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This is the deal, I go into practice last Thursday and clear 10'6'',...and then I get to the meet the next day and only go 8'. I'm not all that mentally strong, and I need to fix this!!! I know it will help a ton! Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks

Were you practicing over a bungee or a crossbar? Was your coach giving you a tap?

Those are two big reasons people jump a lot lower in meets than in training.

Practicing with a bungee is not necesarily bad, but it's not the same as a crossbar.

It was a bungee, and the standards were set at 11', and it sags about 3 '' so he just said 10'6''. There was no tap either.

thank god there was no tap, if seen people do them as if polevaultings like pushing a kid on a swing! they shouldn't even count as a real jump. To answer your question, what i do to wake me up is have a shower or a bath just before, have a coffee or something, and on the journey there, whatever you do, DON'T SIT STILL. Do the hand jive or play knucles with someone, play your music load, jump around a bit.

I've got a feeling this is not good advice, but aggression works wonders for me. Like, sometimes I just refuse to be beaten by some people, and that gives me enough of a push to clear the next height...

Unlike my meet today, where I got what...8'6"...horrible for me, but first meet needs to start somewhere.

I had my first outdoor meet where i pole vaulted and had to run a 200 right before my opening height at 10' 3" i cleared that in one attempt then missed at the next height even though i clear 12 in practice continually.

Make sure to get alot of runthroughs to get used to the runway becuase once your up in the air it all feels the same.

I also forgot my smaller pole which i needed because of a 10mph headwind

for some people pure aggression works best to give them what they need to just vault like they need to, but for me relaxing helps soooooo much. i did horrible at my last meet cuz i was so psyched out and i tried to basically yell at myself to just do it, cuz i knew i was screwing it all up, but that didnt change a thing. that was five days ago, and every practice since then has just been a continual upward progression because i let myself feel completely relaxed during the whole practice. instead of putting a mean face on before i go and grimacing while i jump, i practically smile with excitement during my run and jump. its kinda like yay im about to vault and vaultings fun!!! so if you think it will work for you, try it. just relax and have fun, but still do what you need to do. it has worked wonders for me already. anyway good luck, hope you get over the mental block in whatver way you need to, and vault high!

during practices, enjoyment takes over. a lot of the team messes around making jokes and everything creating a relaxing environment. that and i am the best JV vaulter in the school, so i have a reputation to live up to lol. during meets, its pure energy that keeps me going. i drink 2 Vault energy drinks and eat 2 Snickers marathon bars. then my energy is almost too much to contain, and i let it go when its my turn. works great. except my meet on saturday where i had to vault at 9 am and i had no energy whatsoever. i did horrible...only clearing opening height of 9' when i cleared the bungee at practice when it was 11' and i constantly run clean all the way up to 10'. or maybe it was the pole i was using, i wasnt using the same pole i used on thursday. but oh well. i found out that it is mostly mental, i got up yesterday perfectly fine. try not to think too much. ive been doing that my whole life

I think it depends also on what type of person you are. DO you thrive on pressure or are you crushed? When im at a meet, i ALWAYS rise to the occasion, its better being the under dog,
"no one remembers 2nd place"
Thats why its better when you whomp someone. Put yourself in a situation where you are forced to perform well. One stunt my coach pulled is whistle for about 20 girls to watch, (payment is going for drink afterwards) that was when the bar was set at a new pr for me 2' above my old one. And low and behold i didnt need a red bull or a snickers marathon bar to clear it.

rizlab wrote:One stunt my coach pulled is whistle for about 20 girls to watch, (payment is going for drink afterwards) that was when the bar was set at a new pr for me 2' above my old one. And low and behold i didnt need a red bull or a snickers marathon bar to clear it.

lol. when i read that i had to laugh. i have a girlfriend so 20 girls watching me isnt really going to do much at all. people watching me in general boosts up my confidence. i am ALWAYS the last one left competing against the other schools anyway, and i have a thing against losing. and being 2nd place is bad, because ur the 1st loser. lol oh and btw its Vault energy not red bull. lol

Well i think second is alright at my stage, im 15 and the number one in the UK is a 16ft vaulter, so im a lil' bit behind him at the moment but come this season ill be ready to rock! Im getting my 15ft 180+ series and maybe my 16's woooooo!

Thanks for all those ideas, I'm the best girl on the varsity team. And today I have a meet with 26 teams. I have been reading a really great book about training your mind as well as your body. It has helped so much already. The bad thing is,...I have influenza,...so I dont have the wind I usually do :confused: But I will just do what I can!!! Thanks again!!!