JUMPS

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THE JUMPS

LONG, TRIPLE, HIGH & POLE VAULT

Quickness, speed and strength are three of the four the basic requirements for a good jumper. If you have these, then you can learn the fourth which is technical ability, and you can become a good jumper.

Each jumping event is distinctively different and each requires the learning of specific techniques. However, there is a lot of commonality between the jumping events.

MOTOR LEARNING

EXPERIENCE+MOTIVATION+PERFECT PRACTICE+GENETIC FACTORS+SPECIFICITY = SUCCESS

ACHIEVED OBJECTIVE = SUCCESS

UN-ACHIEVED OBJECTIVE = RE-EVALUATE AND LEARN

RETENTION THROUGH REPETITION = MUSCLE MEMORY

STAGES OF MOTOR LEARNING

ACQUISITION: Break the skill into segments and begin with the least complex segment. Environmental conditions (rain, heat, etc.) affect motor learning, so new skills should be started when the conditions are favorable. It may take as many as 2000 repetitions for the body to re-learn an incorrectly learned motor skill. "Perfect practice makes perfect".
REFINEMENT: Block training should be implemented by chaining together newly acquired motor skills. These should be performed in sets without interruption between the blocks. Concentrate on the smoothness of the transition from motor skill to motor skill.

EVENT COMMONALITY

All of the jumping events require that the athlete create a large impulse when leaving contact with the ground. It is the foot that supplied this impulse. This strength of the impulse is a product of the force and time of the impulse action. It is either a big force for a short period of time or a smaller force for a longer period of time. An increase in either force or time will result in a larger impulse being applied to the jump.

The foot action must be a heel to toe rocking action on the take-off foot plant. For the high jump and the pole vault, this action is longer in time (slower) and more pronounced. In the long and triple, it is shorter and less pronounced.

THE APPROACH:

DRIVE PHASE-This is where momentum is built. In the long and triple, this is usually the first six to eight strides, the first six in the pole vault and the first two or three in the HJ.
CONTINUATION PHASE-Here, the acceleration is completed and the body transitions to an erect form. In the long and triple, when the body becomes erect, the board should be sighted. It should be seen using the lower peripheral vision and not by looking at it directly.
TRANSITION PHASE-This is usually the last four strides, where the transition is made into the takeoff mode. This is also where adjustments are made by the jumper and where the most mistakes are made. It is important that the body be in an erect position with no forward lean. The hips should rotate slightly, going through with the legs.

THE PENULTIMATE STEP:

TECHNICAL-Dorsiflexion is critical--the ankle must be locked and pre-tensioned at 90 degrees. The foot is landed heel first with rotation through full contact onto the toes. Errors committed here affect the takeoff.
FUNCTIONS-This stride controls rotation and establishes stability. The center of mass (COM) is lowered, preparing the body for the upward thrust. To get any height on the jump, the COM must be lowered. This lowering of the COM is very minimal in the TJ.

LINKS TO:

HIGH JUMP

LONG JUMP

TRIPLE JUMP

POLE VAULT

Training principles for jumpers: implications for special strength development

FOLLOWING ARE LINKS TO MY NOTES FROM THE USATF COACHING EDUCATION LEVEL II JUMPS SCHOOL:

COMMONALITIES OF THE JUMPS

HIGH JUMP

LONG JUMP

TRIPLE JUMP

POLE VAULT

Recommended Resources

. . . .

Boo Schexnayder's Jump Training

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