A late plant is one of the most common faults in the vault, and one of the most costly, because if the pole is still rising when the tip hits the box, there is no time to build any bend or store any energy. The plant should be finished, top hand high and tall, before your takeoff foot lands. Here is why yours is arriving late and how to get it up in time.
The plant is not a single move at takeoff, it is a sequence that should begin two to three steps out. Vaulters who carry the pole low and only start driving the hands up at the last step are always late. Start the top hand moving up earlier, so it is fully extended overhead as the pole tip reaches the box.
A late plant often rides on a panicked, choppy last few steps. When the approach falls apart at the end, the plant gets rushed with it. A controlled, slightly quicker but not shorter final few strides gives the hands time to get up. The plant and the run are connected.
Some vaulters lower the pole tip toward the box instead of driving both hands up and letting the tip fall into place. Dropping the tip feels like planting, but it leaves your hands low. The move is up with the hands, tall through the top arm, not down with the tip.
A late plant is visible in a single frame: where your top hand is when the pole tip hits the box. Film from the side, the AI marks the tip strike and shows whether your top hand is fully overhead or still rising, so you know exactly how much earlier you need to start.
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Start the plant early and the top hand is fully overhead by takeoff, ready to load the pole. Start it late and the hand is still rising when the tip strikes, so the pole gets no time to bend.
Common questions athletes and coaches ask about this topic.
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