High Jump Technique: The Jump

The second half of the high jump tutorial will concentrate on the jump itself, including the takeoff and proper body placement over the bar. This phase of high jumping will make or break the attempt, and good technique will separate a clearance of the bar from knocking it down.

The Jump

Up until this point, we concentrated on the approach. Now, we will start from the final steps of the approach, leading into the takeoff. By now, you will have built up a great deal of speed. On your second to last step before takeoff (known as the penultimate step), you should start to lower your hips toward the ground in preparation for your jump. You will find that your body naturally does this as it reaches its goal of leaving the ground. With your last step, you want to attack the ground with brutal force, striking the ground with the middle of your foot and rolling off the ball. Furthermore, you want to ensure that you are still keeping that approach lean away from the bar, with your left shoulder lower than your right (as a left-footed jumper).

One of the most important aspects of the takeoff is the knee-drive. In order to gain maximum height, you're going to want to drive your trailing knee powerfully upward as though you're trying to knee an assailant in the face. If you are a left-footed jumper, you're going to want to drive your right knee, which I think you will naturally discover. Make sure that your arms accompany this knee drive in a rapid movement upward, like a victory "V."

It is important to remember that during your jump, you do not need to twist your body away from the bar. Although your takeoff foot is positioned in such a way that it seems as though you will go crashing through the bar, as long as you drive your knee, your body will naturally turn away from the bar. If you aren't convinced, try this. Jog along a section of track and jump off your jumping foot into the air, driving the opposite knee. Notice how your body turns naturally in midair? This is exactly what will happen when you are in front of the pit.

Now comes the hardest part. You've gotten airborne, but somehow you need to maneuver your body so that you make it over the bar without knocking it down. This is where things get tricky. First of all, you don't want to do anything until you're at the peak of your jump. This will be hard to determine since you will only be off the ground for a short amount of time and can't realistically determine when you're at the peak height. However, you will get better at FEELING this when you've been jumping for a while. It is indispensable for you to wait until the peak of your jump to perform the next movement described. If you perform it too early, then you will knock the bar off on the way up. If you perform it too late, then you will knock the bar off on the way down.

When you're at the peak of your jump, your back should be facing the bar. It is at this point where you want to arch your back in such a way that it mimics what you would look like if you were struck in the lower back. Tuck in your buttocks and thrust your lower spine upward through your abdominals. As you arch your back in this way, you want to throw your head back to facilitate the movement. This is known as the arch phase, and it will allow the majority of your body to clear the bar.

However, the arch stage is not the final stage of the jump. If the jump ended here, your legs would still be dangling lower than your hips and would knock the bar off the standards. Also, you would be in for a rather rough landing. After your hips have cleared the bar, it is essential that you get your legs and feet clear of the bar on your descent to the high jump mats. This can be accomplished by rapidly contracting your abdominal muscles and bringing your chin into your chest. These movements will bring your body out of the back arch and into the final stage of the clearance and landing. Your body will now form a sort of "V" in midair on the way down. As you contract your abdominals, try to straighten your legs so that your feet will have plenty of room to clear the bar. However, you still want your knees bent slightly. If you straighten your legs completely, your buttocks will stick out and can knock over the bar on your descent. So straighten the legs to the point where the knees are still slightly bent. If all goes well, your entire body should clear the bar and you should land on the mats on your upper back/shoulders.

The jump itself lasts for two seconds at maximum, so it is very difficult to get all of these elements correct. This is why high jump is such a hard event in track and field. However, with careful and repeated practice, these movements will begin to come more naturally and your high jump technique WILL improve.