. Or (if you are counting down in your head) on the "two" in "two-and-one". Just before "two", your pole should be only slightly angled upwards from parallel to the ground, your top hand should be in your back pocket, and your bottom hand should be at chest level. Both elbows should be bent into ~90 degree angles, with your bottom elbow down so that your hand forms a "V" around the pole between your thumb and index finger. As you hit "two", keep your bottom hand position stable in front of your chest (don't drop that hand down!), and bring your top hand to your arm pit / shoulder height. By the time you hit "and" (penultimate step), your top arm should be passing your ear. Just before "one", you should have both arms extended above your head. This next step is really hard for pole vaulters to learn, because most people want to think of the pole as a crutch -- they want to let the pole do the work while they hold on and let it carry them up. But a crutch is something that allows you to hobble along, and you want to go as high as possible. Therefore, you must:
(a) reach for the cross bar with both hands at take-off,
(b) push the pole up and forward,
(c) jump off the ground and up onto the pole, and finally
(d) keep your arms reasonably stiff at take off in order to transfer your run velocity into the pole.
Why is it important to plant over your last three steps? Planting interferes with your running, which can interfere with your running speed (remember, running speed accounts for 67% of how high you can pole vault.) If you plant too early then you have your hands above your head, holding the pole up off the ground while you continue to run. That's going to hurt your running speed. So why not plant late? After all, when you throw a ball or shoot baskets in basketball, you move your arms from low to high on a single step. So, why not plant on your last step? In pole vault, you are not throwing or shooting a relatively small ball. You are dropping a 10' to 17' long, 3 - 5 pound pole. You need more time to do this than you would need to throw a ball. Also, you're not running when you throw balls (at least not usually). When you are running at top speed, your feet are hitting the ground about four times a second. That means that the elapsed time between your second to last left and your last left is about 0.5 seconds. Half a second is barely enough time to perform that plant, but if you do it over this time period, it is the most efficient way of preserving your run energy and having your arms and pole in a tall position at take off.

The takeoff

Simple version: This is perhaps the most critical aspect of the vault, because it is right here when all of your run energy is transferred into the pole. Once you leave the ground, your ability to put energy from your run into the pole is over.

More advanced version: We critique take-off by analyzing the "freeze-frame" posture of a vaulter at take off, and by evaluating the motion that occurs from the plant, through the take-off, to the sweep. Critical elements include:
(a) the top arm should be as long and tall as possible (no bend at the elbow),
(b) the upper part of the top arm should be adjacent to the ear,
(c) the lower arm should be pushing up and through the pole; however, it should not be straight (unbent) at the elbow or pushing straight forward, both of which will lead to consequences associated with blocking out
(d) the vaulter should look as though they are reaching for the crossbar with both hands
(e) the take-off leg should be fully extended, with the vaulter clearly jumping up off the ground with that leg
(f) the lead leg should be driving off the ground (we're not going to talk about double leg swings here)
(g) the vaulter's head should be well below the pole and beneath the top arm right at take-off, transitioning to beneath the bottom arm as the C position happens (below)
(h) the vaulter should be looking through the window created by their arms -- the window is located on the dominant side of the pole - right side for right handers; left side for left handers
(i) the top hand should be vertically above the toes of the trail leg
(j) the chest should be ahead of the hips -- like you're strutting around proud of yourself -- taking off.

The C position

Simple version: This is an important position that requires time to learn. If you look at the picture, above, you'll see that the vaulter assumes a position that looks like a "C", due to the arch created from the top arm, through the back, to the trail leg. The combination of the C and sweep are similar to the tight arch and hollow positions used by gymnasts in performing a tap swing (see this video to learn the concepts).

