Can you pass on a pole vault height?

Yes, at any level. Passing carries unused attempts forward but commits you to a higher next attempt with the same three-miss limit.

What happens if I miss three times in a row in pole vault?

You are eliminated from the competition. Final placement is based on your last cleared height and the tiebreaker order below it.

How are ties broken in pole vault?

First by fewest misses at the final cleared height, then by fewest total misses in the meet, then by fewest total attempts. Still tied athletes share the place.

How Many Attempts Do You Get in Pole Vault?

Three misses and you are done, but the path to those three misses is more strategic than it looks. Pole vaulters get three attempts at each bar height, and three consecutive misses across any heights, not just the current one, ends the competition for that athlete. Vaulters can pass on any height at any time, which is where the strategy lives: passing saves energy and legs for a higher bar later, but it also burns attempts you cannot get back if you misjudge the jump. NFHS, NCAA, and World Athletics all run this same core structure, though the fine print on ties and clock management differs slightly by rule body, and knowing the difference matters most in the last round of a close meet.

Three attempts per height, and how misses carry

At each new height, a vaulter gets up to three tries to clear it. Clearing resets the counter for the next height. What trips people up is that a miss carries forward: two misses at one height plus a miss at the next height, without a clearance between them, is three straight misses and an elimination, not three tries at one bar. Coaches call this the rolling-miss rule, and it is the single most misunderstood part of vault competition for new athletes and parents alike.

Passing on a height, and the risk it creates

Any vaulter may pass a height entirely, at any competition level. Passing does not forfeit attempts, it carries them forward to whichever height the vaulter next attempts. The tradeoff is real: passing to save energy for a big height means committing to that height with fewer buffer misses available if it does not go well, and a vaulter who passes twice in a row is effectively betting the whole competition on one bar. Coaches and athletes weigh this decision constantly during a long meet, and it is often the biggest strategic call of the day.

How ties get broken

Ties are resolved first by fewest misses at the final height actually cleared, then by fewest total misses across the whole competition, then by fewest total attempts taken. If every tiebreaker is still even, both vaulters are awarded the same place, which does happen at the top of close meets, and it is one of the few finishes in track where two athletes can legitimately share a state or conference title. World Athletics championships sometimes offer a jump-off for first place specifically to avoid a shared podium finish.

Pole vault meet strategy

Entry height, passing, and saving misses are decisions that often determine the meet. AI form check helps you know which attempts deserve a re-try and which need a technical adjustment before the next attempt.

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Sources: NFHS Track and Field Rules Book, NCAA Track and Field Rules, World Athletics Competition Rules (Rule 25-26 timing and countback provisions).
Rule	NFHS (US high school)	NCAA	World Athletics
Attempts per height	3	3	3
Consecutive-miss elimination	3 in a row, any heights	3 in a row, any heights	3 in a row, any heights
Passing allowed	Yes, any height	Yes, any height	Yes, any height
Clock per attempt (first vaulter, normal round)	1 minute	1 minute	1 minute
Clock when 3 or fewer vaulters remain	2 minutes	2 minutes	2 minutes
Clock on final vaulter, final attempt	N/A (same as above)	N/A (same as above)	Up to 5 minutes
Tiebreak order	Fewest misses at final height, then total misses, then total attempts	Same as NFHS	Same as NFHS, with a jump-off option for 1st place ties at some championships

Sources: NFHS Track and Field Rules Book, NCAA Track and Field Rules, World Athletics Competition Rules (Rule 25-26 timing and countback provisions).

Rule

NFHS (US high school)

NCAA

World Athletics

Attempts per height

Consecutive-miss elimination

3 in a row, any heights

Passing allowed

Yes, any height

Clock per attempt (first vaulter, normal round)

1 minute

Clock when 3 or fewer vaulters remain

2 minutes

Clock on final vaulter, final attempt

N/A (same as above)

Up to 5 minutes

Tiebreak order

Fewest misses at final height, then total misses, then total attempts

Same as NFHS

Same as NFHS, with a jump-off option for 1st place ties at some championships

How Many Attempts Do You Get in Pole Vault?

Pole vault attempt rules

Three attempts per height, and how misses carry

Passing on a height, and the risk it creates

How ties get broken

Pole vault meet strategy

How pole vault attempts play out during a meet

Choose an entry height

Attempt or pass

Clear, and the bar goes up

Miss, and the counter keeps running

Track your total misses

Final height determines placement

Attempt and tie rules by governing body