Sports
Sports Material Properties of Poles
Quick fact
Modern pole vault poles are made from fiberglass or carbon fiber composites, which can store and release more than 50% of the energy during a vault—far more than the old bamboo or metal poles.
Why this is interesting
Have you ever watched a pole vaulter soar over a bar and wondered why their pole bends so dramatically without snapping? That flexibility is not a flaw—it’s the key to their jump.
Read the full explanation
Understanding Sports Material Properties of Poles
Think of a pole as a giant spring. When a vaulter plants the pole in the box and runs forward, the pole bends, storing elastic energy. For safety and performance, the pole must be stiff enough to support the athlete's weight but flexible enough to bend and then straighten. Early poles were rigid, limiting height. Today’s poles are engineered composites that bend smoothly, allowing the vaulter to ride the pole upward as it recoils.
A deeper explanation
The material properties that matter most are bending stiffness (resistance to bending), elastic modulus (material’s tendency to deform elastically), and yield strength (point at which permanent damage occurs). A pole acts as a cantilever beam under the vaulter’s weight and momentum. The stored energy is given by (1/2) (bending stiffness) (deflection)^2. Fiberglass and carbon fiber have high strain energy capacity: they can absorb large deformations without breaking and return nearly all stored energy. This energy is converted into vertical kinetic energy, launching the vaulter upward. The design also involves tapering and varying fiber orientation to control flexibility along the pole’s length. Understanding these principles allows engineers to tailor poles for athletes of different weights and speeds, maximizing performance while preventing catastrophic failure.