Watkins Memorial’s Victoria Harvey clears 13’3″ to win the Div I State Meet 2023
I’ve coached pole vault here in Ohio since 1982. In 1990 I was a member of the Ohio Coaches Association Committee that developed a series of clinics to improve pole vault coaching and safety. In 2001, Ohio became one of the first states to require Pole Vault Safety Certification to coach Middle School or High School Pole Vault. I’ve been conducting PV Safety Clinics for the Coaches Association ever since.
So here’s a whole bunch of information about Pole Vault. Some of the items are from Clinic Presentations, some are videos of great vaults, and some are just ideas on how to make vaulting safer, fun, and more successful.
Mark Hannay, former PV Coach at Slippery Rock University and my PV “Mentor” passed away in March. Here’s a link to my story about him, and here’s his obituary
Looking for pole vault forms? – Click image
Want to become an OHSAA Track and Field Official? Click on the image below:
OFFICIALS – COACHES – ATHLETES AND PARENTS – HERE’S THE “COMPLETE” PRESENTATION ON OFFICIATING THE POLE VAULT – 2025 – click the image
HERE’S A SHORTER PRESENTATION ON POLE VAULT OFFICIATING -click the image
Here’s Long Jump Officiating Presentation – click image
Ever wonder how to “set up” a crossbar? click image
Getting High/Middle School Coach Pole Vault Safety Certification
Coaches – if you need Coach’s PV Safety Certification it’s available on Saturday Morning – at the OAT-CCC Clinic in January (every year)
ONLINE Coach’s Pole Vault Safety Certification
Watch (and listen) to the two videos below – then email me for access to the “certification quiz”. Email mdahlman61@gmail.com
Upon successful completion the cost is $10 per certificate (PayPal)
If you have a group (five or more?) that would like an in-person PV Safety Certification Presentation – contact me at mdahlman61@gmail.com
To review this year’s presentation notes, here’s an Mp4 version of the PowerPoint Presentation for the 2025 State Track Coaches Clinic. click the image
- The NFHS and SkyJumper’s PVSCB also offer Coach’s Pole Vault Safety Certifications – (RIP Jan Johnson – we lost a great advocate for vault in February ’25)
NO MORE RUNBACKS AT MEETS!!!
COACHES AND VAULTERS -The National Federation has changed the rules. “Runbacks” are now banned in Pole Vault, Long Jump and Javelin (since 2020). Here’s how to get steps click the image below
Posts on Pole Vault Coaching
- Pole Vault Mentor
- Provenance
- Old Poles Never Die
- Getting Steps for the New Vaulter
- The Basics of Poles
- Pole Vault Terms (I Don’t Use)
- Numbers and Pole Vault
Posts on Pole Vault Officiating
- 2026 High School Warmup Rule Change
- Who Controls the Bar?
- Is It Cheating?
- Tricks of the Trade
- Preparing for a Pole Vault Competition
- You’re Alive!!!
- Old Poles, New Labels
- The Last Attempt
- Too Bad to Vault
- Pole Vault Paperwork
- Liability and Officiating the Pole Vault
- Making “The Call”
- There’s A Window
- Back to Work!!
Pole Vault “Stories”
- A Pole Vault Story
- All About Pole Vault
- Pole Vault and Politics
- Busy Season
- Back at State
- A Track Story
- How Mondo Won the Gold and Started a Dog Fight (almost)
- My Pole Vault Mentor
Track and Cross Country Stories
- Ritual – 2/14/21
- Lessons from the State Meet – 3/28/21
- More Lessons from the State – 4/4/21
- Running Memories – 7/25/21
- Team Trips – 12/26/21
- Old Trophies – 1/30/22
- Olympic Miracles – 2/13/22
- Track Weather – 4/3/22
- Waterproof Paper – 5/8/22
- Cross Country Camp – 8/14/22
- The McGowan – 9/10/23
- Fifty Years of the McGowan – 9/8/24
- Unsportsmanlike – 3/9/25
- The Right Call – 8/17/25
Presentation notes from Pole Vault Clinics
- Pole Vault – Everything about Everything
- “Developing a Middle School Pole Vault Program”
- “Drills – Drills – Drills” Pole Vault Drill for every aspect of the vault
- A different MS PV lecture – Middle School PV Presentation
- The Pole Vault Plant – Punch or Press
- Some pole vault fun – here’s some drills!!!! – Pole Vault Games
- OATCCC Clinic Presentation on the Pole Vault Plant – Critical Mass Notes
- Choosing the Right Pole – Which pole this time??
- The Physics of Pole Vault – an academic view of the vault
- A diagram of a world record vault: Bubka Vault
- A Description of the Pole Vault Drills – many we have used in camps and clinics.
- How to build a pole vault pole selection for a program
GREAT VAULT VIDEOS
Some Great Vault Videos – http://www.stabhochsprung.com
Great technique – Sergei Bubka, Maxim Terasov, Sam Kendricks, Yalena Isinbayev
Great Vaults – Renaud Lavillenie, Mondo Duplantis, Scott Huffman
- Bubka Technique Study
- Women’s World Record – Yalena Isinbayev
- Renaud Lavillenie World Record
- Maxim Terasov – Do It This Way
- Sam Kendricks – American Record
- Mondo Duplantis – An Older Vault
- Mondo Duplantis – World Record Vault
- Cornelius Warmerdam – Steel Pole
- Scott Huffman – American Record w/ a twist
Copyrights and Permissions
© 2023-2024 – Martin Dahlman – All materials, in digital or hardcopy format included in this presentation with the exception of professional vault videos are copyrighted to Martin Dahlman. They may be copied or reproduced with explicit permission of the author.
Digiprove hereby certifies that Martin Dahlman was in possession of the files detailed below on 1/17/2023 – Certificate Number P1525777 Ohio Pole Vault Safety Clinic Presentation – 2023-2024
Ohio Pole Vault Safety 