More advanced version: This is a difficult position to learn, so we usually don't introduce this until you are fairly advanced. It supposedly takes advantage of the stretch reflex, which is something you're familiar with in terms of the knee jerk reflex. It is nearly equivalent to the "tight arch" position in gymnastics. Short of really advanced motor control concepts, you should be able to recognize that, in many sports, you move in the opposite direction before performing a task, e.g., in golf, tennis, or baseball, the club, racket, or bat, respectively, moves backwards before it comes forward to hit the ball, your arm goes backwards before you throw a ball forwards, your leg goes backwards before you kick a ball forwards, you bend down before you jump up. So, in like manner, a vaulter simultaneously hyperextends their top arm, back and trail leg in anticipation of up-coming movements. The up-coming movements include:
(a) the top arm moves from behind the vaulters head during the C position, forward in a 'karate chop' fashion until the arm is next to the leg in the shoot position (see diagram above). I usually say "close the clamshell" (a reference to how bivalve mollusks close up; here one shell half is represented by the arms and the other half shell by the trunk and legs).
(b) the hyperextended back in the C position subsequently reverses so that the vaulter creates a 'hollow' position as they first complete the tuck in the rock back, on to covering the pole, and finally assuming an extended 'hollow' position during the shoot
(c) the hyperextended lagging trail leg during the C becomes a powerful forward sweep to help take the vaulter into an inverted vertical position. It is also helpful in keeping the pole bent and rotating forwards towards the bar and pits. We'll talk about the sweep next.

The sweep

Simple version: The vaulter 'kicks' the trail leg forward to help sweep the vaulter to an upside-down vertical 'shoot' position. The sweep (in conjunction with the C position) is similar to the tap swing in gymnastics (see this video to learn the concepts). Keeping the leg long during this motion helps 'roll' the pole in towards the pits and helps keep the pole bent during the majority of the vault.

More advanced version: When done correctly, the sweep helps generate significant energy in the pole to allow a vaulter ultimately to go much higher than would be expected based upon the kinetic energy from the run. This is because the angular momentum generated by the sweep adds energy for bending the pole -- keep an eye on how the bar in this video bends as the gymnast does giants. In like manner, a sweep can cause a really stiff pole to bend down and into the mats as the vaulter essentially performs a giant into a hand stand on the pole. This allows a vaulter to go on poles that are rated well over their own weights, allowing the pole to become a very powerful spring for launching a vaulter up. The ability to do the sweep and to hold the shoot is what generates most of the remaining 33% of how high a vaulter can go -- 67% is due to runway speed; 33% to these techniques done correctly on the pole.
Another important component of the sweep (which involves the arms 'pushing' down the pole), is that it keeps the vaulter behind the pole. If you go beyond the pole, the pole stops moving and you won't get into the pits. As you sweep, if timing is correct and you're staying behind the pole, there should be a point in time (usually visible in videos) when your body forms a straight line from your top hand, through your shoulder, hip and trail foot, that extends directly down into the box. In fact, if you drew a line from your top hand down into the box, the pole and vaulter would look like a bow (as in a bow and arrow). 

The rock-back

Simple version: Done correctly, the rock-back allows the vaulter to get their center of gravity up between their arms. Then, as the pole unbends, they don't have to fight the pole to stay vertical. If a vaulter does not manage to get their center of gravity into this position, they will flag. 

More advanced version: Some people end the rock-back in the tuck position; others end it in the both leg extended cover-the-pole position. Critical features include:
(a) your hips MUST be above your shoulders
(b) your legs MUST be above you like an umbrella or like a squirrel's tail. Incidentally, the scientific name for tree squirrels, Sciurus, means umbrella tail.
(c) your center of gravity must be between your upper and lower arms. This must remain true through covering-the-pole and the shoot. Why? Well, when you stand upright, your center of gravity must be centered over your legs; otherwise you will fall over. On the pole, you are hanging from your arms, so your arms are like your legs -- if your weight is between your arms you stay upright (well, upside down but straight), if your center of gravity is not between your arms you will fall over -- we call it flagging in pole vault.

