Long Jump

The long jump is an athletics competition in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to jump as far forward from the take off point as humanly possible. The competition sees a contestant sprint down a long jump runway (made from a rubberized surface in like manner as tracks) and jump as far as they can off of a wooden board and into a pit of soft gravel or sand. In competition the distance traveled by the long jumper is known as the “mark”, that is, the first mark made in the sand.

Long Jump Rules

Long jumpers must not start a long jump with any part of their foot in front of the board. To monitor this disqualification, a referee will observe the jump and a layer of plasticine is placed immediately after the board. The jump can be made from anywhere behind the foul line but the distance will be measured from that point so it's best for a jumper to get close to the foul line. Competitors are usually given a set number of jumps and their best legal jump is recorded. There may also be trial and final long jump competitions. What is the basic long jump technique?

There are four basic parts to a successful long jump: the approach run, the last two strides, the takeoff, and action in the air and landing. In the approach stage the jumper must gradually accelerate to a maximum but controlled speed. Successful approaches involve proper velocity, in speed, angle and take off. Higher velocity as well as consistency are major factors in determining overall jumping distance. The last two strides phase must prepare the body for takeoff while conserving speed. The penultimate stride (the next to last stride from take off) is equally important and experts suggest that jumpers sprint into the jump for the best results. The takeoff phase should start a vertical impulse through the athlete’s center of gravity, allowing the jumper to use balance to his advantage. The four main styles of takeoff include the kick style, the double-arm style, the sprint takeoff and the power sprint. Finally, the action in the air and landing phase must counteract the forward rotation of the jumper's body from takeoff, while at the same time maintaining a proper landing position. The body body position at landing ultimate affects the jumping distance. Some popular in-the-air techniques include sail, hang and hitch kick maneuvers. Long jump training and long jump drills may involve jumping exercises, over distance running, weight training, plyometrics, bounding (repetitive leaping) and flexibility training.

The World Record For Long Jump

What is the long jump world record? The most famous record in the history of long jump was credited to Jesse Owens, whose long jump set in 1935 went unrivaled until 1960. However, the current record belongs to American Mike Powell who leapt 8.95 meters in 1991. There have been some other long jump records unofficially set, but they have not been validated because of the lack of reliable wind speed measurements or because the wind speed was excessive. The Olympic women's long jump record belong to Galina Chistyakova who leapt 7.52 meters in 1988. Other famous long jump athletes include Carl Lewis, Bob Beamon and Ralph Boston.

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