High Jump Technique: The Jump

The Second Phase of High Jumping

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.