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Currently i have a 13 160 essx with a 19.2 flex (i think, it may be a 19.6 or .7) that i can easily blow through on a good jump
here is my jumps on this pole form 5L (60 feet for me) im holding 12 feet on the pole and the bottom bungee in the video is 12 feet currently its the only pole i have i can get on and i really need to squeeze every inch out of this pole since i dont have anything stiffer that i can get on!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EsjGL47-uM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMdJtESxUVY

those aren't exactly my best jumps on that pole but their livable, i think the limiting factor with that pole is it just being too soft but when i move up to my next pole which is a 13,6 155 i get rejected badly, the flex was measured as a 17.2 at 13 feet and 22. something at 14 (these were measured at bell athletics in jonesboro along with the 160 essx i have) i bought the pole in march (march 23rd to be exact) ive only ever jumped on it once without being rejected heres the footage of that jump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InOkZCk ... e=youtu.be
holding 12 feet running from 5L (60 feet for me) with a bar at 12 feet
i also jumped on a 13 foot pole that was also a 17.2 flex holding 12 feet (measured also by bell) the day before that jump was taken with little problem

but every time i try to use the 13,6 155 at home i get nothing but rejection (even in jonesboro it took some warming up to use the 13,6 155 and not every jump i got into the pit i was still sometimes bailing onto the frontbuns)

heres an example of me "jumping" on the pole at home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWPKqshgDOE

right now i just feel like it may be a mental block and the lack of a pole vault coach at my highschool which in turn messes up the entire jump when i try to use the 13,6 but another concern i have (and i know it makes no sense because gripping lower you should be able to make the pit easier) that im simply gripping too low for the 13,6 pole

if any of this extra info matters
im 5 foot 5 inches
143 pounds
sophomore in highschool 16 years old ive been jumping since 7th grade
and we do not have a pole vault coach at our school we just kind of learn on our own

thank you in advance for any input you may have on how to get the most out of my 13 160 and get on my 13,6!

I believe it is mostly mental for you, because I see your takeoff issues amplified on the video with the 13-6 pole. You are trying harder and are even further under on takeoff - you don't stand a chance being that far under.

What I see in all of your videos is that you are consistently taking off under as a result of "reaching" or over striding your last two steps. I also see is that you don't get your hands all the way up - you have a low plant. Both of these result in a poor takeoff position, and your hips get sucked under/into the pole right away. In the 13-6 pole video your hips nearly meet the pole shortly after takeoff. The pole needs to be moved to vertical after takeoff. Your plant is low, and you are under - that gives the pole the advantage (of keeping you from the pit).

If you can find a club to vault with - that would really help. Vaulting without a coach or teammate to watch you and tell you if you are doing it right or wrong is very frustrating, and progress is very difficult.

You say you are blowing through the 13-160 on a good jump - maybe on those jumps you didn't take off under and got your hands all the way up. You need to have that feeling more consistently so that when you move to the 13-6, nothing in your technique changes but the pole gives a bit more back.

Your last two steps need to be quicker in cadence, and no "reaching", your posture the last several steps needs to be "tall". The takeoff foot needs to be under the hips and you need to be fully extended from your foot all the way to your top hand before the tip hits the back of the box. You are not getting your takeoff leg straight or your top arm extended before you are off the ground.

I recommend practicing your run and plant on the track into a towel or slidebox if you have one. Have someone watch you or video to let you know if you are reaching the last two steps and getting fully extended before the pole hits the back of the towel or slidebox.

Thank you for your reply, do you think that me taking off under could be a result of my run being too close or solely on me reaching?

kwantana wrote:Thank you for your reply, do you think that me taking off under could be a result of my run being too close or solely on me reaching?

Solely reaching.

If it was just because your run wasn't far enough back, you could have (and would have) solved it by now.

If you haven't tried moving your steps back a bit, then try that now. But remember that you don't want to stretch in your last 2 strides - you actually want to chop your stride a bit.

You should also try the opposite - move your steps in a bit (closer to the pit). Then focus on chopping your last few steps. Psychologically, you know you'll HAVE TO, or you'll be under.

Do all this on the pole that you're most successful with (the 13 160 that you're blowing thru with). But as soon as you start overbending it (blowing thru to the back of the pit) then move up a pole (or simply run slower - focusing on technique).

Kirk

Thanks Kirk! I tried dogging my run at the meet I had today on the 13 160 to avoid over bending the pole and moved my run to about 60' 4". It surely helped a lot on my take off but for some reason I was a little goofy in the air today haha still managed to somehow get first though. I think what you said about moving my step in a little bit makes a lot of sense though I will for sure try that at practice