Peter Ventre

Introduction

Long jumping and triple jumping go together. If you are good at one, you should try the other event also. How¬ever, triple jumping is the more difficult event and so you should first learn the essential aspects of long jumping techniques, such as accuracy in approach, jumping off a fast approach and extending the body in the air to achieve an efficient landing position. The additional techniques for triple jumping are simple and learned easily. What is required most of all is speed and power, a good training surface and *good training shoes to provide protection against heel injury. For the athlete who intends to pursue the event seriously, plastic heel cups are essential.

Developing the techniques

Begin training off a 9 stride approach. Start with your take off foot and jump from a sanded area so that you do not feel restricted by a precise point of take off the hop should take you into the air in the same extended body position as for long jumping, except that you should not attempt to jump so high. A hop means that you must land again on your take off fool, so, as the leading leg swings through straight, bring the takeoff foot forward in preparation for landing. When the ground comes up to meet you (do not stretch downwards to reach the ground), try deliberately to place the foot on the ground in front of the body. Doing this will enable you to achieve a good step phase. If the body weight passes over the foot on the ground before you have time to jump upwards again the step will be short. Of course you could place the foot so far forward as to lose a lot of forward speed, but generally a beginner errs the other way. The foot should contact the ground heel first about 30 cm front of a vertical line through the head and hips.

Drive from the ground into the step and now lift the leading thigh towards the chest and keep on trying to lift it. This will ensure that you do not anticipate the next landing and should give you a longer step. Again try to place the foot on the ground in front of the body (Fig. 5).
The jump made off the 'weaker leg' (Fig. 6) should be as high as possible with the body extended as in long jumping.
Probably a good hang style is sufficient until you begin to achieve distances of 18 feet in the jump. Fig. 7 shows an athlete running in the air notice how much higher he has lifted his body than in either hopping or stepping

Of course the height you achieve in this phase will be determined largely by the amount of forward speed you have retained. Training off a short approach you will not have sufficient forward speed left to jump far. All the emphasis in this training will be on the hop and step.

As you begin to master the technique you can increase the length of approach to about 17 19 strides. However, even when you are very skilful you should not do more than 6 full approach jumps in a session of training. The basis of your technique will be short approach practices.

Draw the chart illustrated on page 24 to a scale of 5cm = 30 cm. estimate your own ability and find out the proportionate distances you should cover in each phase. Place markers at these distances and jump to them. Set yourself 21 targets to world class.

Training

Power is achieved through heavy resistance training. A typical session might include:

1. Continuous hopping for 50 meters 6 repetitions each leg.

2. Pyramid lifts, using a squat exercise for leg power, preferably with the weights in a squat rack.

3. Exercises to develop abdominal and shoulder girdle strength.

4. Sprint training 6 x 50 meters.

5. Short approach triple jumping 6 times off 9 strides and 6 off 13 strides.

A high power/body weight ratio is essential for this event.

Of course you will have to accustom yourself to a heavy work load gradually. Notice that in this event you can use the body weight as heavy resistance training and learn the techniques at the same time.