Definitions / Block 3 — Measurement
Time on Pole (TOP)
The interval from the takeoff foot leaving the ground to the pole release at the top. Between 1.10 and 1.55 seconds at every performance level — and shorter is better.
Time on pole is the interval from the takeoff foot leaving the ground to the pole release at the top.
Across every performance level it falls between roughly 1.10 and 1.55 seconds. Elite men can complete it in about 1.10 seconds, elite women in about 1.20.
Shorter is better. Time on pole is inversely related to the average vertical speed of the center of gravity on the pole: the more energy the athlete delivers into the system, the faster the body rises, and the shorter the interval becomes. A long time on pole is not extra time in which to add energy. It is usually an indicator, in this model, of structural issues in the actions on the pole.
During every vault the center of gravity travels a substantial distance relative to the top grip — for elite men about 2.4m, from roughly 1.20m below the grip to roughly 1.20m above it at release, and slightly less for elite women.
Beyond about 1.55 seconds a standard vault is no longer being performed.
The diagnostic use of this term, and how it is applied in coaching, is in the member vault.