Issue 1 Autumn 2019
The digital resource for long, triple & high jump athletes & coaches DON'T FOUL No more no jumps TRIPLE JUMP PHASE RATIO WEIGHT TRAINING FOR JUMPERS WORLD CHAMPS LJ BIOMECHANICS SHOCK METHOD DROP JUMPS
THE JUMPER
MULTI MEDIA CONTENT ARTICLES VIDEOS LINKS
Autumn 2019
Text
WELCOME
ON THE COVER Ivana Spanovic rcedit_Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool
The information contained within The Jumper is designed to compliment my YouTube channel and is in part a request from viewers. Many years back there was a paper magazine - well, really leaflet, that was called the Kangaroo Club Magazine - it was all about the long and triple jump and carried numerous articles written by UK and mainly other European coaches. I think Dereck Haywood who pulled it together probably typed it out, photocopied it and stapled it together and then posted it out. As an athlete I avidly awaited for the Kangaroo to turn up and read its contents from cover to cover. I hoped that it would improve my long jump. In this multi-media age it is "easy" to reach people but providing worthwhile information still requires work. Work to research and write articles and to pull them together in the new electronic form. I've tried to recreate here in The Jumper a Kangaroo Club Magazine for the 21st century. Not only will you find articles but also links to videos and other material that will hopefully help you as athlete and coach. The Jumper is written, designed and produced by me and I'm therefore not going to commit to any publication schedule as of yet. I will hopefully do another issue when I have time. However, I have set up Patreon page to perhaps help with funding to produce further issues and potentially pay other coaches a little to write and also for general support. Hopefully, you'll find the articles and videos in The Jumper of interest and like the Kangaroo they'll improve your performance. And if you would like to contribute or have any other comments drop me a message. John Shepherd Coach & editor
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JIG-SAW TRAINING
Fitting the pieces of the jig-saw together - solving the puzzle??? Long and triple jump in particular are the sum of their parts. To be successful at both the athlete need speed, plyometric ability (reactivity, eccentric, isometric and concentric), skill (technical ability), strength (weights) ands specific endurance (perhaps not developed by 300m running). However, if long and triple jump training were a jig-saw these would be the large pieces of the puzzle, as there are many more smaller pieces that I believe need to be crafted together to produce the optimally successful jumper. What do I mean here? Well, I'm talking about foot-strike, hip power, hip speed, leg stiffness at different joint angles, lateral and linear stability to reduce injury, the ability to fold, lift and transfer the foot from the rear of the body to the front when sprinting, and the ability to maintain posture whilst applying huge amounts of force at great speed, for example, at take-off in the long jump. There are more such pieces - too many to cover here, but I try to work on all which I consider as relevant. So, how do we train to cover all these larger and smaller pieces of the long and triple jump puzzle and how do we piece it all together? Well, when I started coaching about 10 years ago, I came up with what I call the "blindingly obvious" - look at what the event requires and then train all the components to their optimum (technically, strength power and skill wise, energy system). Many coaches will do this in their own way, however, my approach is to use units of drills across the training year to achieve success. Now, there are some coaches who do not rate drills - they see them as being too ar removed from the performance of the actual event itself to be relevant - and in many ways they are right. The joint angles and the speed of movement of, for example, an A skip are no where near to the speed and power and contact times produced on foot-strike when sprinting, for example. However, let's think about conditioning means ... is a squat relevant to the long jump take-off, for example? Is a double foot bunny jump also relevant? There are flaws with all - let's group everything together - conditioning and training means for the long and triple jump. However, if you compare a leg cycling drill to a squat, for example, the match to sprinting itself is to me much closer. (Of course strength derived through weight training is important, but perhaps not as much as many may think. Plus, we need to think about different angles and muscular actions that can be trained with and without weights). Viewers of my YouTube channel will be familiar with Triphasic training and the mixing and matching of muscular actions that i incorporate into training. Additionally I think that for developing athletes you will get much greater returns from drilling and technical learning that from hitting the weights. Putting the jig-saw together Okay, returning to the units of drills I use. I have found success with using these throughout the training year and rotating them in regard to the needs of the season. I use what's known as undulating periodisation in order to piece together all the pieces. This rotates the units and loadings and intensities of the drill units across the training year and always (should) keep the jumper training specifically for their event whilst not getting sidetracked into doing loads of potentially non specific and therefore non improving activities. Examples of drills units Leg cycling drill - for hip power and heel recovery and running technique Foot-strike drills - including scissor bounds, low, high and forward skips Compromised running drills - with hands on hips, with arms overhead and with arms overhead carrying a bar Take-off unit -working on hip swing, foot-strike and arm action Straight leg plyo drills (scissors, hops, bounds, foot bounds) Fast movement CNS stimulating drills - fast arms, fast feet, single leg cycle, single leg piston