Most lost pole vault performance comes down to a small handful of mistakes. The same ones show up across HS, club, and college athletes. Each one has a clear look on video. Here are the ones the AI flags most often, with the fix for each.
Trail leg drop in hurdles. Takeoff under the top hand in pole vault. Reaching at the board in long jump. The same errors show up in athlete after athlete, and they look the same on video. The AI catches them in the same frame a coach would.
An error in phase 4 of pole vault usually has its root in phase 2. Fixing the symptom doesn't help. AI traces the chain so you fix the actual cause, not the visible effect.
Every flagged mistake comes with the drill that targets it specifically. No generic drill list, no busywork. The drill that fixes a takeoff issue isn't the drill that fixes a release issue.
Read about mistakes, then upload a clip and see if you have any of them. AI runs the same checks a coach would and tells you in plain language what's happening, plus what to do this week to fix it.
Follow up in chat and ask questions. The AI remembers your analysis and speaks the language of pole vault coaching.
Each fault below is described two ways: how it looks on video (so you can recognize it on your own clips) and the drill or cue that fixes it. AI form check identifies these patterns in the same frames a coach would.
Your takeoff foot lands beneath or behind where your top hand is pointing, crushing the pole and killing any bend.
Short-run takeoff drills with a taped mark; move your standards back and focus on takeoff-foot-under-grip alignment.
You bend or retract your bottom arm as the pole hits the box, which flattens the pole and kills vertical lift.
Plant-and-hold drills against a mat, focus on keeping both arms fully extended through the first quarter of the swing.
Your top hand is still rising when the pole tip contacts the back of the box, costing pole bend and usable energy.
Walk-in plant drills with the cue 'drive the top hand up on step minus-2' to groove an earlier hand rise.
These drills come from coaching practice (Dahlman, Petrov-Bubka tradition, Slippery Rock camps). Each card lists the phase it targets, the method, what to watch for, and a prescribed rep volume.
Top hand timing relative to takeoff foot; vertical-overhead plant position.
From a 4-step walk-in, plant the pole into the box and hold the takeoff position for 2 counts. Coach checks that the top hand is overhead and aligned with the takeoff foot toe.
Top hand still rising at plant; foot ahead of plumb; lower arm collapsed.
Vertical trail-leg drive, hip-to-pole alignment.
Hang from a vault pole anchored in the box. Lift trail leg vertically to inversion. Hold at the top for a 2-count.
Trail leg swinging horizontally instead of vertically; bending at the knee.
Shoulder/head drop into inversion, hips-to-pole alignment.
Hanging from a high bar, drop the head and shoulders back to invert. Hips rise toward the bar in a controlled arc.
Pulling with arms instead of dropping shoulders; knees bending.
Plumb takeoff, takeoff foot under top hand.
From 4 strides, plant and jump into the pit without trying for a clearance. Mark every takeoff foot landing with chalk; verify alignment.
Foot ahead of plumb (over) or behind (under). Either kills the bend.
Lower-arm extension, controlled pole bend.
Stand 2 feet from the box, plant the pole, drive the lower arm forward to bend the pole. Hold for 2 counts.
Bottom arm collapsing early; using the body to bend instead of the lower arm.
Stride consistency, mid-mark accuracy, takeoff-foot precision.
Full approach down the runway, no plant or jump. Mark every takeoff foot landing across 4-6 reps.
Drift on early strides; deceleration in last 3; mid-mark variance over 12 inches.
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.
