Here's an excerpt from an article in the Summer 2002 issue of American Track & Field: "The relationships between technique, grip height, approach run, and pole stiffness are essential to understanding pole vaulting. Please note the following rules of thumb, and incorporate them into a program. Keep in mind that the relationships between these items are the basis for improving technique as well as safety. These adjustments are continual because they occur on a jump-by-jump basis. Students should: *lower their grip if they are not penetrating deep enough onto the landing pad to produce a safe vault. *lower their grip if they are landing near the edges of the landing pad. *lower their grip if they are overbending their pole (more than 90 degrees) *raise their grip if they are not overbending the pole but are landing too deep in the pit. *go to a slightly stiffer pole if they are overbending their pole and landing well into the pit. * go to a softer or shorter pole (but never under their body weight) if they have mastered the progression outlined above and they can't bend the pole. *check their take-off step on a regular basis. They should adjust the starting point of their run so that their take-off foot is directly under their top hand at the moment of leaving the ground. *never adjust the grip upward in increments larger than 2 or 3 inches per jump."