Pulling pole in please help!

[kwantana]

Alright so this is my second year pole vaulting I've managed to clear 8,6 last year at our conference meet to win gold this year I really wanna take it up a notch. I'm pulling the pole instead of pushing it, I know ill only ever clear around 13 if I don't break this habit soon but I just can't! Everytime I try I end up jumping terribly or I pull anyway out of instinct. I can't take my mind off it, it's like consuming my whole track and field experience heck it's consuming my life! Haha. But all jokes aside I really need tips to break this habit it's ruining me I'm seriously just putting off vaulting because of it I can't get a grip on it and it's making pole vaulting more of a hassle to me and not as fun

[vcpvcoach]

First, do you have a coach? Second, this problem is best addressed off the run away. Find a place where you can string a bungee up at about 10 feet in the air. Then, run a three step plant with your last step (some call the takeoff or jump step by others) trying to jump up and touch the bungee with your top hand. A couple of hundred of these and your body will learn not to pull at take off.
Good luck.

[kwantana]

So string a bungee like in a tree or something? also we dont really have a designated pole vaulting coach our "coach" was a high jumper and never vaulted so we are kinda on our own and knowledge passed down from other vaulters

[willrieffer]

With almost all beginning vaulters, every instinct is against what a good vault needs. They want to be closer to the box and pit, i.e. under. They want to pull with the arms and pull the legs up at or after plant when they need to extend and make themselves as long as possible. Many that can get a good plant and some swing want to pull late stopping the invert rotation.

At take off you want to be as long/tall as possible. Press the pole up and leap and drive into the take off. Kick the take off leg down. This is imperative as it imparts rotational momentum that can be added to the swing. Press along the left arm and take off foot axis to maximize your length as you kick the take off foot down. At knee extension begin working the hip of the take off leg. Swing! You have to somewhat anticipate the pole recoil and at this point shorten your rotational length, that is bring the take off leg in as you keep pulling the drive leg knee back to the shoulder. Work with the arms to close the angle between the pole and torso, but it should be much much easier if you manage your rotational length properly.

You might try a lot of visualization drills. That is just envision in your mind that you need to explode up into the vault and make yourself long. Do lots of plant drills emphasizing this. Your block, as you admit, is mental. You're going to have to own that and fix it.