First of all, try imagine falling from 18 feet (or more) high. And I mean free fall, which means you are out of control of where and how you land. And most probably you would land on your backs.
Next, imagine that landing on your backs from that kind of height becomes a daily routine. Sounds insane doesn't it? How many times can a person take a landing like that without suffering serious injuries or, worse, losing his/her life? I bet all would say not even once. But there are a group of people who experience that almost every single day of their life. They experience it during practice, training, trails, and competitions, in front of thousands. Landings from 18 feet high are daily routines for them yet they say it doesn't hurt at all. How is that possible?
That is because they are pole vaulters, and they have a big and soft pole vault mat to cushion their every single landing, regardless of whether they clear the bar or not. Landing softly and comfortably on the giant mats after clearing the bar is the best experience for every pole vaulters.
Remember, the pole vault mat is specially there for vaulters to land from 18 feet on their backs, no other reasons. And unlike other mats used in sports such as gymnastics, where the mats are firmer to provide support rather than softness, a pole vault mat is completely based on the softness it provide for vaulters, the softer is always the better. A pole vaulter goes full throttle, uses the pole to propel him/herself 18 feet high to try to clear a bar, then gravity takes control. And these 3 things happens in mere seconds, so imagine how big is the impact upon landing. A pole vault mat makes it all not only safe, but in fact very comfortable. If you think about it, the pole vault mat is probably the softest bed in the world. It is definitely softer than the normal beds that you and I sleep on every night. It should also be softer than trampolines which uses springs, which creates tension and make it a bit harder.
Pole vaulters have the most comfortable place to celebrate a victory. They can completely indulge themselves in victory, sink onto their knees, or even lie down on their backs to savor the great moment that they just had, the point is, they have such a soft bed to do so on. Laying on a soft bed is for sure more comfortable than on the tracks or fields right?
As an extra note, my best pole vault moment is Yelena Isinbayeva's winning jump at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Right after she cleared her winning height, she gets to land on probably the softest landing bed ever created. To support my point, look how deep her body sinks into the bed the moment she land on it. And look at the wavy movements of the whole bed the moment when she sinks onto her knees. Only a really soft bed could create such visuals! Such a soft bed made her look like a princess whose body is so precious that it's shape cannot give way to anything, and only the softest bed can allow her body to keep her natural shape even when she lies on it.
When people talk about pole vault, they always talk only about the vaulter, the height of the bar, and once in a blue moon people talk about the pole. But people almost never talked about the mats before. Pole vault exists because of the mats. Without it, no one would pole vault. So pole vault mats certainly deserves more respect than it currently gets.
In my opinion it is the greatest sports invention. Is it for you?
Next, imagine that landing on your backs from that kind of height becomes a daily routine. Sounds insane doesn't it? How many times can a person take a landing like that without suffering serious injuries or, worse, losing his/her life? I bet all would say not even once. But there are a group of people who experience that almost every single day of their life. They experience it during practice, training, trails, and competitions, in front of thousands. Landings from 18 feet high are daily routines for them yet they say it doesn't hurt at all. How is that possible?
That is because they are pole vaulters, and they have a big and soft pole vault mat to cushion their every single landing, regardless of whether they clear the bar or not. Landing softly and comfortably on the giant mats after clearing the bar is the best experience for every pole vaulters.
Remember, the pole vault mat is specially there for vaulters to land from 18 feet on their backs, no other reasons. And unlike other mats used in sports such as gymnastics, where the mats are firmer to provide support rather than softness, a pole vault mat is completely based on the softness it provide for vaulters, the softer is always the better. A pole vaulter goes full throttle, uses the pole to propel him/herself 18 feet high to try to clear a bar, then gravity takes control. And these 3 things happens in mere seconds, so imagine how big is the impact upon landing. A pole vault mat makes it all not only safe, but in fact very comfortable. If you think about it, the pole vault mat is probably the softest bed in the world. It is definitely softer than the normal beds that you and I sleep on every night. It should also be softer than trampolines which uses springs, which creates tension and make it a bit harder.
Pole vaulters have the most comfortable place to celebrate a victory. They can completely indulge themselves in victory, sink onto their knees, or even lie down on their backs to savor the great moment that they just had, the point is, they have such a soft bed to do so on. Laying on a soft bed is for sure more comfortable than on the tracks or fields right?
As an extra note, my best pole vault moment is Yelena Isinbayeva's winning jump at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Right after she cleared her winning height, she gets to land on probably the softest landing bed ever created. To support my point, look how deep her body sinks into the bed the moment she land on it. And look at the wavy movements of the whole bed the moment when she sinks onto her knees. Only a really soft bed could create such visuals! Such a soft bed made her look like a princess whose body is so precious that it's shape cannot give way to anything, and only the softest bed can allow her body to keep her natural shape even when she lies on it.
When people talk about pole vault, they always talk only about the vaulter, the height of the bar, and once in a blue moon people talk about the pole. But people almost never talked about the mats before. Pole vault exists because of the mats. Without it, no one would pole vault. So pole vault mats certainly deserves more respect than it currently gets.
In my opinion it is the greatest sports invention. Is it for you?