breaking the 14' barrier

[zachwinters156]

It seems like many high school vaulters have a hard time getting over 14'. Im currently a junior who jumps 13' and really wants to improve well beyond this point. Is there any advice to help me get to the next level?

[jbelokur]

It would seem to me that the reason is that 13' 6"-14' are at or above the vaulters handholds. Do you have any videos to share, or some basic info about your self and your pole?

[jbelokur]

I looked at the videos that you have posted on the forum. Besides the fact that you are planting under, which you know, it looks like you need to be jumping at the take off. From my untrained eye it looks like you fail to really jump off your last foot placement. When you take off the pole sags with your weight then rebounds, which seems to starve your jump from the energy it needs to get up to vertical, and takes away from the pop you should be getting on the top end of your pole putting you above your hand height. If you could get your approach and plant fixed so that you are not under, and explode off that last step I think you would start to feel your pole reacting better and not so sluggishly as it is. I hope that this is a help. Take it with a grain of salt, and listen to the people who really know what they are talking about, there are plenty on here! Good luck.
Josh

[zachwinters156]

I looked at the videos that you have posted on the forum. Besides the fact that you are planting under, which you know, it looks like you need to be jumping at the take off. From my untrained eye it looks like you fail to really jump off your last foot placement. When you take off the pole sags with your weight then rebounds, which seems to starve your jump from the energy it needs to get up to vertical, and takes away from the pop you should be getting on the top end of your pole putting you above your hand height. If you could get your approach and plant fixed so that you are not under, and explode off that last step I think you would start to feel your pole reacting better and not so sluggishly as it is. I hope that this is a help. Take it with a grain of salt, and listen to the people who really know what they are talking about, there are plenty on here! Good luck.
Josh

Thanks ill be sure to keep this in mind.

[altius]

Convert 14' into metric and you will see there is no barrier!

[professor]

i am also close to 13 and i dont believe there is a "barrier" at 14 thinking like this only sets your mind back a height

[11kalnmitc]

our season recently wraped up and i accomplished a good bit this year. aside from starting late due to injury, i increased a solid foot. however i had a block at 13'6" until finally this year i hit it without a problem i then proceeded to clear 14' consistanly in practice. in the state meet i was over 14' twice but made minor mistakes. i guess my point is sometimes if you just take a little time off, that and i find the more i visualize myself vaulting, even throughout the whole day before a vault session or meet i have a tendency to perform better. also as stated it does seem that these heights are harder to come by because for most high school vaulters it is above their handhold and that is adding a new dimension top the vault, its not swing and turn, its swing, invert, and turn which may not seem like a lot but as i started to learn this year there are a lot of small things to do in order to go from swing to invert. so basically what im saying is when you add the hand height and inversion aspect it adds a new learning curve some athletes may struggle with

[crayford]

i guess my point is sometimes if you just take a little time off, that and i find the more i visualize myself vaulting, even throughout the whole day before a vault session or meet i have a tendency to perform better. also as stated it does seem that these heights are harder to come by because for most high school vaulters it is above their handhold and that is adding a new dimension top the vault, its not swing and turn, its swing, invert, and turn which may not seem like a lot but as i started to learn this year there are a lot of small things to do in order to go from swing to invert.

Haha!

I made this connection a little while ago as well; the separation of the inversion and turn makes the vault seem much longer in the air (at least to me) and can easily freak out some vaulters.

As for visualizing, I think this is the case for any sport. It's easier to clear a new PR if you've already done it a thousand or so times in your head. Heck, this past year I joined a group that explored meditative techniques in all aspects of life, I learned that I had to meditate the day before a meet to really get myself mentally geared up, and suddenly my PR went up a foot! It's amazing how much power the mind has over the body

[11kalnmitc]

It's amazing how much power the mind has over the body

x2 i have most definately seen this in my own performance and performance of friends as well

[Vault101 Boy]

Heck, this past year I joined a group that explored meditative techniques in all aspects of life, I learned that I had to meditate the day before a meet to really get myself mentally geared up, and suddenly my PR went up a foot! It's amazing how much power the mind has over the body

Thats exactly what i started doing. Does that thing ever happen to you when you run the vault through your mind and different muscles start flexing as if you were actually vaulting.

[Viola Vaulter]

I gotta agree, 14 feet is definitively a huge barrier for most high school vaulters. I also agree that for most people, it seems to be all in their head. i found that it helps If you just look at it as just another bar. Nothing special, nothing new. Don't think, just do.

[zachwinters156]

I made this post back when my personal best was 13', and when i was struggling to hit it consistantly. I have greatly improved since then and have had good looks at 14' from a 5 step (went back to a 3 and have been working my way back since then). I still have many things to work on and look forward to the progress i will make. Basically im saying, i dont feel the same about this post. there is no barrier, but if it helps i was told one time to pick up a pen, ask yourself how long it is. most would say about 6". Thats all it takes for a personal best.