Starting height in meets?

[polevaulter08nw]

yeah that would be good, or 11 then pass to 12 and then 12'6 and so on

[Lax PV]

I like to look at it this way...

1. The easy bar (lots can go wrong and still make it--standard placement, pole, runway...)

2. The pole vault bar--ok so the first one is out of the way, now lets actually be at a bar where we have to vault to make.

3. The Competition bar--a bar that you normally clear for a final performance in a meet--which everyones is obviously a little different, but usually a few inches lower than your PR.

4. Finally the PR bar--one that you haven't cleared before (duh...)


This is the general rule that I go by, it usually enters an athlete into the competition about a foot or so below their PR.


But as the great Earl Bell says--you can never come into a meet to early. Given temp, wind, rain, how training has been going, all sorts of variables can change it around a bit..

[rainbowgirl28]

At the high school level, I think it is good for most kids to come in low. A meet is the best practice you can get! ESPECIALLY if you are not doing very many other events.

Exceptions would be injured kids and kids in a lot of other events.

The only meets in high school where I only did one event were really big invites and districts and state. At summer meets I did lots of events. Even JO Associations I did hurdles.

I wasn't good in anything else, but doing hurdles, the 100 (which I was HORRID at) and long jump helped make me a better athlete, and get me from 7-6 to 10-6 in a year.

[master]

I like to look at it this way...

1. The easy bar (lots can go wrong and still make it--standard placement, pole, runway...)

2. The pole vault bar--ok so the first one is out of the way, now lets actually be at a bar where we have to vault to make.

3. The Competition bar--a bar that you normally clear for a final performance in a meet--which everyones is obviously a little different, but usually a few inches lower than your PR.

4. Finally the PR bar--one that you haven't cleared before (duh...)

I agree with this approach.

- master

[vault3rb0y]

polevaulter08nw, im starting to vault around that same time too, actually. I will start september 10th, but we will be doing short runs and drills until indoor really starts, and i think it will only be once a week. That way i will still be lifting and doing speed training.


as for the starting hieght...

I like to look at it this way...

1. The easy bar (lots can go wrong and still make it--standard placement, pole, runway...)

2. The pole vault bar--ok so the first one is out of the way, now lets actually be at a bar where we have to vault to make.

3. The Competition bar--a bar that you normally clear for a final performance in a meet--which everyones is obviously a little different, but usually a few inches lower than your PR.

4. Finally the PR bar--one that you haven't cleared before (duh...)

perfect... i just might add that often when i start a meet, i will go with a pole a little soft for me, and then bury my standards. That way if you dont do all that stuff right, like we said, you will still get through the pit and can finish the vault. Its also a good way to warm up, actually clearing the bar. After you go on your soft pole, going to a little stiffer one for the next hieght gives you a lot more confidence.

[Powervaulter]

How about the other end of the spectrum... let's say that you've just PR'd, and you're the only one left in the competition. Now what? How much would you go up by?

Personally, I would go 10cm, or 4". One time this year, I saw a girl absolutely CRUSH her PR by about a foot. So what does she do? She goes up by 5cm, or 2"! What happens? She CRUSHES the next height by about a foot AGAIN! This girl PR'd in the competition about 5 times!

Now, on the one hand... good for her! However, I believe that when she finally did go out of the competition, it was because she was exhausted, not because she lacked the ability to make that bar. Plus, the men's flight was held up by another 30 minutes, when we were already behind schedule.

I don't mean to sound like a whiner, but I guess I wanted to get that off my chest, because as the last person jumping that day (and it was a long, hot day), it can be very frustrating. The sun is going down, the tailwind disappears, and so does the crowd, including the vaulters, which I don't think is very sportsman-like.

Maybe I'm being a wimp... but let's see what others have to say.

[Lax PV]

yeah i know what youre talking about. that always drove me nuts, but at the same time, if it were me who pr'ed and was still rollin, the story might be a little different.

[JumpinSkiing]

My son started vaulting about 2 weeks before the first meet. I was just happy that he could make the opening height. As the season progressed, I could see that coming in at 9' was goimg to wear him out before he got to his PR. We slowly raised his opening height. The first time we did this, he didn't re-warmup and fell into the box and hurt himself. Now he's at a 13'PR, we are trying to decide where he should come in at. What do you all think, 11'6"?

I'm in the same boat pretty much, and I think i'll be coming in at 11 towards the beginning of the season, and most definitely higher that number as the season goes on.

[newPVer]

what Powervaulter is talking about.
How long did she take for each bar? over 3 min. is too long. i mean yes, you do have 6 or so, or whatever it is, but you won, you will have more chances at higher heights, so just jump. and if you are clearing the bars by a foot, you can go up a decient amount, but if the bar almost came down on your PR jump, go up in 3 or 4 inches.
And I always stay till the end, wether i have to or not. They watched me, so I should stay and watch them. Its just what I do.

[hellomotto08]

My PB is 11'6", almost 12' clearnence but nicked it with my chest on my 3rd try at states because i switched poles and the stanards were to far back...I start usually at 10, or 10'6". I think that depending on how compfortable you are while warming up should tell you how high you should start. I try and start as close to my pb as i can, since the less jumps you make, the more energy you will have..the better your chance as clearning that next height.

[vault3rb0y]

I believe that other vaulters and the girls coach should help her decide what next hieght to go to. Obviously you want to get the highest PR possible, but i would say if you are clearing it by a foot, move it up 15 cm then after that, judge by the previous hieght. If you clear it again by a foot, go up another 7 inches to be safe but not sorry :-P.

[lonestar]

I was coaching a D3 girl a number of years back who had just won her conference meet with 10'0. She had the option of choosing her height, and she and I said "10'6." Guess who the official was that day in Memphis? Earl Bell.

Earl said "I think Beth can clear 10'6 today, but not in the next 3 attempts. She needs a few more easier bars to dial things in, and then she could give it a shot." He rccommended going up 2". She cleared 10'2 on her 2nd after a step adjustment, 10'4 on her 3rd after pole and standard adjustments, and barely missed 10'6. Had we gone straight to 10'6, she most likely would have missed it doing what she was doing.

The moral of the story: raise the bar in reasonable increments that allow you to make the necessary adjustments to jump higher. We work hard as vaulters to win meets and earn the privilege of choosing our next height. If you want to raise it a centimeter at a time, then do so. Yes, it may be annoying if you're in the next division to jump and the wind is getting bad, but complain to the Games Committe about scheduling, not the vaulter for enjoying their moment.

What is that progression that Earl has on his chalkboard on the last day of camps in the PR Meet? Anyone remember?