How do you pole vault?

How do you bend pole when you pole vault?

• its my junior year in highschool and second year polevaulting. without bending pole i can get over 9 1/2 feet. my coach told me if i bend pole i am capable of going so much higher, and i have one of the fastest start-off's. the only problem is that i am scared of bending pole and falling off. do you have any advice on how to bend pole and overcoming this fear?

• Answer:

  If the reason you can not bend the pole is your fear, then you need to develop the feel by using a training device. There are some available on line at www.mfathletic.com If the pole is rated for your weight and you sit back you should be able to bend the pole. The most common error is not waiting on the pole to release, and holding yourself too close rather than at arms' length.