Here’s a secret that surprises a lot of new vaulters: some of the most productive pole vault training happens nowhere near your full approach. Two steps. Four steps. Six. A soft pole, a low grip, and a bar that only creeps up an inch at a time.
It doesn’t look flashy. Nobody’s posting a two-step vault as a highlight reel. But short-approach pole vault training is where a ton of the real technical work gets done — and fall is the perfect time to build it into your program. Let’s break down why it works, where it can go wrong, and how to use a step progression to work your way back to a full run.
Why Short Approaches Are a Training Superpower
David Brannan of the Alaska Pole Vault Club (Learn to Pole Vault) points out that while there are no medals for vaulting off the shortest runway, a shorter approach offers some big training advantages. You can:
- Scale the vault down — use smaller poles that match the lower speed
- Take more jumps in a single training session
- Work on timing and fundamentals without a full sprint every rep
That second point is huge. More jumps means more reps of the plant, the takeoff, and the swing — the stuff that actually decides how high you go. And because every jump is less taxing, the quality of those reps stays high.
Apex Vaulting makes a related point: full jumps can be done from any approach, from zero steps all the way back to a full run, and you don’t need to be at a full approach every session. In fact, Apex warns that going full-run every practice can overwork the central nervous system and lead to run-throughs. Short-approach work is how you keep jumping without burning the athlete out.
The Catch: Know the Downsides
Short runs aren’t magic. Brannan is upfront that there are trade-offs coaches and athletes need to watch for:
| Short-Approach Advantage | Short-Approach Watch-Out |
|---|---|
| More jumps per session | Shorter runs may lead to poor running mechanics |
| Smaller, scaled-down poles | It may alter the athlete’s comfort zone |
| Focus on timing and fundamentals | Timing is different between pole lengths and run lengths |
The fix isn’t to skip short approaches — it’s to use them on purpose. Keep sprint mechanics sharp with regular pole runs (more on that below), and remember that a short-run rhythm won’t transfer perfectly to a long run. That’s exactly why you progress back gradually instead of leaping straight from four steps to your full approach.
The Step Progression Method, Step by Step
Brannan lays out a step progression that’s beautifully simple. Here’s how it works:
- Start from just two steps, holding low on a reasonably soft pole.
- Raise the crossbar only 1 inch at a time until the athlete records three misses.
- Stay on that same approach every day for several weeks. Take many jumps, video every one, and analyze each jump for inefficiencies.
- Once you’re happy with the biomechanics, move back two steps and repeat the whole process.
That’s it. No rush, no ego. Brannan notes it may take several months before an athlete is ready for their longest runway — and that he’s known many athletes who only move back to their full approach right before season championships.
Let that sink in for a second. The full run isn’t the default; it’s the finish line of a progression. If your vaulter is cranking out clean, efficient jumps from six steps in November, that’s not falling behind — that’s building a foundation.
Pro tip: Pair this with a video review routine. Short-approach days produce a lot of clips fast, so it’s the perfect time to get good at spotting a late plant or a dropped bottom arm. Our guide to pole vault video self-analysis walks through how to break down footage.
Frequency Beats Volume
So how many short-approach jumps should you take in a day? Apex Vaulting’s answer: there’s no magic number of reps — and how often you do a drill matters more than how many reps you cram into one practice.
Apex’s reasoning is worth remembering:
- Drills go stale. Do one for too long in a session and the athlete stops improving — and actually gets worse.
- Quality drops with volume. Since the whole point is better technique, piling up sloppy reps doesn’t help.
- Consistency adds up. At Apex, athletes do 3–5 pole runs every practice, which Apex says adds up to 390–660 pole runs over a year. Small doses, every day.
That last point also solves the “short runs can hurt running mechanics” problem. Pole runs keep the approach sharp on days when the jumps themselves are short.
Apex recommends building a schedule of big days (longer approaches, full jumps) and drill days (off-the-pit drills and short-approach drills). The drill days keep the central nervous system recovered between long-run sessions and give you time to fix the weaknesses the big days reveal. Short-approach step progression slots right into those drill days.
Moving Back: How Runway Length Adds Speed
Eventually the athlete moves back — and that’s where things get exciting. Brannan explains that the runway has to be long enough for the athlete to reach the speed needed to penetrate on the pole they’re using, and that the longer and stiffer the pole, the more speed is required.
According to Brannan, lengthening the runway by two steps increases launch velocity somewhere between 2.5 and 20 percent, depending on how long the run was to begin with — and eventually the gains turn negative if the run gets too long.
His golden rule here is one every vaulter should tape to their locker:
Don’t “try” to run faster from the same runway. If you need more speed, add a couple of steps.
Brannan’s checklist for an ideal runway, at any length:
- Long enough to reach the desired speed
- Promotes optimal stride length, frequency, and rhythm with predictable marks
- Each step builds on the last — continuous acceleration building to a crescendo
- Allows balance, good posture, and relaxation
- Avoids injury to the feet, ankles, knees, and back
As the approach gets longer, the pole usually needs to change too. That’s where having the right progression of poles matters.
Gear Up for Short-Run Season
Short-approach work calls for softer, appropriately sized poles — and as your athletes move back, they’ll need to step up. TetonVault carries poles from UST-ESSX, Gill Pacer, and FiberSport, including these training-friendly options:
| Pole | Brand | Price Range |
|---|---|---|
| ESSX Launch | UST-ESSX | $378–$409 |
| Pacer One | Gill Athletics | $405–$570 |
| FiberSport Non-Carbon Training Poles | FiberSport | $460–$545 |
Not sure which length and weight fit your athlete’s current step count? That’s exactly the kind of question Coach Dopp loves to help with.
Shorten the Run, Lengthen the Progress
Short-approach pole vault training isn’t a step backward — it’s how you build vaulters who can actually use their full run when it counts. Start at two steps, raise the bar an inch at a time, film everything, and only move back when the jump looks right. Keep pole runs in every practice, alternate big days with drill days, and let the full approach be something you earn.
Ready to build a pole progression for your athletes? Browse vaulting poles or reach out to Coach Dopp for help matching poles to your program.
