1. Last year i had a problem with a few meets where i choked really bad and found myself in last place when i could have made first. Usually i am very excited before meets. Does anyone have anything they do to cool themselves down before meets.
2. The second problem is my spikes, i see people using spikes to pole vault all the time. I never started using them untill last year. and im afraid to use them because i usually hurt myself. Should i use them? or not?
Choking and Spikes
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rainbowgirl28
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Re: Choking and Spikes
foxvault wrote:1. Last year i had a problem with a few meets where i choked really bad and found myself in last place when i could have made first. Usually i am very excited before meets. Does anyone have anything they do to cool themselves down before meets.
2. The second problem is my spikes, i see people using spikes to pole vault all the time. I never started using them untill last year. and im afraid to use them because i usually hurt myself. Should i use them? or not?
If you are hurting yourself because they are sharp and you are scratching yourself, scrape your feet on concrete a few times until they are more dull.
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mcobb1013
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Re: Choking and Spikes
i agree with the post above on the cleats bc i did the samething when i first wore spikes and as they dulled the wouldn't cut me
and for choking i normally just focus so hard on the plant box and my vault that i forget everything that is going on around me and i feel as if i am in just practicing, but if u can't do this just remember that u don't have to prove anything to anyone expect yourself. pole vaulters are a rare breed, we throw ourselves a story or more straight up everyday for fun. i mean if pole vaulting wasn't a sport people would put us in the looney bin because we do something so unnatural that it can't be normal. and if people laugh at u because of a bad vault just remember that most of them are to scared to do what u do and all of them probably can't do it nearly as well as u. and finally remember that in the end we do this for fun so don't kill urself if u miss a jump or have an off day and go out at a height lower then normal.
i used to be the same way and choke at meets all the time until one day the crossbar went inbetween my legs and gave me the worst pain i have ever had in that area in my life. as i landed on the mat it sounded like everyone in the stadium saw it and laughed at me then i heard my coach shout out, "all of yall can shut up because hes doing something that all of yall are to scared to even try" and from that day on i always remember that quote everytime i start to feel those butterflys in my stomach and it gets me through
hopefully that will help u as much as it did me
and for choking i normally just focus so hard on the plant box and my vault that i forget everything that is going on around me and i feel as if i am in just practicing, but if u can't do this just remember that u don't have to prove anything to anyone expect yourself. pole vaulters are a rare breed, we throw ourselves a story or more straight up everyday for fun. i mean if pole vaulting wasn't a sport people would put us in the looney bin because we do something so unnatural that it can't be normal. and if people laugh at u because of a bad vault just remember that most of them are to scared to do what u do and all of them probably can't do it nearly as well as u. and finally remember that in the end we do this for fun so don't kill urself if u miss a jump or have an off day and go out at a height lower then normal.
i used to be the same way and choke at meets all the time until one day the crossbar went inbetween my legs and gave me the worst pain i have ever had in that area in my life. as i landed on the mat it sounded like everyone in the stadium saw it and laughed at me then i heard my coach shout out, "all of yall can shut up because hes doing something that all of yall are to scared to even try" and from that day on i always remember that quote everytime i start to feel those butterflys in my stomach and it gets me through
hopefully that will help u as much as it did me
**kick the sky**
Re: Choking and Spikes
ok thanks for the advice!
Re: Choking and Spikes
Focus on what you should do, instead of what you wanna do (do everything as perfect as possible, instead of wanting a new PR). Jumping high, requires you to perform every move you've practiced while training. If you forget what needs to be done from the start (run-up, planting, high hands, take-off, swing, ......), chances are, that nothing fits, further along in the sequence. Focus on simple things. Get a routine, that secures that every jump starts in the same way EVERY time. When standing on the run-way, what's the first thing that happens? What happens if your entire mind is focused on the swing instead of the run-up?
You need to learn what your body "does" to your jump. How much does adrenaline affect the run-up (should I add a foot when under pressure?).
Perfect your mental rehearsal of your jump routine. Chances are, that in time, your mind goes on auto-pilot when it recognizes the first steps, and just completes the basic moves that needs to be done to jump high. That is the whole purpose of technical training. To automate the entire routine, so that in the end, the physical parameters decides how high you jump (your speed on the run-way, the quality of your take-off, swing, .......). Many of these are tedious details, that needs to be trained over and over. Not all of them are equally exciting.
Learn to accept, that not all days are perfect.
Enjoy competition!
You need to learn what your body "does" to your jump. How much does adrenaline affect the run-up (should I add a foot when under pressure?).
Perfect your mental rehearsal of your jump routine. Chances are, that in time, your mind goes on auto-pilot when it recognizes the first steps, and just completes the basic moves that needs to be done to jump high. That is the whole purpose of technical training. To automate the entire routine, so that in the end, the physical parameters decides how high you jump (your speed on the run-way, the quality of your take-off, swing, .......). Many of these are tedious details, that needs to be trained over and over. Not all of them are equally exciting.
Learn to accept, that not all days are perfect.
Enjoy competition!
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