Practice and understanding of technique are the keys jumping better.
The glamorous 100-meter dash may determine the "World's Fastest Man" at the Olympics, but the long jump and triple jump are as prominent in track and field and as strenuous to perform as any race. While natural talent can help, a dedication to improving your mechanics and your body's fitness will go as far as anything in making you a strong long or triple jumper. Knowing the fundamentals of long jumping and triple jumping will help you become a good jumper.
Instructions
The Long Jump
1. Increase your acceleration from your starting position to maximum speed on the approach before the jump. To do this, Jim Giroux from EverythingTrackandField.com suggests a drill where a coach or teammate pushes on a jumper from their starting position and also has them run against the resistance. Additionally, you want to lean from the ankles and have all your weight pushing into the ground.
2. You can increase your maximum speed for the approach by running sprints up hills, training with other sprinters or doing plyometric training. It is important that your approach to the jump is short so that you can maintain your maximum speed through the jump, according to articles on Coacheseducation.com.
3. Practice your takeoff over and over again. Giroux writes that power skipping helps, as does a slow-motion run where you exaggerate the last two steps and practice your explosion for a takeoff. Make sure that you emphasize maintaining forward velocity and not reaching a maximum vertical leap.
4. Practice the landing repeatedly. You want to limit or control forward rotation as much as possible to ensure that your momentum does not dissipate during the jump.
The Triple Jump
5. Increase your acceleration and maximum speed in the same manner that you would for the long jump.
6. Practice your takeoff as you would for the long jump, except at the end of your jump, instead of transitioning into a landing, let your hip flexors put the legs in position for the second hop rather than "cycling" and swinging your legs in the air. This will make the transition smoother. CoachR.org suggests one-legged hops up stairs and over cones to help your initial takeoff.
7. Practice getting maximum horizontal distance on your second hop. One-legged exercises and weightlifting will help you increase your distance. Giroux writes that it is crucial to not rush this step. Let the ground come to you instead of trying to overextend yourself to reach the ground.
8. Training for this jump is similar to the long jump, but note that you will be significantly slower because of lost momentum through the three portions of the jump.
Tags: long jump, maximum speed, Giroux writes, Giroux writes that, Increase your, Increase your acceleration