The long jump and the triple jump

1Why this matters

The long jump and the triple jump are the two horizontal jumps: they measure how far, not how high, you can travel through the air. Both have been in the Olympic Games since the first modern Games in 1896. Both reward the same thing: a fast, controlled run-up turned into a powerful take-off. A school needs only a runway of flat ground and a dug, raked sand pit.

2The long jump in five parts

1. Approach (run-up): accelerate smoothly to the fastest speed you can control. Beginners use about 10 to 14 strides. Use the same run-up every time, so that your take-off foot lands on the board.
2. Last two strides: the second-to-last stride is slightly longer and lowers your hips a little; the last stride is shorter, preparing you to spring up.
3. Take-off: plant the take-off foot flat on the board, not on the heel (which brakes you) or the toes (which can buckle). Keep your trunk upright, drive the other knee up and swing your arms up.
4. Flight: for beginners, the sail (or stride) technique: hold the knee-drive position, then bring both legs forward together.
5. Landing: reach your heels forward, then bend your knees and let your body move forward or sideways past the marks. Never sit back or put a hand behind you.

3The rules

• The take-off board is 20 cm wide, set level with the runway. Its edge nearer the pit is the foul line.
• If any part of your take-off foot goes past the foul line, the jump is a foul and no distance is recorded.
• You may take off from anywhere behind the line, but the jump is always measured at right angles from the foul line to the nearest mark in the sand made by any part of your body.
• Each athlete usually has 3 attempts, and the best valid jump counts.
• You may put two check marks beside the runway to help your run-up.

School adaptation: many school competitions replace the board with a take-off zone about 1 m long, and measure from the point where the foot took off, so beginners are not fouled while they learn their run-up. Check which rule your competition uses.

4The triple jump: hop, step and jump

After the run-up, the triple jumper takes off from a board and makes three phases:

1. Hop: take off and land on the same foot.
2. Step: take off from that foot and land on the other foot.
3. Jump: take off from the other foot and land in the pit, as in the long jump.

So a jumper who takes off from the right foot lands right, left, then in the sand. Using the wrong foot sequence is a foul. The hop should be long and low, not high, so that you can keep going into the step. School boards are placed closer to the pit than senior boards, so that every jumper can reach the sand.

5Drills and pit safety

• Standing long jump from two feet into the pit, arms swinging.
• Short run-up jumps: 5 to 7 strides, concentrating on the take-off.
• Hopping lines: hop on one leg over lines 1 m apart, then change legs.
• Standing triple jump: hop, step and jump from a standstill.
• Dig and rake the sand before use, check it for stones and glass, and keep the rake outside the landing area with its teeth facing down.
• One jumper at a time; the next waits until the pit is clear and raked.

Worked example: what gets measured?

Keza takes off 12 cm behind the foul line. Her heels land 4.05 m from the foul line, but she falls back and her hand touches the sand 3.80 m from the line.

Distance lost = 4.17 − 3.80 = 0.37 m: 0.12 m from taking off behind the line, and 0.25 m from falling back. Fixing her landing is worth more than fixing her run-up.

Practice

Solution. From the foul line (the edge of the take-off board nearer the pit), at right angles, to the nearest mark in the sand made by any part of the body.

Solution. The jump is a foul and no distance is recorded, however far he jumps.

Solution. Left (after the hop), right (after the step), then both feet in the pit (after the jump).

Solution. 3.71 m, her best valid jump. The foul has no distance.

Solution. Landing on the heel acts as a brake and slows you down, and it strains the joints. A flat foot lets you keep your speed and spring upwards.