Long Jump Technique _ What is Physically the least demamding Technique?

unless they jump over 25 ft the hang/hitch is the best and easiest to transition the takeoff to a landing set-up, no question

Depends on the athlete. I prefer teaching my athletes the half hitch hang but whatever works best. Had some good sail jumpers but in long run sail seems to always compromise take off. If you are talking the difference of a few inches on a girl jumping 18-19' or a guy jumping 22-23' i wouldnt worry about it.

The longer you're in the air (all else equal), the tougher the landing will be on you*, particularly if you (correctly) do a "slide-out" landing with the legs well extended.

A 2 1/2 hitch takes a while to perform, so is used mostly by people who are indeed in the air a long time, e.g.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gfp2JZpEGfg

(sorry for mediocre video quality--the slomo parts are a bit better).

So it's accurate to say the 2 1/2 is tough on you (and you're right, a technique that takes a while to learn to land properly), but I think it's more because most people who can even *use* the 2 1/2 are hitting the sand at a much higher speed than most folks do.

My problem in teaching a 2 1/2 (even a 1 1/2, with some) is that it *does* take a while to perform, and it's easy to "anticipate" the midair movements while still taking off, just to get all the arm circling done. This ruins the takeoff position/drive.

One example from my early coaching days: I coached a novice (female) jumper who covered about 5m, sailing, on her first day of trying the event. Okay, I thought, let's get her hitching and she'll be outstanding!

Instead, by the middle of the year I had coached her down maybe 30cm from that first day. Reason: She was so anxious to get the hitching in that she started doing it before her takeoff was complete. I finally saw reason, switched her to a hang, and she gained about 50cm in a short time and won the Ivy League championship.

By the way, because the hang slows the jumper's forward rotation, it not only puts him/her in a better *landing* position than the sail does**, it also makes the legs typically land with less of a thud. Compare that to the (now outlawed) somersault technique, which exaggerated the forward rotation. When that technique was done properly, great takeoffs and huge extension on landing were possible--but the legs often tended to "slam" down on the landing, with a thud you could sometimes hear across the field. Ow.

*This is one answer to those who want to know why Bolt won't try LJ. He would hit the sand with a *lot* of force, and has no need to risk it.

For me, all this makes Carl's four OG golds in the LJ that much more impressive. Just holding together physically for that long is *tough*.

**Of course, the hitch slows down the rotation even more, and makes those scoop/slide-out landings easier to execute.

very good points by the last two posters. I personally think that the flight path is determined by the takeoff and that too many coaches overcoach what happens in the air. I had a young lady that jumped over 19' the very first competition and I also coached her down. I went back to focusing solely on the take off (she is a hep and we limit lj practice). She learned the landing set-up naturally and now consistently jumps over 6m.

Good points. The problem that I have seen in worrying too much about the in-flight technique (especially the hitch) is that the athlete starts preparing for it before they even leave the ground. This usually leads to casting the lower leg in lieu of driving the knee even before they leave the ground. This give them a low trajectory.

DickGregory wrote:

Good points. The problem that I have seen in worrying too much about the in-flight technique (especially the hitch) is that the athlete starts preparing for it before they even leave the ground. This usually leads to casting the lower leg in lieu of driving the knee even before they leave the ground. This give them a low trajectory.

Agreed. That was one of the points I was trying to make, but made more clearly and succinctly. Thanks.

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--And with that, I (and my other monikers) will now be leaving LRC (as poster and lurker) for at least the next four weeks. Best of luck to all. I hope all the US distance runners do well at the WC, even the ones who haven't been racing (though I rather doubt that they will).

What's the difference between the hang and the sail? I thought they were the same thing.

good opinions, add to this; if a jumper of 8.10m quality using the 1 and a 1/2 hitch kick all his life and with a history of back injury was to use AN other technique to reduce the pressures exerted on the body as a whole. Would AN other technique in any way reduce the stress's encountered in jumping (even to the smallest degree)!!be it landing, througth the air, day in day out training etc. If so what Other technique

What is the somersault technique long jump? Is that like doing a flying roll? How far could somebody go with that technique?

seems to me it wounld be bicycle if any

Bruce Jenner used to somersault long jump until it was outlawed. The advantages of the somersault is:1) In order to go into a somersault your takeoff foot has to be under you so that you can start the forward rotation for the somersault2) The jumper is in the ideal landing position coming out of the somersault with legs well extended for landingPeople were getting hurt doing it so they got rid of it.

parkour or martial arts wrote:

What is the somersault technique long jump? Is that like doing a flying roll? How far could somebody go with that technique?