Exceeding jump records in practice

[Chicago]

I'm wondering if it is common for world-class athletes, mainly those in the pole vault and high jump, to attempt to exceed personal, national and even world records in practice and if, indeed, some have been successful. Or, do they typically wait to attempt such heights in the meets.

[Conor Dary]

According to the WR book the first 7 foot high jumps were in 1941 by different athletes including Les Steers in an exhibition....

[Atticus]

As I coach I discovered there's distinct kinds of field eventers: those who do better in practice and those who do better in meets. I've had the extremes of each - a boy who could vault a foot higher in practice than he could at a meet, which included SR hts in practice, and a girl who was mediocre in practice but a champ in meets. it had to do with the effects of adrenaline. The 'junkies' needed it in meets to excel, but the ODers couldn't handle it in meets. I've only had a couple who excelled both in practice and meets. The same goes for the other jumps. And throwers are famous for throwing outrageous distances in practice.

[hipNrip]

And throwers are famous for throwing outrageous distances in practice.

Yep. Most of my throwers do well in practices and often have their best throws during warmups before the official throws. Rare to have a kid do better in meets, but it does happen. I have 3 good examples of these:

1) About 10 years ago I had a 13 year old boy throw a 1k discus 56.33 meters in practice (that’s up near the national age group record). The best he officially did in a meet that season was 43.7meters.

2) Just this past season I had freshman girl throw a discus in the district meet warmups what looked near 35 meters. Her official best to that point 27.01 meters. The best she did during official throws was exactly 26 meters.

3) I have 2 examples of kids over performing in meets. The first was one of my senior shot putters about 15 years ago. He was an ok thrower, but not a threat to advance beyond districts with a modest PB of 10.5 meters. But at districts he went bananas (for him) and had a series that went 10.65, 10.80, 10.87. In the finals he went 11.01, 11.08 and then 12.72. Besides improving on his PB each time, that last throw of 12.72 was insane. He had done nothing over 11m in practice. The second example of over-performance was from this past season. My senior javelin thrower, who had a PB of 39 meters and had never thrown over 42 meters in practice, had 3 throws over 45 meters with his best being 49.2m that got him 2nd place finish at the state meet.

BTW, I was told a few years ago that national and world records can be officially set in practices and exhibitions as long as the equipment being used to measure meets the governing bodies standards. Is that accurate?

[berkeley]

My kid was coached in HJ by an ex-jumper who said his PR was 2.07 (6-9.5) but he had jumped 2.18 (7-2) in practice.

[Atticus]

an ex-jumper who said his PR was 2.07 (6-9.5) but he had jumped 2.18 (7-2) in practice.

Nuff . . . said . . .

[jc203]

My kid was coached in HJ by an ex-jumper who said his PR was 2.07 (6-9.5) but he had jumped 2.18 (7-2) in practice.

IMHO as a former high jumper and coach, that claim strains credulity beyond the breaking point.
In my experience reasonably skilled HJers generally have practice PRs one plateau (maybe 2 to 4 inches) below their competitive best clearances.
Jumpers with really ragged technique or non-specialists or ones who are major stress cases might be rare outliers.
But for a person with competitive 2.07 hops and technical skills to have a practice jump 4.5 inches higher... I ain't buying it unless there were injury factors involved.

[jc203]

BTW, I was told a few years ago that national and world records can be officially set in practices and exhibitions as long as the equipment being used to measure meets the governing bodies standards. Is that accurate?

Not even :-)

[dukehjsteve]

At my level of walk-on college mediocrity, I could never practice high jump within 2 or 3 inches of my competitive levels.

[Atticus]

At my level of walk-on college mediocrity, I could never practice high jump within 2 or 3 inches of my competitive levels.

I was a champ at practice, but ran those same times in meets, while my teammates exceeded their training times . . . by a lot.

[Trickstat]

Not even :-)

You are correct it has to be a bona fide competition.