NMTCCCA.com - Austin Brobst - Coaching the Long Jump

Coaching the Long Jump

Austin brobst

Accomplishments at unm

Deanna Young – 20’7”/ 43’10 ¾”
Alesha Walker – 21’7”/ 11.81
Sandy Fortner – 20’6 ¼”
Precious Selmon – 20’0”
Yeshemabet Turner – 20’2”/ 41’11 ¼”
Casey Dowling – 19’5 ½”/ 40’0”
Kendall Spencer – 26’ 8 ¼”/ 10.44

3 keys to success

Strength – On the track/weight room
Technique – sprinting/jumping
Speed – build equally with other 2

Sprint mechanics

Toe up
Heel up
Thigh up
Hips tall
Step over the opposite knee

Sprint drills

Toe Taps
A-Skip
B-Skip
C-Skip
Fast Leg

Backwards Run
Ankles, Shins & Knees
1,3,5 Pause
Straight Leg Shuffle
Skip and Scoop to Stride

K.I.S.S.

Keep
It
Simple
stupid

Use drills and exercises that utilize the SAME MUSCLES AND FORCES used in the event.

LONG JUMP BASICS

90%-95% of Jump Distance is a result of Horizontal Velocity at Take-Off.

Which means teach your jumpers to sprint with proper SPRINT MECHANICS.

4 main components OF THE LONG JUMP

Approach

Takeoff
In-flight
Landing

7 phases of the Long Jump

Start (Walk In or Standing)
Acceleration
Maintenance
Preparation for Take Off
Take off
In-Flight
Landing

approach

Steps depends on skill level:

Beginner Woman: 12-16
Elite Women: 16-20
Beginner Men: 16-20
Elite Men: 18-22

Distance should be a controlled run, if athlete is not able to control DO NOT advance.

Phases of Approach

Start
Acceleration
Maintenance
Preparation for Take Off

Developing the Approach

The approach must be run over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Approaches precede technical work in the daily training.

Some days you can do approaches before the sprint workout.

Energy Distribution of the Approach

Not “Slow to Fast” – instead think of it as gradually trying to get faster.

4 parts of energy distribution

Acceleration
Transition/Get Tall/Sprint
Turn Over/Frequency
Take Off

How to Start?

Standing Start

Vs.

Walk-In Start

Acceleration/Max Velocity in the approach

Most issues with the approach can be traced back to the the acceleration out of the back.
The athlete must be able to develop a certain rhythm to the approach.

Vince Anderson Progressive Acceleration Chart

After accelerating you want your athletes to achieve a good sprint position – a good sprint position means the athlete will typically be able to execute good take off mechanics.

Training for the Approach

Short sprints (10, 20, 30) from 3 point
Sled Pulls/Tire Pulls/Bullet Belt
Weight Vest Flying 30’s (Max Velocity)
Acceleration Model (Vince Anderson)
Wicket Drills (Vince Anderson)
Short Speed Endurance (60m Sprints)

4 main components OF THE LONG JUMP

Approach

Takeoff

In-flight
Landing

Parts of the takeoff

Preparation/Increased Frequency
Penultimate Step
Takeoff

Preparation/Penultimate

Conscious acceleration 4-6 steps out from the board.
Acceleration should not affect forward displacement.
Frequently athletes will prepare for the board too far out meaning the hips are too low for optimal take off angle.

Contact needs to occur under the body or slightly in front of body.
Foot needs to be dorsiflexed prior to take off.
Rocking heel to toe action, similar to rocking chair.
Cue stepping over the ankle.

Quickly determining proper take off angle

Good

Bad

Take off Drills

Power skips
Run-Run-Jump/Continuous Take Off
Hurdle Jumping
Pop Up Drill (6, 8, 10, 12, Full)
Short Approach Jumps (6, 8, 10) – NEVER PERFORM FULL APPROACH JUMPS IN PRACTICE!

4 main components OF THE LONG JUMP

Approach
Takeoff

In-flight

Landing

different styles – In-flight

Hang

Vs.

Hitch Kick

Hang

Hitch Kick

The Secret to in-flight & landing

There is no way to change the flight path of a jumper once in the air. The flight path of a jumper is predetermined by the take off angle.

4 main components OF THE LONG JUMP

Approach
Takeoff
In-flight

Landing

Key aspects of the landing

The goal is to have as tight of a landing as possible.

This is accomplished by having the butt go into the indentation made in the sand by the initial contact of the feet.
If performing a hang the knees need to remain as tight as possible on all planes to help keep the landing tight.

The feet should make contact first, the arms should be behind the torso. When the feet hit the ground the arms should come forward quickly. This will help get the butt in the same hole as the feet, thus minimizing distance lost. The feet will commonly come up in the air.
Newton’s 3^rd Law – for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In long jump this revolves around the hips and finishing/closing the landing.

Learning the landing