It's interesting that you entitled this thread "Pole Problem", yet you mention more than once that you're "consistently under".
Since you KNOW that you're consistently under, and you KNOW that that's not good, and Becca has ADVISED you that "you need to get that takeoff step in the right position", and Master has TOLD Becca that her advice is "great coaching", then it seems obvious that you need to fix that first. Becca and Master are both very experienced coaches.
Re "I had no idea on the standards", here a bit of advice ...
Whenever you land in the pit, notice exactly where you landed. Did you land in the the "PLZ" (the Preferred Landing Zone, aka the Coaches Box)? How deep into the pit did you land? Did you land a bit to the left or the right? If so, why? Next, think about that in relation to where you set your standards. If you set your standards to 31.5" (as advised), and landed short, then you have one kind of a problem. If you blew thru (hitting the bar on the way up) and landed well into the back of the PLZ, then you have a different kind of a problem. Take note of what happens on every jump ... then fix it accordingly. (Fix your run, takeoff point, and grip, I mean ... or whatever else was technically wrong with your jump). Leave the standards at 31.5" ... that's not the issue.
Altho it might SEEM TO YOU that you "just need to get onto the right pole", it sounds to ME like your focus might be wrong. You can always adjust your grip or length of run so that your pole bends about right.
But my main advice to you is this ...
It doesn't matter WHAT size pole you have as you're running down the runway and trying to hit your takeoff foot. If you're UNDER, then you're not going to have a very good vault. You need to fix that FIRST!
Once you fix that, THEN you can figure out your optimal pole size. Why would you want to optimize your pole size based on a technically BAD VAULT?
1. Change the title of this thread to "Why am I consistently under?". That might help you focus on the main problem.
2. Stay on the softer pole until you fix your run/takeoff flaws.
3. Research all the beginner and intermediate threads about the run, mid-marks, takeoff point, etc.
4. Ask for advice on how to fix your takeoff. Someone might be able to link you to a particularly helpful thread. The info is here somewhere ... I'm just not sure where.
I do not mean to single you out as someone that has the wrong focus. If you look thru the new threads over the past month or so, there's numerous threads where a young athlete asks for advice on pole selection, or "how to bend the pole", and not many on "what's the proper technique to vault high"? While this is understandable to a certain extent ... since it's still "early outdoor season" and people are having to figure out what pole to use based on the selection of poles available from last year's stock, you all need to realize that the focus in early season training should be LEARNING HOW TO VAULT PROPERLY!
Do you remember the guy on the infomercial that sold the ab machines? I loved it how he always yelled "TECHNIQUE! TECHNIQUE!"
Kirk
, like i said i have a 13'7 170 and a 14 170, and its in between the poles i need. the kid at the meet yesterday let me use his 14 165 and it helped so much but i had no idea on the standards. is there anything i can do with my 13'7 170 or 14' 170 to get the same feeling as the 14 165?