Short Vaulters

[ramenvaulter]

I keep hearing people say that pole vaulters are just tall gymnasts that run fast.
I've also seen coaches shocked that a male of my height (5ft6in) is a vaulter.
Is it strange for a vaulter to be this height and will it affect how high I will go in the future?
And if it does affect how high I will go what will be some issues?

[powerplant42]

I don't believe Joe Dial was much taller than you.

[souleman]

I've got a little advice here. NEVER listen for even a minute to anyone that says you can't do something (except maybe your Mom and Dad....but that's different) . I don't care if it's pole vaulting, racing a car, being the best electrician in the world or anything you want to do. Only listen to the people that say "yeah! You can do that". Then go out and show them that they are right. You can do it. ..............Later..............Mike

[nitro]

I keep hearing people say that pole vaulters are just tall gymnasts that run fast.
I've also seen coaches shocked that a male of my height (5ft6in) is a vaulter.
Is it strange for a vaulter to be this height and will it affect how high I will go in the future?
And if it does affect how high I will go what will be some issues?

it will barely affect you. Joe Dial was about 5 foot 6 and jumped 5.96m. So 5.96 is definitely achievable

[powerplant42]

Yes, it is technically a disadvantage because of the lower pole-ground angle/take-off length, and maybe swing strength (debatable). It would be better if you were ~6'2"... But you really can't do much about it, so why worry about that instead of worrying about how to counteract it? Get faster! Get stronger! GET MORE TECHNICALLY SOUND!

[Barto]

To set the record straight Joe Dial is more like 5'9, but that is not the point here.

Good news - pole vault technique is easier to learn and execute at 5'6 than if you were 6'2

Bad news - at 5'6 you must learn good technique to be very successful

[kev44000]

There have been only a handfull of 19 foot vaulters that were short. There have been a lot of 19 foot vaulters 6 foot and taller. A taller jumper has an advantage. They can for sure get on bigger poles sooner.

[KirkB]

I don't think ramenvaulter is asking whether or not he will be able to jump 19' or not. I'm guessing that he's a high-schooler, and wants to know whether "it's worth it" to continue in the sport.

On PVP, we tend to emphasize the elite vaulters, especially WR holders. That's good for modeling your technique after the "best". But just because we're not all ideal specimens to break the WR or to jump 19', it doesn't mean that we shouldn't vault. Heck, even Bubka was a little on the short side of the "ideal" stature for a vaulter.

At the beginner or HS level, there are so many other factors involved, that size really doesn't matter that much. If you're only 5-6, you can still win your district or state meet with solid training and technique. And even if you don't, you can still have fun just learning and participating in the sport.

I've also seen coaches shocked that a male of my height (5ft6in) is a vaulter.
Is it strange for a vaulter to be this height and will it affect how high I will go in the future?

If you take the normal distribution of heights for males of your age, and chart it against the normal distribution of male vaulters of your age, I doubt that you would see much "strangeness".

Size DOES matter quite a bit in basketball and football. I think this influences people to think that you're not "athletic" unless you're big and tall. Not true.

Two characteristics that "good" short vaulters have are that they (a) tend to be a little faster than taller vaulters of their age and ability, and (b) they tend to be better gymnasts.

Compared to HS gymnasts, a 5-6 vaulter would probably be right in the middle of the bell curve.

I would even speculate by adding a third characteristic often found more often in shorter vaulters: "guts", or "fearless attitude".

And if it does affect how high I will go what will be some issues?

On the plus side, you should be able to maneuver your body more easily on the pole and in the air. This is for the same reason that short gymnasts are usually better than tall gymnasts.

On the negative side, as has already been pointed out, your pole will have a more acute angle on takeoff, which means that it won't roll to vertical as easily as for a taller vaulter.

At the HS level, these issues are really not nearly important as having a good mental attitude, training hard, and learning proper technique.

The single most important point here is that you should turn this supposed disadvantage into an advantage by staying motivated to continue to "shock" the pundits.

Keep your glass half FULL!!!

Kirk

[73-vaulter]

I had one vaulter win the State meet who was 5'3" tall, and a second vault 16'0" in High School who was "only" 5'6" tall. Don't let "lack" of height stop you.