There are examples of most of these units on the YouTube channel See this Sprint Drills playlist Let's look at a specific drill unit to put into context more of what I am saying. Topic: take-off The key elements of the take-off are the plant on the board (virtually straight); foot-strike;the transition from eccentric to concentric (amoritization/plyometric/stretchreflex); hip swing, torso position; arm action and action (applies to both long and triple). There are a lot of movements here and I've not mentioned the set-up of the jump that takes place on the penultimate (where there are an almost equal number of constituent parts and therefore drills). With the drills system that I employ I've broken down most of the components, so that they can be focussed on often individually. Let's consider the hip swing initially of the free leg In order to leave the board powerfully and at the optimum angle the hip and thigh of the free leg need to move away from the jumper. It's not simply a case of lifting the thigh. There needs to be extension through the hip. Thus I use a number of drills that can assist the hip movement and swing. See video above for an overview of hip exercises.. I've discovered that jumpers can find it difficult to move the hip in the required way - and this not only applies to the long jump take-off, but also the take-offs in the triple jump and the movement of the swing leg when sprinting. As an aside the ability to be able to do this becomes all the more apparent when its realised that the hip region (flexors and extensors) is potentially the most important when it comes to sprinting improvement. Thus what I call hip power is crucial. Thus from an early age the athletes I train learn how to swing the hip and extend the hip ... many jumpers with experience will not have the same "hip ability". So, when the jumpers in my group come to hit the board they will be much more pre-set to create the necessary hip swing and take-off moveemnts. Mentally and physically they will be conditioned to do so. I see drills as conditioning elements/activities To reiterate - although others may be critical of drills - I tend to see them as reasonably technically matched activities that specifically condition the jumpers' muscles (ligaments and tendons), central nervous sytem and mind to the movement patterns that are more or less relevant to horizontal jumping and sprinting. Additionally - and crucially - the drills specifically strengthen and power up the jumper. Putting it all together I've been asked this question quite a few times - that's to say, how do you position all the units of drills into a training plan. As indicated the framework I use is undulating periodisation. Thus, although there is progression, there is not a big build up period as there would be with more traditional linear - single and double periodisation - models for example. Undulating periodisation throws together all the key ingredients needed to produce key sprint, long and triple jump performance variables in my case into a mix that is designed to produce optimum performance. How is the mix concocted? This is where the skill of the coach comes in ... you need to know and learn when it's good to include certain drills (and also how many and at what intensity). It's a controlled juggling act of all the units and drills. I have coached this way for over a decade and I've sort f got it down to a regular inclusion and exclusion process. However, I'm always developing new drills and learning new ones to add to my repertoire. The key value with this process I see is the fact that it's based on specific drills and these provide a specific foundation and methodology for sprints and jumps and are not too far removed from the activities. Sessions - what's in them? Any one training session of mine could include 4-5 units - progressing from more basic ones (e.g. lunges), to leg cycling ones to acceleration drills and accelerations to take-off work and then some back-to-back 60m runs (typical of the sessions we do in the autumn period). Particularly in the Oct-Jan period we do lots of units (more volume) and build specific foundation accordingly. For us there are very few circuits and tempo runs, the condition needed to jump is developed through the drill units. A typical session in the autumn could therefore last 90min or more and the athletes could be performing 30-40 high intensity efforts (acceleration, take-off, leg cycling over 30m x 4 each, plus for example, eccentric take-offs and drops jump, with the session finished with 8-10 short recovery 60m efforts run at 80%-90 . As the competitive seasons approach the quality of some of the drills is increased. For example, plyos become more intense - perhaps the most intense example being 2 bounds from a 20cm high platform and a jump into the pit from a run-up of 1-12 strides. It's important to consider that intensity is kept high with my pieces of a jig-saw puzzle based undulating periodisation approach. We will be doing flat out 20m sprints, for example, after 2-3 weeks of winter training. Remember that the long jump requires around 6-8 (including warm-up) run-ups and jumps in a competition, it relies on the immediate anaerobic energy system, which is phosphate based ... lots of lactate is not produced, nor is their reliance on oxygen to power performance, so why train these variables extensively? It was indeed how I used to train and now I look back and understand why it took me so long to run faster as the season progressed. Now I am constantly looking to add more speed on more speed, greater take-off power on greater take-off power and so on. I believe that following the drill based undulating jig-saw puzzle model will bring success. Please note these are my views and experiences born from practical experience and success. , other coaches will have others views and ways of training their athletes.
MY APPROACH TO TRAINING LONG, TRIPLE & SPRINTS
Words John Shepherd
"The hip region (flexors and extensors) is potentially the most important when it comes to sprinting improvement."
