The “hop-step-jump” or the “hop-skip-jump” is better known as the triple jump.
In 1911 15.52m was the men’s world record. Today it is 18.29 m for the men.
In 1922 the women’s world record was 10.32m and today it is 15.50m.
World Record Triple Jumper Jonathan Edwards
Most will tell you how to triple jump based on the rules of the event.
According to IAAF rules: “The hop shall be made so that an athlete lands first on the same foot as that from which he has taken off; in the step he shall land on the other foot, from which, subsequently, the jump is performed”
After running down the runway you would:
- Take a hop, meaning take off on the left or right leg
- Land and jump on that same leg upon which you took off from
- Leap onto the opposite leg then jump into the pit
I am going to tell you that the triple jump is a continuation of the run from the approach and not a separate event of the approach.
How so? Stride pattern and collision
Running is different than walking in that running has a non-support phase. Each non-support phase is a step and two steps equal one stride. The other difference between running and walking is the collision phase of each movement due to the non-support phase of running.
The triple jump is an interruption in the “2 steps for 1” stride pattern of running.
The best triple jump compensates for this interruption by letting the brain think it is continuing with the same pattern/rhythm as if those “two steps for 1 stride” is still going to take place.
Take off on your left foot and in a normal running sequence the right foot is expected to touch down but in triple the triple jump you get the same left foot as if no step has taken place. Now, in the next phase you get the right foot when the brain was expecting the left foot. You finish with a jump onto the left foot, which is expected.
Why is this important? Most triple jumpers don’t struggle with the last phase of the triple jump, which is back to normal running pattern/rhythm, but they struggle with the first two phases, which is an interruption of the running sequence that is expected by the brain.
Now if you are a poor runner not a fast or slow runner but a poor runner then you will struggle with triple jumping far.
Everything else in the triple jump is the same as running. Remember the collision that occurs while walking is different than the collision that occurs while running.
A Collision is how the body absorbs and redirects energy. The knee being bent extends the collision time. This can happen in two different fashions.
- The knee bends prior to impact
- The knee bends after the collision or the foot coming in contact with the ground.
“A very important application of impulse is improving safety and reducing injuries. In many cases, an object needs to be brought to rest from a certain initial velocity. This means there is a certain specified change in momentum.
If the time during which the momentum changes can be increased, then the force that must be applied will be less and so it will cause less damage. This is the principle behind arrestor beds for trucks, airbags, and bending your knees when you jump off a chair and land on the ground.”
A good triple jumper’s knee is bent prior to ground contact and maintains that angle throughout the ground contact phase. It is not bent after.
A lesser triple jumper’s knee will bend after ground contact occurs.
Triple jump training should be treated as running or sprint training. The better you run the better you will triple jump.
About Adarian Barr
Adarian Barr is a track coach and inventor based out of Woodland, California. His collegiate track and field coaching stops have included UW-Superior, Indiana State, UNC Pembroke, Yuba City Community College.
He has invented 9 devices from footwear to sleds to exercise devices. Adarian is a USATF Level II coach in the sprints, jumps, hurdles and relays. He has a master’s degree in Physical Education.
Adarian’s unique coaching style gets results, and his work on speed and biomechanics is being adapted by some of the top coaches in the nation.
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