PoleVaultPower.com

Height:6'1"
Weight:166.2
Length and weight rating of pole you are using now:175lb (just weighed myself and i lost a lot of weight so I'm moving down to a 170 pole)
How high you are gripping on that pole:idk
Where you have your standards:16
Age:16
How long you have been vaulting: about a year

I am in my sophomore year, and last year i cleared about 6' 6" (My pole didn't because of wind) but this year I haven't been clearing much of anything and I was gonna share some of my ideas to try and get better, I'm shooting for an 8'6" PR this year.
1. I'm going to move down a pole, i used to weigh like 172 so i was using our 175 pole which was prob about twice as tall as me so i had to push the pole, and I'm going to drop back down to the 170 that i used last year
2. My hand keeps slipping down even before i get the chance to drive my knee up very far, so I'm going to move my plant distance from 7' down to about 6'6" or 6'
3. Should I stay at my sixth left ? because half to time I'm not going fast enough (My last sport was cross country)

Thank you, and wish me luck at my meet today!

I recommend moving in to 4 lefts until you can clear 8 feet. It does not take much speed to clear 8 feet. You need to lower your grip until it is no longer slipping, that's a sign you are holding too high.

Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SSah2B6Xnw

Check out the books and DVDs in my store, the Beginner to Bubka book is an excellent resource for understanding the vault.

I agree. Shorten your run and lower your grip. Also, work on grip strength.

If you are 6' tall your standing reach should be about 8'. The box is 8 inches deep, so that brings you up to about a 8'8" grip. So if you are standing with your toes at the box with the pole planted in the back of the box you should be gripping about 9 feet.

So take the pole, grip 9 feet, toe the box, take two steps back (1 left), hold the pole over your shoulder, take two steps and ride the pole in. This will make you land on the mat with a 9 foot grip. You should be able to just pick your feet up and over a six foot bar doing this.

As you jump more and move the pole faster into the pit raise your grip and scoot back a few inches. But at 6' tall you should be able to clear 6' from 1 left.