Ivana Spanovic rcedit Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool
WEIGHT TRAINING & JUMPING
THOUGHTS ON IMPLEMENTATION AND GETTING THE MOST FROM IT
ARTICLE
Weight training can be seen as a 'magic wand' that when carried out will suddenly boost an athlete's performance. However, in reality the benefits of weight training aren’t quite as simple and in some cases the wrong approach and an overemphasis will result in a lack of improvement or worse still, hindered performance. From my perspective there are far better ways for a young athlete to condition. Plyometrics, for example, being much closer to the demands of athletic events in terms of force production, speed of movement and muscular actions involved compared to weights. Speed and technical ability trump weight training too and time is much better spent on those ingredients when young. Far better to be able to run fast and take-off optimally than lift 'x' kilogrammes, for example. Body weight exercise (and okay lighter weight ones) can play a significant role in terms of developing robustness and injury resilience. Using various drills in the warm-up which I call "basic" can be of use in this respect (see video). And this is one of the ways that I develop such robustness. Swiss ball hamstring curls for the glutes and hamstrings; planks for the front, side and back; and single leg squats, for instance, all have a relevance in this respect. Then there’s the case of different muscular actions. Most athletic performance uses what’s known as a concentric action - where muscles shorten to create movement (think of the biceps muscle shortening when a barbell is curled). Eccentric and isometric actions If you've been a regular viewer to my Youtube channel you'll know that I have long used eccentric/isometric jump exercises as a focal point in conditioning - where the focus is on blocking the landing from a drop, for example, when conditioning. Braking and change of direction in terms of muscle actions at take-off, for example, needs to be trained. An eccentric muscular action is a muscle lengthening one where muscles go on stretch to decelerate movement. This happens when the foot hits the take-off board in the long jump - the muscles (ligaments and tendons) around the ankle, knee and hip stretch to stop the jumper collapsing through their take-off leg. They then recoil very quickly (creating the muscle shortening concentric action) to propel the jumper from the board. Sandwiched between this eccentric and concentric action is an isometric one. There will be, in the case of the long jump take-off, be a minute moment when there will be no movement, when the eccentric action, stops, and then transfers direction concentrically. It therefore makes sense to train your muscles eccentrically, isometrically and concentrically (concentrically being the most common form of muscular action - as is the case with squats and bench presses, for example, hence why it can be ovedone). I was made aware of Triphasic Training by Cal Dietz, an S&C expert at the University of Minnesota in the US. I got a hold of his book (of the same name) which is all about conditioning via blocks of eccentric, isometric and concentric emphasis weights (and other) exercises in order to find out more and better inform my training programme construction. The book has proved very useful in this respect. So, in pulling together my training programme season I have really thought long and hard about the role of isometric and eccentric weights room exercises and have created a specific training programme for them that fits around the other key drivers of my training plans - plyometric, technique work, acceleration and top end speed. All hung around a block periodisation undulating periodisation methodology. Examples include: Eccentric single leg squats/spit squats (Lower to a 5sec count and then dynamically jump up. Isometric squats/leg press Lower to a half squat and hold for 10sec and then dynamically jump up Isometric glute bridges Lie on your back and push your heels into the ground so that your hips lift up, hold for 5 seconds and lower under control This exercise can be performed one leg at a time and also with the foot in an elevated position (throwing a different emphasis on the hamstrings and glutes). So, don't just head to the gym and think that you need to lift heavy weights and learn the Olympic lifts for example. Yes, you need a foundation of strength but it's important to understand what's needed to take-off in the long jump and tripe jump and how to absorb and return force. For more on weight training for jumpers see these videos
Weights have a role to play, but it can be over emphasised
Long Jump Biomechanics Data At the London World Athletics Championships the IAAF carried out an extensive biomechanical analysis of all track and field events. Given we are jump's coaches let's focus on the men’s long jump final report to discuss some of the implications, findings to inform our coaching. In August 17 in a thrilling competition Luvo Manyonga won gold with a leap of 8.48m, with the USA’s Jarrion Lawson a close second with 8.44m. Manyonga’s South African team mate Rushwahl Samaii came third with 8.32m. The IAAF utilised the services of Carnegie School of Sports Leeds Beckett University to facilitate the research. For the long jump 20 variables were measured. This was done using multiple cameras. All footage was then digitised to obtain kinematic data. In terms of what was focussed on for the long jump the researchers considered predominantly what happened over the last three steps to the board, on the board and just after take-off. An attempt had been made to look at the jumpers’ landing but a camera could not be positioned without interference during the final - this is a shame, as knowing what happened in-flight, or at least an aspect of it, may have cleared up some anomalies as to the specific understanding and interpretations of the data, providing us coaches that little bit more. Trying to use the data to help our coaching Like other coaches I’m interested in seeing just how an event’s top exponents do it. However, just how they do it, is much more than the sum of the biomechanic's data. Each athlete brings to the event certain innate physical qualities, plus trained physical qualities. No jumper jumps exactly the same way for example – although having said that the range of variance of most of the finalists in London was pretty close. So, this would indicate that how they are jumping is more or less the way that all senior male jumpers should jump too. For example, in terms of step lengths into the board and trunk angle at take-off and variation of step length over the last three. So, there are some definite take home messages there from the research. All the jumpers not surprisingly yielded on the board due to the forces involved through their take-off leg – the mean being 34.2 degrees. Manyonga struck at 177.5 degrees and dropped to 142.6 degrees whilst Lawson’s figures were 179.9 degrees and 134.5 degrees respectively. This tells us that jumpers need to hit the board with a near straight knee position. This provides more