High Jump - Fosbury Flop

The high jump comprises of four phases: approach, take off, flight and landing.

The Approach

Factors to look for in the approach:

2 or 4 stride lead into a checkpoint
non take off foot hits this checkpoint
followed by a curved 5 stride approach to the take off point
in the last 3 to 4 strides the athlete is inclined away from the bar
final strides to be fast and hips kept high

Take off

Factors to look for on take off:

take off point is approx 0.5 metres to 0.75 metres from the near upright along the bar and out from the bar
take off foot is slightly ahead of the athlete's body
take off foot plant is heel first to provide the maximum lever
take off foot is pointing towards a position halfway between the middle of the bar and the far upright (10° to 20°)
take off foot is in alignment with the take off leg
hips are forward
inside shoulder is high
the trunk is upright and leaning slightly back - not leaning towards the bar
hips are at 45° to the bar and the shoulders at 90°
there is quick and vigorous movement of free limbs
the inside shoulder does not drop in towards the bar
rotation comes from the non jumping side i.e. the free leg and shoulder pulling across the body
the leg nearest the bar is driven up bent and high at the opposite upright, thigh and foot parallel with the ground and lower leg vertical
both arms are swung forwards and upwards with the free leg

Flight

Once off the ground factors to look for in the flight:

inside knee stays up at bar level
heels are pulled back towards the head (arching the back)
knees bent and wide apart
arms in a crucifix position or held by the side
head back and looking towards the far back corner of the mat (forces the hips to stay high)
once the hips are over the bar the legs are snapped straight from the knees
landing on the shoulders

High Jump Drills

In all drills stress "Trunk upright, hips forward and head high".

2 × 20m walking - lifting the heel and stretching the ankle quickly. Walk back to recover.
2 × 20m bouncing ankle extension
2 × 20m bounding arm drill
5 × 3 or 5 stride vertical jump drill (ankle extension, free knee drive, arm action)
Three stride practice jumps, concentrating on specific body parts (5 to 10 jumps).

Evaluation Tests

The following evaluation tests can be used to monitor the high jump athlete's development:

Leg Elastic Strength test
Standing Long Jump test
Strength test - upper body (Bench Press)
Strength test - lower body (Leg Press)
Sit Ups test - abdominal strength
Sit and Reach test - lower back and hamstring test
Vertical Jump test

Rules of Competition

The competition rules for this event can be obtained from:

Vertical Explosion Training Program

The Vertical Explosion Training Program will show you how to improve your vertical jump by 10 inches in 10 weeks with:

A Multi Faceted approach to Vertical Jump Training
A Workout targeting every muscle group involved in jumping
A program that ensures that you are training explosion
A step by step, daily workout regime for you to follow

Click here for more information on the "Vertical Explosion training program"

How to improve your vertical jump

Improving your vertical jump performance can help you in so many ways and all the more so if your chosen event contains an element of jumping forwards or upwards.

To gain these competitive advantages it is crucial that you do the jump exercises most appropriate to your event, and that you perform them correctly

Click here for more information on "How to improve your vertical jump"

Click here for details of other available Books

Associated Pages

The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page:

Associated Books

The following books provide more information related to this topic:

High Jump, F.W. Dick
How to Teach the Jumps, D. Johnson