the approach

The approach is done in three phases: the start, the continuation, and the transition.  I will go over the continuation and transition phases.  To be consistent, an athlete must understand how to approach the pit properly or all their hard work will be for nothing.

The Continuation Phase

This phase is all about CONTINUING the momentum an athlete creates when doing a proper start (see video on starts page).  The phase itself is simply a fancy word for "sprinting."  I personally feel as though athletes know how to "run", but don't have a clue that there is specifics in the mechanical nature of doing it.  What I mean by this is, I feel athletes have poor front side mechanics and have no clue how to properly drive their knees and/or arms to sprint effectively.  If an athlete doesn't have the proper mechanics during this phase he/she will not only ruin their start, but will also give themselves very little possibility in performing to their highest potential.  To help with this I've added a visual of a drill I use (the wicket drill) and a great article that outlines this drill in great detail.

The Transition Phase

This phase is all about TRANSITIONING from being a runner to a jumper.  After reading the long and triple jump summaries below click on the buttons for more information. 

For long jump, this means performing a "penultimate step".  The athlete's last two steps should be flat, and should be done very quickly.  If done correctly the athletes hips will lower in a quick explosive motion and will greatly assist the long jumper in the desired height. 

For triple jumpers this means continuing their sprinting mechanics and not driving their knee to ninety degrees.  If you drive you knee too aggressively you'll get too high and most likely ruin the momentum of your jump.  

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