storage of elastic energy and greater potential to move faster through the board. Speaking of speed Lawson was the fastest onto the board with a 10.0m/s last step, in comparison Manyonga generated a 9.91m/s last step for second fastest of the finalists. As a related aside not all the jumpers accelerated over steps 3 to 2 to take-off – this is potentially spurious as I’d doubt whether this was deliberate – rather it potentially reflects some fine adjustments being made by the jumper to hit the board/set the jump up with some slowing, therefore it would have been good to see the average of all the jumpers’ attempts to see what their norm was. Off the board – a very telling stat – Manyonga had a resultant velocity of 9.83m/s and Lawson 10.18m/s of speed. So, if speed into the board and off the board is the Holy Grail of long jumping (more speed into and off the board should equate to a longer jump), then why did Lawson not jump further than Manyonga? This therefore shows the difficulty with biomechanics data and why objective values are not always necessarily “right”, and why us coaches have to use our coach’s eye and brain. Everything else being equal, the less deviation in terms of the jumper’s centre of mass through take-off, the more speed will be transferred into the jump. I’ll have a stab at trying to explain: Lawson dropped his CM by 3cm on take-off and Manyonga 5cm. Manyonga’s CM vertical velocity was 3.68m/s and Lawson’s 3.51m/s. Manyonga also had the shortest step onto the board (the last step is always the shortest or should be) – his was 2.12m long. Lawson’s for example was 2.31m and Samaai’s 2.15m. These factors in conjunction - and coupled with Manyonga’s physiological make-up (my interpretation) – enabled him to get more height from the board (vindicated perhaps by his take-off angle of 22 degrees, compared to Lawson’s 20 degrees). And in doing so he may have put more force through the take-off – incidentally this to me was a crucial variable that could have been measured (if it could have). If we saw how much force on take-off was generated and then coupled this to the speed then we’d probably be able to work out why some jumpers flew further than others (it may even have been possible to calculate the eccentric and concentric aspects of the take-off - which has been done). Whether you should teach a jumper to jump like Manyonga or Lawson with their respective take-off nuances is a moot point. As a coach you usually work to the strengths of your athlete and then tweak. Maybe Lawson needs to look at his take-off specific conditioning, maybe he’s not as eccentrically powerful as Manyonga, or perhaps, if his last step was a little shorter he’d have generated more vertical CM velocity and sprung further… Another missing link from my point of view was the lack of consideration of mid-air actions and the rotational forces to which a jumper is subject to. A jumper could take-off with great speed and jump 50cm less than they perhaps should have due to rotation bringing the legs down prematurely. So, looking at take-off alone won’t provide the complete story. I really would like to have seen whether the research could have identified rotational pull in-flight and to have attempted to present biomechanical data on this (together with a reflection of flight technique). Obviously, there are limitations as to what can be done and I’m not criticising the research, but what I’m thinking is probably not that different to other coaches’ thoughts looking at this data. Hopefully, this overview on the IAAF London World Champs men’s long jump biomechanical data will show both the potential value and limitations of biomechanical data and the importance of contextualising and understanding those limitations . Click HERE to download this and other reports
"Like other coaches I’m interested in seeing just how an event’s top exponents do it"
HITTING THE BOARD DEALING WITH NO JUMPS
Long and Triple Jump Run-up accuracy Some of the biggest long and triple jumps in the world don’t count and world records would undoubtedly have been broken multiple times had it not been for the plasticine and the need to hit the 20cm take-off board without fouling. Run-up sprinting Run-up sprinting is a skill and it needs specific practice. It’s no good just training like a sprinter if you want to be a long jumper or triple jumper. There is a difference between sprinting the 100m and sprinting on the long jump run-up. Although the long jump and triple jump run-ups have similar phases in terms of sprinting i.e. acceleration, alignment (coming up into upright running) and a maximum velocity phase (attack to the board for the long and triple) there are fundamental differences in what’s required. The long and triple jump run-up for the mature, established jumper will be around 30-45m in length and the number of step taken to the board could be anywhere between 16-22 plus. The number of steps will be dependent on how long it takes the jumper to reach their top (or optimum) speed to take-off in a way that will produce maximum distance. It could also depend on whether the jumper uses a standing start or a rolling start. For younger athletes, length of run-up will invariably be shorter. Up to about 14 years of age, the number steps will be around the age of the athlete, plus or minus a couple of strides (more likely to be plus) i.e. a 12-year-old would run 12-14 steps for their long/ triple jump approach. One of the keys to creating an optimal run-up for the long and triple jumper regardless of age is the need to attain optimal/maximal speed into the take-off - so, the last 5m or so to take-off. Senior and elite athletes often have their speeds taken 10m out from the board and then at other distances into the board i.e. 5m, at the point of take-off and just after (to determine the loss of speed that will inevitably occur when the athletes traverses the board) when biomechanical analysis is being made. Working to minimise loss of speed into the board and at the point of take-off is fundamental whatever the age and level of ability of the jumper. Movements into take-off The movements over the last three steps are fundamental to the long jump and also the triple jump. If the jumpers fails to set-up an appropriate rhythm and technical application then jump distance will be significantly compromised. In short, the jumper cannot “just sprint” through the board – they need to perform some deliberate movements to set up the jump. In the long jump the penultimate step is usually recommended to be made from a flat foot. I advocate, as many other coaches do, that the jumper lightly drops their heel onto the ground as they move into take-off. This should be a subtle movement and the hips should only drop minimally (a couple of cms) as the jumper moves into the take-off. The flat-foot penultimate step will allow the jumper’s hips to travel more distinctly forward through the take-off and also permit them to exert more pressure on the board that will enable greater height to be obtained (a requirement of the long jump compared to the triple). Note: the jumper should achieve height “naturally” and through the