Start with the phases, not the rep
Beginners learn faster when they understand pole vault as a sequence, each phase its own skill. Master phase 1 before phase 2. Don't try the full rep until each piece works in isolation.
Pole Vault is a sequence, phases that build on each other. This is how to learn pole vault from scratch, the phases in order, the cues that trigger each one, and the form errors beginners hit first. Pair it with AI form check and your first month gets a lot more efficient.
Beginners learn faster when they understand pole vault as a sequence, each phase its own skill. Master phase 1 before phase 2. Don't try the full rep until each piece works in isolation.
Almost every beginner makes the same handful of mistakes in their first month of pole vault. The AI catches them on the first rep and gives you the drill that fixes each one, instead of waiting until they're stuck in.
Watching your own pole vault reps on video for the first time is a shock. AI on top makes the shock useful, it tells you what to actually do next, not just "fix your form."
First month of pole vault? Upload a clip, get a phase-by-phase read on what you're already doing right and what's already a habit you'll need to break later. The earlier the AI catches it, the easier the fix.
Follow up in chat and ask questions. The AI remembers your analysis and speaks the language of pole vault coaching.
The progression below is conservative. the goal is to groove correct technique before bar height becomes a goal. Every week ends with a video re-test against the previous week to confirm the pattern is sticking.
Pole carry on the runway, no plant. Goal: tall posture, hands at hips, comfortable carrying without erratic movement.
Walk-in plants into a soft pit (2-3 strides). Goal: top hand timing, plant into the back of the box, soft landing.
4-step approach + plant + small jump from a low standard. Goal: takeoff under top hand (plumb).
6-step approach + full takeoff with bar at low height. Goal: free takeoff (plant and takeoff simultaneous).
Progress to 8-stride approach with bar at competition heights. Goal: bend the pole to 90°, swing leg long.
Extend approach to 10-12 strides, add swing-up drills, work toward full inversion.
Each phase has a coaching cue, a measurable target, the frames a coach pauses on, and the failure mode AI flags most often. Use it as a self-diagnostic checklist on every video.
Stride pattern, posture, and acceleration into the box. The single biggest performance variable, +0.54 m peak height per +1 m/s of run-up velocity (Schade et al.).
Top hand drives up, pole drops into the box on its own weight, lower hand follows. The plant happens in 200 milliseconds; the timing is the entire event.
Leap off the back leg, free leg drives up, body angles slightly back. The vaulter's body stores stretch energy through the arm, chest, hips, and legs that the swing-up will release.
The takeoff leg swings long and the body inverts on the long pivot of the top hand. Arms drag, then drive forward into the close-off.
Once inverted on a bent pole, the unbending pole thrusts the vaulter vertically. The vaulter pulls the top arm along the body and rotates over the bar.
Pike-cup-snake-smile. The arms and chest cup away from the bar; the bottom hand releases first, then the top.
Primary sources behind the numbers and methods on this page.
Five common questions about pole vault that come up in coaching.
A directory of every pole vault page on the site, from broad analysis tools to specific phase deep-dives. Each entry points to a focused write-up.
Download the app. Film a rep. See what the AI sees. Free first analysis, no card, no account required.