Body Type

[luv2run]

Hey guys,

I know generally for most sports there's a certain typical body type of a person in that sport. I mean...really good sprinter's are built a certain way, distance runners are usually a certain build and so on.
I have always loved track and running but have never actually found a certain event that i was really good at. I just have a lot of events i'm mediocre at. I was wondering if there was typically a certain body type for most girl pole vaulters or if it is open to anything right now because it is so new. I mean obviously its good to be as light as possible because you're trying to go as high as you can in the air but any feedback would be great thanks

[rainbowgirl28]

You don't necesarily want to be as light as possible... you need to be as strong as possible for your body weight. But you need muscle and all to have power to put into the pole. Lose too much weight and you lose power and can't go as high... there are certain college girls this has happened to.

[wacky274]

In pole vaulting, it typically also helps to be tall. Taller you are, less of an angle you have to move your pole to get it to vertical, meaning you can hold higher typically

[lonestar]

That's a difficult question to answer. Is there a "preferred" body type? Yes - basically tall, powerful, fast, good relative body strength (doesn't matter how much you bench but how many pullovers can you do?). BUT, does that mean that ONLY that body type can be a good vaulter? Absolutely not.

In my club, I have about 30 girls anywhere from 5'2" tall to 5'8" tall and anywhere from 95-150lbs. Interesting fact: while a tall person can typically hold higher because of her reach advantage, my 5'2 girl holds higher than every other girl in my club because she's incredibly powerful and hits her takeoff like a freight train.

If you truly love the sport, it doesn't really matter what your body type is. Short, tall, skinny, fat, slow, fast, I've seen every body type jump well with a lot of hard work and dedication.

Try it - chances are you'll get hooked on it like the rest of us on this bulletin board.

Plus, it's always cool when you can show a person up who said that you weren't made for vaulting - I was told to quit in 7th grade because I was too slow and weak, and 2 High School District Championships and 2 Collegiate Conference Championships later, this sport has consumed every second of my life while the people who told me to quit don't even vault anymore.

[Tigerrrpv]

There are exceptions to every rule as far as body types. I know that the shorter you are the faster you have to be and the higher you have to jump. but don't let that discourage you. I can to vault from a sprint and long jump background and I was not the tallest guy out there and many people told me to quit. But hard work makes up for where you lack physically. If you look back at the world championships I think 2 or all of the top 3 male vaulters were 6 feet and under so it shows you don't have to be a tree in order to be successful. One suggestion though is to try to be as fast and and strong as possible speed and strength kills. personally I think shorter vaulters have and advantage because they are able to turn over faster more than likely invert faster and have more potential for strength just because of the distance they have to travel with weight. and always remember you gotta have the lats that look like a sting ray or flying squirrel.

[wacky274]

i was saying generally taller can be an advantage, i too have seen great vaulters who are not all that tall....i mean there really are a lot of variables like lonestar said, and i really agree with him.....we have a guy on my team, not very tall, not very strong, but he has worked his butt off and is now starting to bend poles and jump higher, not by muscling it, because he has worked on his run, and he is developing a really good plant....so it all depends...pole vaulting i love because typically if you train hard, and want it bad enough, you will jump high.....best of luck to ya

[haynesonyou]

What is the ideal age for a female to peak, do you think? I am 27 and still feel I have a lot left in me... I maybe faster than I was in college.