correct technical execution of the take-off strides and take-off and should not attempt to jump for height. If they do this then they will in all likelihood slow their take-off and spend too much time on the board with the result being compromised jump distance. The triple jumper doesn’t need to gain vertical height off the hop take-off in the same way that the long jumper does on their take-off and therefore needs to run through the board with even less specific preparation (although there are some divergent thoughts on this). The angle of take-off is lower compared to the long jump and the hop therefore generally “flatter”. The triple jumper needs to maximise speed through two subsequent landings (the step and the jump) and therefore needs to carry as much speed as possible through the take-off to use in the two further stages of the jump. Both the long and the triple jumper will also need to move their limbs differently as they come into take-off compared to the sprinter. By this reference is being made to the movement of the free leg and arms on the take-off stride and the preparation. A key case in point is the triple jumper’s choice of take-off arm action, which could be double, single or quarter (push) oror over the top. (Triple jump take-off arm action and arm action throughout the phases is a subject in its own right). However, sufficient to say that arm action will affect the “sprinting” movements into and at take-off for the triple jumper. The jumper must practice this skill repeatedly. More thoughts on board accuracy Researchers in the Journal of Sports Science when studying young long jumpers found that jumping from run ups at the pit perhaps not surprisingly had the greatest relevance to the event compared to run-ups performed on a sprint track or on a sprint track with a take-off. They wrote: “The task of run-through followed by take-off on the track lane failed to initiate visual perception, step regulation and technical efficiency at the steps preceding the instant of take-off … Practising long jump run-up accuracy at a setting not containing the informational elements of the performance environment fails to develop the key elements of the skill.” So, it would appear that fundamental to training young long and triple jumpers is the requirement to do repeated full run-up, take-off and jump work at the pit. This requirement is a further source of divergence for the long jumper and triple jumper compared to the sprinter. Yes, you need speed to jump far but this speed requires spatial awareness and the ability to “adjust” to hit the take-off. Doing lots of sprinting away from the run-up, although it can/will develop speed and improve sprint technique, needs to be kept in check and specific run-up work has to be done over and over again to develop that very fundamental skill. It has to be ascendant. Further research has looked into the use of visual guidance on the run-up – basically the extent to which the jumper “looks” for the board and adjusts their strides subtly to make a valid jump. Researchers in Sports Biomechanics showed that when jumping from a full run-up mature athletes employed 50% more visual regulation compared to when they just did run throughs. So, again a common theme is appearing - regular jump work from full run-ups will improve sighting and hitting the board - if not with a jump at least a take-off. These researchers do add the following suggestion: “Our results should compel long jump coaches to supplement run-through training with additional visual guidance exercises, to encourage their athletes to visually regulate more of their long jump approach. ”So, what are these visual guidance exercises? Coaches have variously used run-ups longer than the athlete’s normal length, so that the athlete needs to find a new rhythm and patterning of strides to target and hit the board. Preforming run-ups from “random” starting points is another method and also one that I have used. These should ideally be just under or over the jumper’s normal length of run-up. Using different starting methods to hit the board and take-off/jump – thus jog on starts, or making the first step with the foot that they don’t normally use are further options. Further research – which fits in completely with what being said - indicates that long and triple jumpers regulate their approach strides and that each stride length often has variance between trials and efforts. Yet, the experienced jumper will have a high accuracy to hit the board rating. This indicates that they are better at targeting the board by making adjustments as they approach it. So, it all comes down again to specific and repeated practise. The Penultimate step A further consideration is the length of the penultimate step from the board. This may be the hidden ingredient in board accuracy and improving it. Many coaches will have had their jumpers continually no jump. They move the athlete half a shoe back after a foul yet the athlete fouls again. The jumper moves back “half a shoe” and the result is the same. Now, if the distance of the penultimate step is known – the distance that will achieve optimum take-off technique and jump distance, then this perhaps should be the “new board”. What do I mean? Well, if the jumper can always hit a mark, for example, 2m out from the board and then always jump far without fouling then they and you as coach have a new way to control their board accuracy. If the athlete is behind the penultimate stride check-mark and still gets on the board, they are reaching and will invariably have a slower take-off with resultant loss of distance. If they are over the mark and don’t foul then they will probably take a too short last stride for optimum distance, and forward rotation may result. It’s certainly worth training jumpers with a penultimate step check-mark. As a general rule for mature jumpers the penultimate step will be around 2m-2.2m away from the board for both long and triple jump (it will of course vary but won’t be much outside of these distances). Spend time working this out and training run-throughs and jumps at the pit from this penultimate stride placement and chances are run-up accuracy and jump distance will significantly improve. Other means to create a more accurate run-up, include breaking it down into its phases and repeating these in isolation and in sequence. Four run-up phases can be identified: 1. Acceleration 2. Alignment (upright running) 3. Attack and board acceleration 4. Take-off preparation (penultimate step) and take-off I call these phases "1-4," and we, as mentioned train them over and over again in order to develop the consistent rhythm that is needed for optimum accuracy and run-up speed. Run-ups are trained in various forms all year round. For example, in early October when training starts we may run stage 1 and stage 1+2, 3-4 times each in training, then as the season progresses add in phase 3 and 4 - once the jumper is in a position to sprint without injury risk. There's much less risk with the sprinting required for phases 1&2. However, never neglect max velocity speed training either. Your jumpers need to be fast and accurate.
