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I am currently vaulting 10'6"-11' consistently on a 13' 150lb pole, holding at 12'. The reason I am holding so low is because it is too soft for me as I hold higher. I blow through it. I have no time to attempt to get inverted before I get to the bar, with the standards all the way back. So I chose to just hold lower to stiffin it up a little bit, which worked. I am safely landing in the pit with the standards at 25 and getting moderate pole bend. The next pole that my school has that I would go up to is a 13' 160lb, which I feel like I should not have a problem vaulting on, considering I blow through the 150. But I am having issues getting on this pole, because I just don't feel confident in raising my grip. I started in practice with my grip at 12', and it was pretty stiff, hardly making the mats. I moved my handgrip up about 3 inches and got a slight bend but no penetration into the pit. I know that I can vault on this pole, and I'm thinking it is more of a mental block than a physical incapability. Our head coach thinks that I look hesitant in my approach, plant, and take-off when attempting to use this pole, which obviously isn't helping anything. If our school had a 13' 155lb, this would be an easier transition I think, but I just need some advice on how to get on this bigger pole. Keep in mind that I don't have a "pole vault" coach and I'm practically using Youtube, watching other vaulters, and self-footage to improve. Any advice is really appreciated!

Thanks

My best advice is to hold at 12'6" and make sure that you are fully extending your arms at take-off and that your take-off mark is where it should be. I've noticed with a lot of my vaulters that they tend to over stride or not fully extend their arms at take-off when they are trying to move to a pole they are nervous about. Other than that just be confident and attack the pole at take-off.