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OK, so I think that it might be beneficial to the entire pole vault community if we were to start a massive drill database... so let's hear some good analysis of any/all drills that you think are great or should avoid (or anything in between you'd like to mention) and why. Feel free to expand on any drill on here. I'll start with a few of my favorites and least favorites:
Best:
Pole runs - full approach with pole, plant and take-off - builds approach rythm and helps speed...can be used in conjuction with the MID mark chart.
20/20s - 20 steps (10 lefts/rights) in 20 meters - helps train cadence at the end of the run...there are a few variations that I can think of on this drill, maybe I'll list some later
Sand Jagodins with a Stiff Pole (from 0-4 lefts/rights) - take-off into the sand from a short approach and stay behind the pole - most have access to the sand, and the drill can be used to remedy countless problems, especially with take-off...you could also swing and finish the vault
Anything done correctly on a high bar, rings, rope, etc. - mimic vault phases - builds muscle memory, confidence, and strength...literally hundreds of drills on these, most notably 'bubkas', giant swing or long swing (with drive knee when possible), and any kip variation

Not so good to do:
One-handers - run pushing the pole with one hand into a jagodin with only one hand - often misused/overused/abused, coaches/athletes think that by doing this drill they are training NOT pushing with the bottom arm/hand, but there is no such thing as reverse kinesiological skill acquisition unless I'm missing something: ex. if you were trying to teach somebody to shoot a basketball, but they continued to push the ball to the side with their support hand, would you have them take away that hand? No, because the shooting hand is not the problem, so you would just put enormous emphasis on holding the support hand steady. The only use that I see to this drill is in teaching someone that the bottom arm is not as important in moving the pole as the top hand, and they could get a feel for about how much pressure the top hand should feel in a vault. Another problem with this drill is if there is a lip on the box.

Rockbacks (I've heard some people call these pop-ups) - use any approach length (usually closer to full length), plant, take-off and put extra emphasis on the inversion - this would be a good drill if it was done properly, but almost every time a beginner is using this drill, they're training their take-off to be short and unfinished, as they are already trying to invert before they take-off...a better thing to do would be to tell the vaulter to execute a full vault (from whatever approach length) except for the turn and fly-away, so that inversion is the last thing executed and can be finished without having to worry about turning and pushing off.

More from me later. Maybe this should be a sticky thread, and maybe this should be in the coach's forum...

Some ok ones:
--Flying 30's, 20's, etc. - accelerate into a period of x meters and run at top speed (usually timed) - helps to develop top speed... can be done with or without a pole, also a good drill for sprinters

--Hill runs - run up a slope - builds strength and helps vaulters/sprinters to get the knees up...can be done with or without pole

--Long jump - just like the event - helps develop strength at take-off, runway speed, and it's fun and competetive...standing works too, as well as continuous jumps off of each foot, can be done with a stubby *(be careful!)*

Not great to do:
--Sliding box - run, plant into a sliding box, and take-off - helps develop some rythm and mimics the moment after take-off pretty well, but if not done with good supervision it can lead to bad habits with blocking the bottom arm at take-off...wall plants/take-offs are an extremely popular variation of this drill

--Run throughs - take a normal approach at a box and pit, but do not take-off - many use this as a determinant of whether their run is 'on' or not, but they fail to realize that they will most likely be in a different spot on their last step if they were to take-off... a better variation of this 'drill' is to add 10-20 feet to your approach and take-off in order to check your step, although this is still not as good a determinant as actually vaulting

--Stubby drills - use a cut piece of pole or something similar a little longer than grip width to mimic vault phases - the reason that I put stubby drills in the 'not good' section is not because there aren't any good stubby drills out there, but because they are sorely abused by mainly, I would think, American coaches... they often use them when there are possibilities of actually using a real pole to train the same piece of the vault... they are great for athletes with little/no equipment or access to equipment or the access is very limited... there must be hundreds of different stubby drills, I might list some later if I feel up to it

Come on, I don't want to have to take this on by myself! And the smilies are fixed...

powerplant42 wrote:Not great to do:
--Sliding box - run, plant into a sliding box, and take-off - helps develop some rythm and mimics the moment after take-off pretty well, but if not done with good supervision it can lead to bad habits with blocking the bottom arm at take-off...wall plants/take-offs are an extremely popular variation of this drill

I disagree with that. Besides helping with simulating the takeoff, it can also help with the strength of your plant and takeoff. I believe Jan Johnson actually uses a custom slide box that is built to hold weight plates for extra resistance. However you do make a good point about it being unproductive if not done under the eye of a coach. It is also dangerous for beginner vaulters.

Right. I'm just advocating not investing a boatload (of money OR time) in one if you don't have much to spend, because there are better ways to improve.

Pretty fun drill:

--Stair push-offs - have the athlete do a handstand on a stoop or staircase and hold their their legs up for support, have them dip down and push up and take away their bottom hand as if in a pushoff, spot them - great for building strength and comfort with being upside down, helps improve push-off power and technique (a little bit)... you could do the drill with a bar or not on the stairs

powerplant42 wrote:Pretty fun drill:

--Stair push-offs - have the athlete do a handstand on a stoop or staircase and hold their their legs up for support, have them dip down and push up and take away their bottom hand as if in a pushoff, spot them - great for building strength and comfort with being upside down, helps improve push-off power and technique (a little bit)... you could do the drill with a bar or not on the stairs

Athlete can also do this unassisted while leaning against a wall, just make sure this is some padding in case you fall.

Additional variation on pole run: Secure 10-20 pounds to the tip of the pole. This will not allow the athlete to carry incorrectly. Do not plant with the weight though!

Useful: Alan Launder's pre-jump drill - use a stiff pole, use a short run on the track or grass, put EXTREME focus and exageration on jumping before the pole tip hits the ground - great for a warm up drill, helps get vaulters use to feeling a pre-jump - you could do this in the sand or in the pit, but there is a higher 'error pad'

CAUTION! If you grip too high on the grass/track, your pole tip will slide out in front of you and you will probably fall on your back!

Talking about the sliding box...
I was at a camp and we used the hurdles for the box it worked pretty well. It helped me alot but that could have been the coach too.

We do this at school instead of doing the upside down on the steps thing.
We do backward bearcrawls up the bleachers, doing them real slow one time, and then regular speed the second time.

Just remember to put your drill series together with some good educational sense.
Plan for the Drills to be done as warmup activities so the correct numbers can be accomplished..
Sequence them from Basic to Complex.
Keep track of successful/unsuccessful performance in each drill. This number will determine your improvement.
Continue to add stress (pole size, hand grip or run length) as you progress.

Good luck and PLan for Success.

Rick Baggett
WSTC LLC

I will add to your comment about simple to comlex saying: simple drills that relate heavily to complex drills that do not.