Early Turn for Control
Too many vaulters fly blind. After the run, plant, takeoff, and swing, they shoot upward with their back to the bar—unaware of their position in relation to it. They hope for a clean clearance—but hope is not a strategy.
What separates average vaulters from consistent, high-level performers is control—of posture, timing, and spatial awareness.
An early, well-timed turn allows you to see where you are in relation to the crossbar. It transforms the vault from a launch-and-hope event into a skill-based maneuver. With vision comes awareness. With awareness comes adjustment. And with adjustment comes consistent execution (Davlin, 2004).
What the Turn Does (and Doesn’t Do)
Contrary to popular belief, vaulters shouldn’t rely solely on feel once airborne. The turn provides both visual feedback and air awareness, enabling the athlete to fine-tune posture and trajectory in real time. When initiated correctly, it aligns the body with the optimal parabola for clearing the crossbar (Linthorne, 2000).
But if the turn is performed too late, the athlete loses the chance to make real-time adjustments. Flying blind—with the back turned toward the crossbar—often leads to inconsistent clearances and frequent bar contact (Schade & Arampatzis, 2012).
Why the Turn Starts Early
The turn begins earlier than many vaulters realize. As the swing drives the hips upward and aligns the body alongside the pole, there’s a critical moment—just before the hips pass the hands—when rotation should begin.
This doesn’t mean throwing the head back to force the hips up faster, as many athletes mistakenly do. Instead, it means initiating rotation by leading with the shoulders while maintaining pressure through the top arm. This controlled movement keeps the body aligned with the pole and sets up a smoother, more efficient inversion (Arampatzis et al., 2004).
An early turn gives the athlete time to see the bar and make critical adjustments to hip alignment, body posture, and the timing of peak clearance. Without that visual reference, accurate adjustments become nearly impossible.
You can’t adjust to what you can’t see—and if your back is to the bar, your own body blocks the view. Throw your head back, and you’re not just blind—you’re guessing.
Vision is Feedback
Think of the bar as a reference point. You wouldn’t high jump with your eyes closed, and gymnasts don’t flip without spotting their landing. Yet many pole vaulters don’t visually locate the bar until they’ve already passed their peak.
By initiating the turn earlier—as you begin to invert—you gain visual feedback at the most critical moment of the vault. This awareness allows you to:
Recognize your position relative to the bar—Are you too close, too far, or lined up to clear?
Make midair adjustments to avoid catching a knee, poor hip position, or brushing the bar on the way down.
Research shows that visual input significantly improves postural control and spatial orientation in aerial athletes (Davlin, 2004). For vaulters, earlier turns provide more time to process visual information and make in-air corrections.
Mechanics of the Turn
The mechanics of a proper turn include a sequence of subtle, coordinated movements:
Shoulder rotation: As the swing nears completion and the body inverts, the shoulders begin rotating around the pole. The lead shoulder (opposite the top hand) initiates the turn, guiding the torso smoothly into alignment.
Controlled head movement: The head turns gently—not to whip the body around, but to guide rotation, maintain alignment, and provide visual feedback on the athlete’s position relative to the bar.
Hip thrust and leg scissoring: As the turn begins, the drive leg (non-takeoff leg) may drop slightly behind while the takeoff leg remains extended. This scissoring action generates subtle torque, which helps lift the hips and initiates shoulder rotation around the pole (McGinnis, 1987).
Core engagement: A tight, aligned torso minimizes the gap between the body and the pole, helping delay pole recoil and maintaining connection to its upward energy. This preserves momentum and improves vertical lift.
Dorsiflexing the feet: As the turn begins, dorsiflexing both feet activates the quads and hip flexors, keeping the legs rising and in line with the pole.
These movements work together to rotate the vaulter into the ideal position without sacrificing height. The goal is not just to turn—but to turn with timing, control, and efficiency.
Common Errors
Turning Too Late
Leaves the vaulter blind—or causes them to drop their feet just to spot the bar.
Limits the ability to make final adjustments.
Increases the risk of clipping the bar with the hips or thighs—because the body is nearly twice as wide sideways as it is front-to-back.
Throwing the Head Back
Cuts off vision and disrupts alignment with the pole.
Activates the back chain—glutes, hamstrings, and spinal extensors—which can cause the legs to drift into the bar.
Passive Turn
Relying entirely on pole recoil without initiating rotation leads to inconsistent outcomes.
Failing to stay active during the turn can open a gap between the athlete and the pole, reducing lift and drifting off the vertical path.
How to practice this:
Soft-Bend Turn Drills: Focus on shoulder rotation and visual awareness without over-whipping the head back.
Overhead Bar Visual Tracking: Helps athletes locate the bar early during inversion.
Bubka-Initiated Turn Series: Use Bubka drills on high bar or rings to coordinate inversion and shoulder turn timing.
Film Review with Timing Cues: Pause-and-analyze the turn’s initiation relative to pole recoil and bar visibility.
Final Thoughts
The vault isn’t over when you’re upside down. In many ways, that’s where it truly begins. A well-timed turn gives you vision, posture, and power. It allows you to make decisions in midair—to peak where you choose and finish with confidence, not chaos.
Done well, the turn becomes a steering mechanism, allowing the vaulter to rise, rotate, and peak all at the right place.
Sources
Arampatzis, A., Schade, F., Brüggemann, G. P. (2004). Effect of the pole–human body interaction on pole vaulting performance. Journal of Biomechanics, 37(9), 1353–1360.
Davlin, C. D. (2004). Dynamic balance in high-level athletes: a comparison of taekwondo vs. track and field athletes. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 98(3), 1029–1038.
Linthorne, N. P. (2000). Energy loss in the pole vault take-off and the advantage of the flexible pole. Sports Engineering, 3(4), 205–218.
McGinnis, P. M. (1987). Mechanics of the Pole Vault. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Illinois.
Schade, F., & Arampatzis, A. (2012). Biomechanical analysis of the pole vault jump of the world’s best athletes. Journal of Sports Sciences, 30(9), 899–906.