Researchers in Sports Biomechanics showed that when jumping from a full run-up mature athletes employed 50% more visual regulation compared to when they just did run throughs.
johnshepherdfitness.co.uk
Aaron Rogosin/Red Bull Content Pool
PLYOMETRICS SHOCK METHOD
DROP JUMPS
Drop jumps, that’s jump down from a platform with a rebound for height or distance, are often credited to the former Soviet sports scientist and coach Yuri Verhoshansky who began researching and using them in the training of athletes in the 1960’s. What makes drop jumps different? Verhoshansky gave his plyometric method, the somewhat catchy name “The Shock Method”. It’s all down to gravity, kinetic energy, and the fall from height and the need for the body to absorb and then return initially heightened kinetic energy. Much research has been done on the optimum height from which to perform drop jumps. The higher the drop, the greater the strength component of the exercise, the lower the greater the speed component. Higher drop levels require more time to be spent on the ground transferring the downward momentum into upward momentum and this is why ground contact times are an important factor when programming plyometrics. It’s advised that these closely match those required of your athletic event or are even faster. When I coach drop jumps I’m most times looking at the speed of reaction of the athlete and the quickness with which they leave the ground. If this slows then I may well stop the athlete from doing more in a particular session as they will be training a sub-maximal response, or the height of the drop could be too great. Verhoshansky discovered that if drop jump training is aimed at increasing explosive reactive strength at the take-off then the height of the drop should be about 0.75cm. However, if the goal is maximum strength at take-off from the drop, then the height should be circa 1.10m. The speed and force of the transference from the eccentric to the concentric muscular actions of the landing and reaction produces a ‘coefficient of reactivity’, and Verhoshansky through various experiments with loaded and unloaded jumps, found that the coefficient of reactivity was higher with unloaded jumps and over the range of heights mentioned. If you jump holding dumbbells, for example, that’s to say perform a resisted plyometric exercise, you will spend more time on the ground generating the force needed to get off the ground. Now, in the training that I do with my group of mainly horizontal jumps athletes, I will from time to time include loaded jumps. There can be a misunderstanding as to their use, given what’s just been said and the previous comments about making ground contact times as fast as possible and keeping the coefficient of reactivity high. If you land and react from a drop jump with weights you’ll potentially be using more concentric muscular activity to do so as you ‘lever’ through the movement when your thighs extend – you’ll need to apply more force over a greater contact time. Thus, for increasing concentric strength, perhaps as a requirement for sprint start power, then the use of loaded drop jumps can be justified. However, I would not make them the mainstay of training. Likewise, the use of higher drop jump heights can be similarly justified. Why do drop jumps and other plyometrics work? They are seen to: 1: Increase the stretch-reflex capacity of the athlete and in doing so increase their rate of force development. 2: Develop greater leg stiffness – although measured in various ways, leg stiffness basically references the energy return capability of the muscles, ligaments and tendons. Stiffer joints can return more energy. 3: Enhances the athlete’s central nervous system and its ability to automatically react to, in the case of a drop jump, the ground. 4: Subject the body to greater loads, many times above which it would be able to handle when lifting weights. Dependent on drop height the force absorbed and returned will be many times body weight. And of course this force will be generated in milliseconds. What are plyometric exercises? Plyometric exercises are designed to develop power as measured by force x velocity. Not only do they include drop jumps, but also hops and bounding drills and numerous variations, which can be done linearly, singularly and in combination. It is also possible to do rotational plyometric drills (useful for the throws) and also upper body plyometrics, for example, jump press-ups and by using medicine balls. When you jump from a platform and land and attempt to spring up for height or forward for distance, for example - the muscles of ankle, knee and hip (and other soft tissue, notably the tendons, but also the ligaments and fascia) go on stretch, performing an eccentric muscular action. There will then be a transference of this stretch into a recoil and specifically a muscle shortening concentric muscular action. The better an athlete becomes at absorbing, transferring and generating power as fast possible, everything else being equal, the more powerful and faster they will be. The transition between the eccentric and concentric muscular action is known as amoritization. Think about this, the harder you throw a ball against a wall, the faster it will return and with potentially more energy than with which it hit the wall at the instant of contact. The harder the ball, or in the case of the subject matter of this article your legs and specifically the stiffer they are around the joints, the more power that will be generated. The difference between throwing a tennis ball versus a golf ball will display the analogy hopefully very vividly in terms of the point being made. The eccentric-concentric paring of muscular actions is also known as the stretch-shortening cycle. Eccentric/isometric drop jumps There is another type of drop jump where there is no reaction to the ground in terms of an attempt to jump up or forward. These types of drops require the athlete to ‘block’ the landing and absorb force only – thus, the athlete will only perform the eccentric and isometric element (an isometric muscular action generates force, although there is no movement). These jumps can develop an enhanced capacity to absorb and store energy and I include these relatively regularly in the training of the jumpers in my group. You can go higher with these than with reactive drop jumps. How do you know how high to go? Basically, I will look at the knee angle and the resultant thigh angle. I’m looking for a reasonably shallow angle and little downward movement of the thigh on absorption of force, when hitting the ground. The athlete should land on their forefeet and then drop back onto their heels to comfortably absorb the impact force. Assisted drop jumps Some coaches have been experimented with accelerating the eccentric element of drop jumps and other plyometric exercises. Probably the leading coach behind these jumps is the renowned Brazilian national coach Neilo Moura. He is well known for coaching the two Beijing long jump gold medal winners, Maurren Maggi and Irving Saladino. In short Moura has experimented with elastic harnesses that pull the athlete more quickly from the amoritization phase of the jumps. As noted much research indicates that resisted drop jumps and plyometrics have little benefits for improved performance.
