Mental Game?

[treykristianPV]

Okay so here's the situation,
about two months ago during a practice I went for a jump, messed up big time and ended up landing in the box. I was removed from vaulting for about a week and when I came back I ended up not being able to jump in practice. But in meets when the bar went up I could jump every time with no problem, but it's rough because only being able to jump in meets is the only time I can practice really.
My steps would be right on and I could plant the pole but not take anything up off the ground. Then I got pretty sick and was made to stop vaulting for 6 weeks, pretty rough year of first college season I'd say, anyways now that I can jump again I still have troubles going from a full run. I can do short runs and jump fine all day, but as soon as I try to do a full jump it doesn't happen.
Some specs about my short run (4 Lefts):
Steps: 50'4"
Pole: 13'6" 155 (blowing through the pole by a large amount)
Standards: 32
Specs abut my long run (7 lefts):
Steps: 92'3"
Pole that I carry: 14' 165
Standards: N/A
It's frustrating to go every practice and not be able to take up long jumps, so if anyone has been through this and has advice it would be very helpful.
Thanks,
Trey

[KirkB]

I was removed from vaulting for about a week and when I came back I ended up not being able to jump in practice.

Why were you "removed"? Because you were injured, or because you were disobeying safety rules, which caused you to stall and land in the box?

If it was for breaking a rule, what is that rule?

And when you came back, WHY couldn't you jump?

You've left out some important details.

Kirk

[treykristianPV]

I apologize, no rule violations, it was injury based.
Then when I came back it's not that I wasn't allowed to jump, but I, myself couldn't take a jump up. Possibly a fear factor of falling again.
I hope this helps clarify things up.
Trey

[KirkB]

OK, so it sounds like the only time when you were ORDERED to stop vaulting was the 6 weeks when you were sick.

As a college student, I think you need to talk to your college coach, and take his advice and his recovery program.

Especially since you say that you're ABLE TO vault during meets, but not practices. I guess you mean that you're able to clear bars in meets, but not in practices. That's definitely a mental game.

Taking your coach's advice will be better than anything you get online here, from the skimpy information that you've provided.

The problem is that you can't explain it to us, because you don't understand what's wrong. I think only a brick-and-mortar coach that OBSERVES you (instead of just listening to you) can do this.

Kirk

[KirkB]

There's another thread here: http://www.polevaultpower.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=52001&p=219585&hilit=mental#p219585 that talks about a "Unique Mental Block", that might give you some ideas about your issue.

I don't know - I'm just giving you the link, for what it's worth.

Keep in mind that the author of that thread is a 5.50 vaulter, so his situation might be very different.

Kirk

[Cpu8]

Hey,

I've fallen next to the pit, in the box or back on the runway a couple of times and its normal to not be able to jump from longer approaches after that. Its still something mental that remains there for every vaulter.
After an injury or when im not confident in my longer approaches because something like that has happened I usually go back to my short ones and from there on im able to build new confidence in myself and find myself able to vault from the longest ones. It's not that you need to vault for a weeks on end from the short ones just start with 1 training maybe 2 and ill hope you will get over it.

That said this is something that works for me, i hope this works for you and that you'll be able to vault in no time again c:

[treykristianPV]

Thanks Cpu8,
you've seemed to understand what I was having troubles with. I'll try that then and I'll hopefully be back to my old self.
Thanks again, I appreciate the help.