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Hey , I am a high school senior and I have been training and learning from the bubka model for about three years now. I am at the stage where my form is pretty solid and i just need to refine certain aspects of it. My PR is 13' 4" , but I jump so much better in practice and in warm ups . I think my problem is my mental game. Once a new PR approaches i get all jacked up and my form is horrible. Does anyone have any ideas of ways i might be able to get past this and start jumping at real heights?

Well, you want to practice like you play. So, if you can't simulate a "meet mentality" during practice/warm ups, here are some ideas:


During practice:

1.) Near the end of practice, put a bar up and jump at it. Or, put a bar up for the majority of practice. for some people, there is something about jumping a certain bar (for you, maybe 12'6-13') 5-10 times in a row that just builds confidence when it comes to a meet.

2.) rotate with other kids during practice and take 3 jumps at a time at a bungee/bar. So simulate a real meet scenario by sitting for 5-8 minutes, then taking 3 jumps, then sitting 5-8 minutes again, and taking 3 jumps again, etc. This is much more realistic of what a meet will be like.

3.) Simulate competition in a meet by mini competitions with your teammates. Maybe everyone starts at a bungee a foot below their PR and you have 2 attempts at it, then you go up 3 inches, etc. It's good to simulate the pressure of competition, in a fun atmosphere with your teammates.

During a meet:

1.) REMEMBER what it felt like to jump in practice. You need to recognize that the only way you will jump the high bars is to do exactly what you worked on during practices. there are no changes that need to be made, just try to jump the same way you did in practice.

2.) Realize that a meet is really just a glorified practice. RELAX! Take a couple deep breaths, and make short term, easily attainable goals for each jump. Instead of concentrating on jumping the bar, think about the part of your run you are focusing on, or the part of your swing you have been working on. If you fix that, you know you will jump the bar. Take care of the little things and let the big things take care of themselves (Courtesy of Joe Paterno).

I have no-height at meets that were actually very successful meets for me. The summary is usually 1. blow through 2. blow through. 3. blow through. That only means that my practices weren't productive enough, because I made all my progress in a meet. But progress is progress, if you are worried about the big bar you need to start worrying about the big picture. Relax and just concentrate on the details.

Thanks , I have a indoor session tonight so I will try it and report back !