 |
| long jump |
 |
| long jump |
The diagram below shows the jumping part of long jump. However, the approach to the sand pit is just as important as the jump itself. Each jump is measured from the end of a board on the runway. No matter where you jump from, the ref measures from the same spot. Therefore, it is very important to jump as close to the edge of the board as possible. You do not want to go over the board though because they won't count your jump if you do. As you can probably imagine, it is very difficult to run at a full sprint and consistently take off from the same spot on the runway, but that is precisely what long jump is all about.
Long jumpers mark the runway at their starting location. This spot is different for each jumper. You can find your starting point by:
1. standing at the pit end of the runway with the back of your jumping leg's heal on the edge of the board.
2. Sprint as fast as you can away from the pit. Have someone count your steps and mark your 9th, 11th, and 13th steps if you jump off of the opposite leg you start running with. (If you jump off of the same leg as your starting leg, have your helper mark off the 10th, 12th, and 14th steps).
3. Practice starting your approach from each of these marks and pick the one that you feel gets you to your peek speed by the time you hit the board.
When you have practiced your approach to the pit enough that you are consistently coming within centimeters of the edge of the board, you should practice the jumping part of long jump. It is easier to work on long jump form from just a couple of steps back from the board since it is tiring to sprint the whole approach over and over again.
The diagram above shows the form for a long jump after the take off. When you do a long jump you want to jump up, not out towards the pit. The reason the approach is so important is that the speed you get on the runway is what is going to carry you out over the pit. What you want to do when you are jumping is to jump as high as you can and let your momentum carry you forward. The higher you jump, the longer you are in the air, the longer your momentum can carry you further, and the longer your jump ends up being. The steps for the long jump are as follows.
1. Plant your jumping foot on the board and bend your knee.
2. When you are jumping, drive upwards with the other knee and rotate your arm back and around on the same side as the knee.
3. Once you are in the air, you want to rotate your other arm back and around. Also, you want to keep both of your legs bent back behind you as long as you can.
4. When you begin to come down from the jump, swing your legs quickly in front of you.
5. As soon as your heals hit the sand, throw your arms in front of you so your momentum carries you forward. You get measured from the spot you touch closest to the board, so you don't want to fall backwards behind your feet
 |
| long jump |
 |
| long jump |
