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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 of the approach is all about CONTINUING the momentum an athlete creates when doing a proper start (refer to the start page for more info). The phase itself is simply a fancy word for "sprinting." Unfortunately for many high school athletes, the understanding of HOW to run has never been taught to them. They don't understand the proper limb motions and mechanics to create the most force/speed while running. To assist with this (which will ultimately help them as long/triple jumpers as well) is the wicket drill. I included a video of an athlete of mine working with the wickets, and have included a phenomenal article below for additional support.
The Transition Phase
This phase is all about TRANSITIONING from being a runner to a jumper.
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 athlete's 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 like a long jumper at takeoff. If the knee is driven too aggressively athletes tend to get too high which can lead to an injury and/or a complete loss of momentum.
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