By Alan Launder “In no circumstances should the pole be put into the box before the end of the takeoff.” “And only on concluding the takeoff should the pole smoothly transfer into support…” “The coach need not watch to vaulter’s action in the takeoff but he can hear the correct takeoff…” “The plant is a [...]

By Bob Myers The purpose of this article is to assist coaches with their understanding of the mechanics of the take-off and penultimate steps in the jumping events and to explain a simple yet practical method for the analysis of this phase of the event. Click here to read the entire article.

By Boo Schexnayder When we examine many of the fine points of the approach, setup, and takeoff, the long jump appears to be a rather complex event. As coaches, we must consider how the %%%%%%penultimate step%%%%%% is set up how the foot contacts the ground, lowering issues, how the takeoff leg sets up, the takeoff [...]

By James Hay Despite its importance to success in the long jump, the takeoff has been accorded little attention by sports biomechanists. We conducted a study to determine the characteristics of an athlete’s technique that determine the vertical velocity gained during the takeoff. We found that the vasti, soleus and gastrocnemius experienced a lengthening-shortening sequence [...]