PoleVaultPower.com

HS Junior
6'3"
164lb
Skinny build
I basically look like slenderman, long arms & legs, the like.
Starting to lift weights for upper body, will continue till track season starts (3 months)

So I'm pretty anxious about my upcoming track season. My buddy shattered our 165 pole last minute, so at the last track meet we had to dust off a 13'6" (i think) 165lb UCS which we didnt even get in to the pit with. Luckily a coach noticed that we were probably going to hurt ourselves and loaned us a more fitting pole. I'm just about sure that said pole is the only pole my school has that I could bend without breaking. I need help. It was way stiffer than the 12 ft Pacer Mystic I previously bent with. My priority is to not land in the planting box, and keep myself safe. I want to clear at least 12 feet inthw 2016 season. What should I do? Remember it's a much longer pole than I'm used to. I need some tips for controlling my bend and not getting hung up in mid air suspended over the runway or plant box. I need tips for getting in to the pit. Please include some handgrip and flex arm tips.

I'm not going to give you any handgrip or flex arm tips, but what I will tell you is that you need to learn to stiff-pole vault before you start worrying about how to bend the pole.

Trust me, bending the pole will come later (in a month or so), provided you learn to plant, takeoff, and swing safely into the pit. Start with a short run and low grip, and work your way up (to a longer run and higher grip). Don't worry AT ALL about whether the pole is bending or not. Just focus on getting into the pit. And of course work towards clearing a bungee that's above your top grip.

At 6-3, you should be able to vault 12-0 without bending the pole! Just joking.

But you certainly should be clearing at least 10 to 11 feet without a bend.

Once you achieve that, then the bend will come later. It will come when you move the grip up and when you apply more force into the pole by a faster run, quicker takeoff, and higher grip.

Also, you're not going to turn Slenderman into Superman with a six-pack in the next 3 months, so don't even try. Yes, you can and should lift weights, but your real PV technique and PR gains will come from turning yourself into one of those highbar-type gymnasts that are tall and slender, with a great strength-to-weight ratio. Supple and wiry - not bulky and muscle-bound.

So bottom line is to focus more on your technique and gymnastic (swinging, flexibility, and body-orientation-in-the-air) and less on your pole bending and muscle-building.

Oh yes - you gotta learn how to run fast too!

Good luck.

Kirk