"Verhoshansky through various experiments with loaded and unloaded jumps, found that the coefficient of reactivity was higher with unloaded jumps"
The transition between the eccentric and concentric muscular action is known as amoritization. Think about this, the harder you throw a ball against a wall, the faster it will return and with potentially more energy than with which it hit the wall at the instant of contact. The harder the ball, or in the case of the subject matter of this article your legs and specifically the stiffer they are around the joints, the more power that will be generated. The difference between throwing a tennis ball versus a golf ball will display the analogy hopefully very vividly in terms of the point being made. The eccentric-concentric paring of muscular actions is also known as the stretch-shortening cycle. <Note to designer box/panel> Eccentric/isometric drop jumps There is another type of drop jump where there is no reaction to the ground in terms of an attempt to jump up or forward. These types of drops require the athlete to ‘block’ the landing and absorb force only – thus, the athlete will only perform the eccentric and isometric element (an isometric muscular action generates force, although there is no movement). These jumps can develop an enhanced capacity to absorb and store energy and I include these relatively regularly in the training of the jumpers in my group. You can go higher with these than with reactive drop jumps. How do you know how high to go? Basically, I will look at the knee angle and the resultant thigh angle. I’m looking for a reasonably shallow angle and little downward movement of the thigh on absorption of force, when hitting the ground. The athlete should land on their forefeet and then drop back onto their heels to comfortably absorb the impact force. <sub-head> Assisted drop jumps Some coaches have been experimented with accelerating the eccentric element of drop jumps and other plyometric exercises. Probably the leading coach behind these jumps is the renowned Brazilian national coach Neilo Moura. He is well known for coaching the two Beijing long jump gold medal winners, Maurren Maggi and Irving Saladino. In short Moura has experimented with elastic harnesses that pull the athlete more quickly from the amoritization phase of the jumps. As noted much research indicates that resisted drop jumps and plyometrics have little benefits for improved performance.
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Example of assisted plyo: Source Nelio Moura
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THE TRIPLE JUMPERS PODCAST
Here at the Jumper we like to expand our knowledge ... there's a lot out there if you surf and scroll ... perhaps too much. We've taken the stress out and made it easier for you. Checkout this issue's as a must scroll to. The Triple Jumper's Podcast Pulled together by Marcus Lundberg you can hear from some of the world's top triple jumpers and coaches, such as Christian Taylor, Patricia Mamona and Jeremy Fischer. Put your headphones on, grab a coffee and listen to a great podcast.
LONG JUMP TAKE-OFF "Researchers focussed on what happens at take-off (and the penultimate step) and how this affects distance achieved in the long jump" Specifically, the team analysed the male and female long jump finalists at the 2008 Indoor World Championships in Valencia. The jumpers had their positioning and movements through take-off analysed by high speed cameras. Analysis was made of the time the jumpers spent on the board and the way their muscles – and more specifically – their muscular actions worked to transfer them into the jump. When a jumper’s leg hits the board a “stretch-reflex” occurs. The muscles of the ankles, knees and hips go on stretch (eccentric muscular action), there’s then a minute time delay (amoritization phase) before the jumper’s muscles ping back from the stretch to propel the jumper into the air (concentric muscular action). The researchers were able to analyse what they termed the “compression” phase (eccentric action) and the “extension” phase (concentric action). What was discovered ... In the men’s final, for example, it was discovered that the compression phase lasted between 40ms and 56ms and the extension phase 72ms to 80ms. The total take-off time for all male jumpers averaged 122ms and for women 117ms. When considered collectively the male jumpers used 37% of their total take-off time eccentrically and 63% concentrically. The times for the eccentric and concentric phases for the women were collectively lower and interestingly it was discovered that the women spent more time absorbing the contact on the board compared to men (the eccentric phase). All jumpers lose speed at take-off (the research identified a 10.3% loss for the women and 8.7% for men) – minimising loss of speed is crucial to maximising distance jumped. The researchers write: “The compression phase is decisive for achieving the required braking so that the horizontal velocity built up in the approach run can be transformed into vertical impulse. In this phase the jumper accumulates elastic energy; the fact that it is so short proves the jumpers’ extraordinary ability to complete such transformation.” Take-home Value 1. Long jumpers should regularly do full approach work thus training at the velocities needed to develop the timing required to jump from a full run-up (too much short approach jumping will have less positive transference into full approach jumping) Note: full jumps do not need to be made all the time as take-offs only from full approach will work 2. Eccentric capacity needs to be developed by specific exercises (e.g. drop and hold jumps). 3. Females may benefit from added eccentric work – although this will be athlete-specific 3. Much work needs to be done on developing leg stiffness and an enhanced stretch/reflex via specific exercises and throughout the training plan by use of plyometric exercises 4. The positioning of the take-off steps needs to be constantly worked on
SPORTS SCIENCE
Eccentric loading long jump take-off drill
Note: the drill in the video is tough and should only be performed by the suitably conditioned. Begin with a 6-8 step approach and only do 4-6 in a workout. I have found that with regular repetition (once a week) the jumpers will improve their take-off power. And as the research indicates improve eccentric capacity
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JUMP
TRIPLE JUMP PHASE RATIO
HOP
STEP
How far a triple jumper hops and steps in particular is crucial to how far they will jump in total.
