What's are good goals?

[frozensteele]

Ok, we have three more meets this season, one of which is tomorrow. I have been a vaulter for a month but wasn't allowed to even hold a pole until about three weeks ago. I can clear 8' easily and have gotten 8'6" in practice. I know those aren't outstanding numbers but I was just wondering what are good goals to set for myself. I was hoping to get 9' by the end of the season but it isn't looking too good from here. BTW, I am a sophomore and am a male that weighs 170. Oh yeah and if anyone has some advice to help improve technique and stuff I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

[vaultin chris]

forget the heights and focus on your technique. A great goal for this season and before the begining of next year, i would be trying to bend poles and work on inverting. At your current level heights will come more easily if u master the form.

[lope14feet]

although i do think chris' suggestion about working on technique is a good one you shouldnt start bending poles until about 11'

[vaultin chris]

i straight poled 9-6 and then started bending and went 10-6 the next week. finished my sophomore season at 12. so if u continue to focus on ur form and speed and control, u can bend right now and go as high as possible. dont limit urself

[DaReDeViL]

yea man i totally agree with you guys on ur advice, i'm a sophmore in HS myself, and i was stick vaulting 10' as a freshman when my coach had me start bending (i had only been vaulting about a month and a half), and that is when i started bangin out those heights...i was able to clear 12'6"...now as a sophmore even though i have been sidelined wit way too many injuries, but i'm gettin back into and have started to get on bigger poles...it is all in the plant...set a goal to start bending the pole and get comfortable with that in the next week or so, and get good and consistant wit that and you never know u maybe feel comfortable enough to bend for your last meet...u could really surprise yourself....juss remember the runway is the NO FEAR ZONE, if ur timid with ur runs and scared of the pole u won't be able to bend the pole, cause when u stick vault u can overcome being timid and not running hard,...but when u bend u either are gonna do it or not...u can do it...we all know it, go for it, u have nothing to lose...good luck

[BrandoAZ]

Sounds alright but....

Don't think you need a 90 degree angle your first bend.. start with something softer.. ya know the worn out pole or the softest rated bend you can find at your weight. Start low on the pole.. strait pole the best you can... keep your handgrip at your hight.. I know its tempting to go way above to get a little hight.. but its worse on your form in the end.

Just slowly inch up the pole (2 fingers at a time) and keep a tall plant with strait arms... before you know it you'll be crushing the pole and need a bigger one. Also talk to someone and show them your pics as you start bending. The Essx guy who talks on here has helped me a lot on picking poles wiht a picture of my bending tequnique. Just ask for advice... and I'm pro ESSX.. I hoep my next pole has their cool new lable

But anyways.. I jump 12 as a PR and I can arch at 14' when a bungee is at 15 but I cant do it when its just there cuz I look at it... thats one goal.. DONT GET INTO BAD HABITS... when you try to push school records or just be #1 they come back to haunt you when you can do 12 or 13 but the next guy does 13 or 14 because he has good habits...... trust me you might think 11 or 12 is cool now but when you get there you always want that next level!