Middle School Newbie!!

[KatieRoxsYourSoxs]

Hey Im a girl in 7th grade! I am trying Pole vault this year but am not very good! All the highschooler take the poles for my weight so i have to use one for people who are like 50 lbs heavier then me. This really slows my sprint down and a have trouble lifting myself!
I also am right handed and thats also my stronger side for my leg, i can almost never jump of my left! What should I do!!

All other tips are greatly appreciated!

Im a long jumper too!

[VaultMarq26]

What foot do you jump off of for long jump.....should be the same one for pole vault

[theczar]

I didn't figure out that I was a lefty untill halfway through my freshman year, when I did long jump and noticed that I jumped off my right. Since then I switched from right to left and everything got sooo much easier. But, yeah, my right side is still the strongest for me, but I counteract that with good form and weight training.

[nikegirl07]

that was my problem when i first started pv. in my freshman year i did high jump and long jump off of my right leg, and i am right handed. it was hard sophomore year at first bc i was so used to jumping off of my right. if you are right handed, stay on that. to help get used to jumping off of your left, just run into the side of the pit and jump off of your left leg driving your right knee. it takes a while to get used to it but believe me, after doing it over 25 times helps. then go back on the pole and work on one-handers with jumping off the left and keeping the right knee up.

[powerplant42]

If the pole is really heavy and you can't get a lighter one, then carry it higher/straighter at the start of your run and drop it down incrementally during your approach. Also, make sure you have a structured carry/grip (get somebody to show you or watch someone who knows what they're doing) and sound approach run. (This comes in handy SO MUCH later on, and you'll be one of the few high school vaulters who'll actually have a correct approach and carry!) If you're a good long jumper, then you know that in order to get deep into the pit, you need to run fast, hit your take-off mark, and then jump as high as you can while retaining your speed. Well, it's the same thing in pole vaulting, except you just have a pole which you plant, then swing-up, invert, and clear a bar!