Pole Vault

The pole vault is a field event where a person is propelled over a bar with the help of a long and bending pole. The object of pole vaulting is to vault as high as possible without any of the body touching the top bar. The sport is extremely old. It was practiced by the ancient Greeks and Celts as a sport. However with the exception of these two tribes the pole vault is hardly mentioned in ancient sport history.

The pole vault event actually was a means of crossing rivers and streams in centuries past. This was highly common in the northern areas of the Netherlands and the north of England. Drainage of these bodies of water led to the creation of drainage ditches at peculiar angles. The pole or pole vaulting presented a relatively simple way of getting across without getting wet. This method became very widely used to the point that a set of jumping poles was kept at every house.

The sport of pole vaulting is likely to have begun in Germany at about the mid 1800’s. It was added to their gymnastic exercises and regular physical education program. The modern style of pole vault however was developed much later in the United States. The poles themselves were made of stiff materials originally but it was later found that making them from more flexible, bendy type matter gave the athletes much better results.

The pole vault event combines several skills. Good pole vaulters need to have strength in the legs, core and arms. The event combines running, propelling and vaulting. Training for the pole vault involves toning the entire body. The legs the center and the arms need to be in excellent condition to get good results.

The pole vault remains a very popular event in track and field competitions. Most schools allow it as an event due to the fact that the risks can be quite minimal. Good pole vaulters start young and train for a long time. However, anyone can learn to do it on some level. The overall body conditioning and exercise will produce very positive results.

The pole vault is a very old event. It was used as a sport in ancient Greece but really developed as a way of crossing natural obstacles. Though centuries the event has evolved into what we know it today.