Covering the pole

Simple version: It's called this because both legs are fully extended at the knees, and your legs from hips to ankles are parallel to the pole. Most young athletes have a lot of difficulty getting into this position, as it means that their legs are past the vertical position, a really unnatural position to be in, dangling so high off the ground from a flexible pole.

More advanced version: If you look at the top two feet of the pole, you'll see that it moves like an inverted pendulum towards the vertical position, where it then stops. The point of covering the pole, in my opinion, is to provide the vaulter with a stable landmark against which to orient their vault. They are upside down, moving forwards and upwards, so that no ground-based landmarks are possible to find easily. Since the vaulter should come off the top of the pole parallel to the pole, the covering the pole position allows the vaulter to find the most important landmark to start orienting their vault towards. If the vaulter begins to shoot up the pole at this point, despite the fact that the pole is facing back towards the runway here, then by the time the vault is complete, the vaulter will be coming off the end of the pole in the proper direction. The vaulter should keep the upper arm straight (don't pull!!!!!!!!!!), with the main movement being to drop their shoulders down as the pole unbends. Dropping the shoulders is simply another way of saying get your shoulders to be directly below your hips. If you re-orient the above picture by 180 degrees, you will see that, from covering the pole to the shoot position, is equivalent to someone going from a bent over position (like they just picked something off the ground) to a fully erect posture. It's "bend and snap" performed upside down (with a real accentuation on snap). I may also sometimes say 'pull your pants on' to help you keep your hands against your legs as you go from covering the pole to shoot. Study the diagram to see what I mean.

The shoot

Simple version: This position takes the vaulter into a fully inverted position. This position is difficult to get to, and as a result greatly honored by vaulters. It is the reason why you will see t-shirts with pole vault written upside down on them, or why many vault clubs have inversion in their names. 

More advanced version: You should be totally straight and upside down next to the pole. Critical things to focus on include:
(a) your top arm should be tight against your body, upper arm against abdomen, elbow against hips, upper arm against thigh
(b) your top arm should be unbent  aka fully extended at the elbow
(c) your legs from hips to knees to ankles should be straight above your head
(d) often in order to prevent flagging, some vaulters "lead with their heels" meaning rather than pointing your toes as a dancer or gymnast would, you push upwards with your heels and dorsiflex your feet.
The important part of the shoot is to stay stable and vertical so that you don't flag. 

The pull-turn-push

Simple version: A 180 degree rotation around the body's long axis, resulting in the vaulter going over the bar belly first instead of back first. Since it is easier to "bend in two" at the hips by bending over forward rather than backward, this position allows vaulters to go even higher than if they try to go over the bar back first. I sometimes say "look like a stinkbug when you're over the bar".

More advanced version: If you have performed everything correctly, this requires effortless work in the vertical dimension -- the pole will throw you upwards. During this phase of the vault, I like to think of the pole as the arm of a javelin thrower and the vaulter as the javelin. The pole will throw you up and forward (into the pits) and it is your job to enjoy the ride, feet first, up over the bar. Many have trouble performing this element, so there are a number of tricks that different vaulters prefer to think about. Here are some:
(a) turn your non-dominant shoulder in towards the pole
(b) turn your non-dominant knee in towards the pole
(c) cross your legs, non-dominant over dominant
(d) look down the pole into the box
(e) turn your non-dominant hip into the pole
(f) turn towards the pole and try to hug it

The flyaway

Simple version: If everything is done well up to this point, the vaulter is in a gentle pike going over the bar. If the vaulter stays piked, they'll knock the bar off with their chest or arms. The flyaway is the perfectly timed maneuver that gets the upper body and arms out of the way of the bar.

More advanced version: The critical thing is not to over-pike. Over-piking may cause you to hit the bar off either with your thighs or your chest. A good move here (in my opinion) is to put your elbows out like wings and bring both thumbs up towards your armpits or ears. Then, when you have successfully cleared the bar throw your arms backwards over your head. 

Runway & Steps Lingo