[header] How to pole vault [title] Select the height of the bar for your vault. [step] For your first few vaults, you should remove the bar completely to give you the most space to learn the movements of vaulting. For your next few jumps, try using a bungee cord to approximate the feeling of a pole. 
Then, once you are confident with clearing the bungee at 5 to 8 feet (1.5 to 2.4 m), place the standards (the pole you jump over) at the same height. This bar will get progressively higher as you become more confident.