HOW FAR SHOULD TRIPLE JUMPERS HOP, STEP & JUMP? The term “phase ratio” is used by coaches to reference the relationship between the hop, step and jump parts of the triple jump and how their distribution contributes to overall distance. Many young triple jumpers learning the event will usually have a very short step as they over hop and then can’t transfer optimally into the jump. Obviously proper conditioning and specific training will have a huge effect on triple jump distance and this may of course also influence the ability to achieve distance. The triple is also one of the toughest of all athletic events as huge forces have to be overcome on each phase – some research puts these at over 16 times body weight. Ideally, for initial understanding, and to set in context what follows, there should not actually be too much variation between the three phases of the event – each should be around 30-35% of total distance. However, subtle variation of these “thirds” can according to research have a crucial influence on total distance achieved. World Champion Distances At the Birmingham world indoor champs Will Claye’s winning leap of 17.43m was comprised of a 5.93m hop, a 5.65m step and a 5.94m jump (incidentally had he been up to the limit on the take-off board he would have achieved a distance of 17.51m). In contrast Claye’s opener which had a 6.15m hop only resulted in a total distance of 17.06, the main reducing culprit being the step which was 5.17m. (For reference the raw, but talented high jumper turned triple jumper from Brazil, Almir dos Santos, who gained the silver behind Claye, hopped 6.44m on his best effort of 17.41m but only had a 5.05m step and finished with a 5.93m jump.) Sports scientists have tried to identify whether there is a “better” phase ratio for the triple jump, one that if adhered to will lead to the longest of jumps. Computer simulations, for example, have been used to predict distance. Research in Human Movement Science which used a computer modelling process forwarded the view that a hop dominant (and only slightly at that) or a balanced technique achieved the longest distances. The researchers stated “… there is a plateau in optimum technique encompassing balanced and hop-dominated techniques, but that a jump-dominated technique is associated with a decrease in performance.” They added: “Hop-dominated techniques are associated with higher forces than jump-dominated techniques, therefore optimal phase ratio may be related to a combination of strength and approach velocity.” Here the researchers are referencing the ability of the triple jumper to hop (technically effectively at that), absorb force and return that into the step and overall jump distance whilst maintaining speed. It takes great technique, conditioning and confidence to hop and travel circa 6m for elite men. Of course, there is a further variable to triple jump distance - the human aspect. Each triple jumper brings with them a unique physiology, some are blessed with great speed and technique, such as Jonathan Edwards and Christian Taylor, whilst others have speed and what could be described with respect as “brute-power”. Teddy Tamgho is a prime example of the latter, who it could be argued had it not been through major injuries would probably have obliterated the world record. Each jumper and indeed the energy they put into each jump can result in phase ratios that are not based on what the sports science recommends but achieve great distances. That’s the beauty of our sport and the paradox. Nevertheless, triple jumpers would be well placed to work to hop-dominant or balanced phase ratios in order to achieve consistently long jumps. No two jumps are going to be identical, but a robust and consistent technical model will enhance the potential for consistent high level performance. As indicated most young athletes have no or at best a very small step phase and everything else being equal from a developmental perspective, it’s the step which holds the key to total distance jumped at this level. Working to a balanced, slightly hop dominant phase ratio can therefore teach the young triple jumper, the event’s rhythm and the skill needed to create distance from all the phases. As they mature, and as speed and specific condition develops alongside then they will be well-placed to exploit the talent they have. I will use gym mats as distances for the young jumper to achieve for their hop and step, the gap and the target will overtime result in the jumper learning to balance their phases. Plus the mats will cushion the impact and allow for more jumps to be achieved and safely, compared to if efforts were made from the track, Hum Mov Sci. 2016 Apr;46:167-76. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2015.12.012. Epub 2016 Jan 18.
"At the Birmingham world indoor champs Will Claye’s winning leap of 17.43m was comprised of a 5.93m hop, a 5.65m step and a 5.94m jump"
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Jeremy Fischer
COACH FOCUS
Jeremy Fischer is coach to many elite jumpers including Brittney Reese and Will Claye. A couple of years ago he presented at the European Jumps Symposium in Sweden. I was present and able to recod some video of Jeremy in action. A couple of the videos are linked to this article for you to watch. In the videos you'll be able to see Jeremy go through numerous drills that will improve conditioning for the long and triple jump. Follow Jeremy on Insta here:
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