Introduction The high jump is a track and field event testing your ability to jump over a horizontal bar. Both men and women compete in this event in which the jumper runs towards the bar and launches his body over it onto a soft mat. The bar is higher as each athlete clears a given height. Athletes have 3 chances to clear a height and stay in the competition. The winner is the person who clears the greatest height. In the video provided in class we saw that athletes continue to jump higher and higher as the years progress but how?
Techniques Have Changed Over the Years
The answer to this question can be found through biomechanical analysis and watching different strategies in slow motion to provide advanced techniques. There are …show more content…

The other techniques continue to be outdated because this is the best biomechanical approach. Many of the other changes come before the technique used. The approach is the most significant aspect of the high jump by far. How an athlete approaches the bar will ultimately decide if they will clear it or not. If a high jumper runs with bad timing or without enough aggression, clearing a high bar becomes more of a challenge. The approach requires a certain shape or curve, the right amount of speed, and the correct number of strides. The approach angle is also critical for optimal height. The length of the run is determined by the speed of the person's approach. A slower run requires about 8 strides. However, a faster high jumper might need about 13 strides. A greater run speed allows a greater part of the body's forward momentum to be converted upward. (http://www.coachr.org/highjumptech.htm) In my research I noticed many of the Olympic athletes using the J approach. The J type approach, favored by Fosbury floppers, allows for horizontal speed, the ability to turn in the air (centripetal force), and good take-off position. http://www.coachr.org/highjumptech.htm) The J approach run must be adjusted slightly so that their take-off spot is slightly further out from the bar in order to allow their hips to clear the bar while still maintaining enough momentum to carry their legs across the bar. Jumpers attempting to reach