struggling with everything!

[PV1328]

ok I am a tenth grader and the only female vaulter at my school and we lack a coach.. I cleared 10'3 last year... but this year i cant even get nine... I am working on putting video up but in a nutshell...

I am a distnace runner so i run slow.. I think I put to much pressure on my bottom hand..I dont understand how to fix that.. I tend to curl up in a bar sometimes... When there is no bar I can get completely upside down. Put when there is a bar a reach for it!
When i do completly swing i stop and dont know what to do after.. i have tried pull and turning but i am not coordinated enough...

I know i have a lot to learn about pole vaulting but i really want to be one of those people who do a "handstand" on the tope of the pole and clear a foot over there hand hold... I find it hard to do that without a coach.. I know this is vague and long but i am desperate for any advice out there!

[powerplant42]

First of all, 10'3 is REALLY GOOD for a sophomore girl, especially one without a coach... So, you aren't as fast as you could be on the runway, because you run mid-distance. And that IS a legitimate reason, because if I ever saw a distance runner running like a sprinter does, then I'd have to rethink my entire life. But this doesn't mean that you can't master both strides. Just know how to do each and know when to use them. Putting too much pressure with your bottom arm is a problem, but if you practice planting with emphasis on breaking your arm outwards, then it should vanish in a few days, even hours if you've got that kind of time... Did you mean that you curl up into a BALL? You said 'bar', but if you're balling up, then it's usually because you psyched yourself out during your take-off and/or plant and/or run. I do it all the time. I run, plant, jump, curl, fall shallow. Just think less. Stay awake, because not even knowing where you are when you're jumping is just as innefficient. If you're only extending when there isn't a bar, it's yet again a mental issue. All you should realize is that its your body, so you can make it do what you want it to. If you want your hips to roll instead of bend, then just make sure you do it. And if you say that you aren't coordinated enough to do something, then you probably aren't. But unless your handicapped in some enormous way, which I severely doubt, then you could be coordinated enough, if you aren't already. Good luck!

[PV1328]

thanks...
i am a severly mental person when it comes to vaulting and it is getting more and more difficult as i am losing the form i used to have... I am soory becasue i know this question has probably been answered and is most likely a stupid question but i dont know what to do after i get upside down..?
I really just want to hit 10 again and it seems like i chould be able to do it .. I dont know it is just soo frustrating! .. I will try and give you some laughs and put some video up soon if i have time!

[vault3rb0y]

Everyone starts somewhere, and you are already ahead of 90% of vaulters in HS if you have jumped 10'3!! I havent seen any of your jumps, but most of the time if you are having mental issues with the vault, you just need to simplify things. Work on running fast and controlled, hitting a hard take off, and let the jump take care of itself! Until you can take consistent jumps, dont worry so much about the form, it will just complicate an already complicated event. Even if you are consistent at 7 1/2 feet, be doing things right at 7 1/2 feet. Then work one step at a time, before you know it you will be looking at 11'3 not 10'3.

[AR01]

Pole runs might help to get your speed up and develop consistency in your run.