Is this normal? Can't even get close to my PR anymore, why??

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JDog777
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Is this normal? Can't even get close to my PR anymore, why??

Unread postby JDog777 » Sun May 11, 2003 5:02 pm

I vaulted 10'8" earlier this season and that is my PR (that is the only time I vaulted 10'8"). And since that meet the best I have gotten is 10' and even that I can't get that easily anymore. This is not a case where the people might have messed up and I really vaulted 10'2" or something and not 10'8", it was a very well run meet and they measured and everything else. Granted I barley got 10'8", but it bothers me that I can't even get 10'6" now. Is this like normal? Do you guys that have PR's of like 13'6" have trouble getting like 13' most of the time? I am doing everything the same, it's just not happening, It's pretty embarressing when you get to meets and kids think your half way decent since most of there PR's are 10'6" and I went 10'8" and then come 10' I'm struggling to get over it. Any advice? Is there such thing as a "slump" in pole vault? Thanx alot, I have the state championships this Saturday and I want to vault 11' but I have to be able to get 10' comfortably first and then get 10'6" before I can think about 11'. Thanks alot to all who help me. I appreciate it.

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Unread postby Cornelius » Sun May 11, 2003 8:13 pm

Are you on a different pole now, because that could have something to do with it. OR you might need to go up or down a pole, depending on how well your penetrating. Don't worry about it, it will come one day. Over last summer I vaulted 12'6", and once season started, I cleared 12', but I didn't get 12'6" again till about 3 weeks ago, and just 2 days ago I got 13'4".

JDog777
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Unread postby JDog777 » Sun May 11, 2003 9:13 pm

Cornelius...

First off, congrats on the 13'4", I cant even imagine what it is like to even get my body up that high, let alone get over a bar cleanly! No, I'm on the same pole with teh same hand grips I was when I vaulted 10'8". I weigh 149 and use (and used for the 10'8" vault) a 155 pole. I hold just about as high as I can hold legally on the pole. I am just getting so frustrated and not as excited to compete anymore, like I used to be, because I feel like its just another time where I am going to dissapoint people. A buddy of mine set his PR the same day I did, going into that meet my friends PR was 10'6", he broke his (just like me) and set it to 11'2", he has got 11'2" every meet since then and just yesterday got 11'6" and came as close as you possibly can to getting 12', I mean like if his jersey was a seize Medium and not Large he would have had it, people think the wind might have actually knocked the bar off (it was very windy) just as his body was over it making it look like he hit it, not that it would matter, still a bad jump. But I get frustrated ebcause he is improving and I am not, he is getting better and I am not, we train together and do all the same workouts, watch film together, we ahve the same style of vaulting, except he can go almost 12' and I am lucky if I get 10'. I am so frustratedddddd!

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frozensteele
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Unread postby frozensteele » Sun May 11, 2003 9:57 pm

Don't sweat it! It happens to everyone. Sometimes you just do everything right and you are able to fling yourslef way higher than you usually can and sometimes you just can't get in the groove and you are struggling with 6" under your PR. Back when I first started I got 9' all the time at practice but could only get 8'6" in meets. Then one day at a meet I vaulted 10'6" (that may be because I learned to bend the pole the week before but still). Pole Vaulting is a sport that takes a while for you to get comfortable with and for you to perform near your best everytime you vault. Just be patient and don't stress yourself out, it won't help any! Good Luck! ;)

JDog777
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Unread postby JDog777 » Sun May 11, 2003 10:15 pm

thanx alot, that helps! at least i know i'm not alone.

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Unread postby superelf03 » Sun May 11, 2003 11:38 pm

dont get down on your jumps, I've had the same problem. At the beginning of the season I vaulted 12'6" and at the last meet I got 11'. And I think the reason is that I got down on myself, just keep your confidence up and I am sure you will get back there.

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Unread postby bluntslide83 » Sun May 18, 2003 11:44 pm

dont worry about your troubles... its only under a foot difference. lots of vaulters have ups nd downs... just a week ago i cleared 15'4" and hoped to break our state record on thursday, but could only go 14'... so its a normal thing... just remember that nobodies perfect and you might not do your best every time... peace out and good luck!!!

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Unread postby Aviendha » Mon May 19, 2003 8:15 pm

i know how u feel jdog...same thing happened to me this season. i came home from camp early in the season with a new PR of 9-3 (9 inch improvement). didn't come close to that for the longest time, then one day at practice, boom i made 10 feet. haven't been able to come CLOSE to that in a meet, only making 8-6 or even just 8. (i'm a girl btw) then come districts. i had just gotten a new pole a week before and it was going great, felt confident that i could get at least 9-6. but no, only made 9...a meet PR, but i was still disappointed because i know i can do more. plus, i ended up with 5th place, and only top 4 get to go on to sectionals...grrr...
~Why does everyone prefer those who lie and make themselves less than they are, rather than those who embrace who they are, rejoice in it, and refuse to pretend anything less?

JDog777
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Unread postby JDog777 » Mon May 19, 2003 10:08 pm

I did get 10'6" on Saturday tho, to take 3rd place in the championships.

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Unread postby advath » Thu May 22, 2003 2:16 am

What are you doing for your workouts? What do you do on Monday? Tuesday? Wednesday? Thrusday? and Friday? Are your meets on Saturdays at this time of the year?

An example of what our vaulter is doing this week

CIF or Regionals qualifying was on Saturday.
Sunday: Rest or active rest (anything but track related exercise).

Monday: Easy running drills, short sprints with few reps, light bars and swinging rings workout and stretching.
Tuesday: Good warm up with static and dynamic stretching. Over-speed sprint workouts with lots of stretching between every other sprint. Lots of sprint drills. 3 sets of 3 all the bar and rings drills. Ice bath on the legs for 15 minutes.
Wednesday: Light sprint drills after good warm up and stretching. Pole carry drills. One hand take-off drills working on the take off and swing.
Full run vaults on light poles (still over body weight) with Spungee bar just under PR with standards at 76 cm or 30" back. Vaults concentrating on what we were doing on the bars the day before. The bar is there to let you know where you are rather than trying to vault high. Stretching between each vault and after. Ice bath the legs for 15 minutes.
Thursday: Good warm up and stretching with static and dynamic stretching. Sprit drills no sprinting. Ice legs for 15 minutes.
Friday: Rest.

Saturday is CIF (or regional) finals.

We only have one vaulter training with us this year. He started training with us about twice a week starting half way through the track season. After coming to us once a week for 2 weeks he went from 13'6" the week before to 14'6". He vaulted 15' on his first attempt at his league finals. To see his 15'1" attempt after the third week go to http://www.advantageathletics.com/polevault/lubeck.html
You can go back to that page next week May 26, 2003 to see the changes in his vault after training with us once or twice a week for just half a season or about 5 weeks now.


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