SHSAA Coaches Symposium
August 19th 2008
Kevin Cumming
kevin.cumming@spiritsd.ca
The Approach
 The most effective approach for a high-jumper is called
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the “J curve”
The length of the approach varies from athlete to
athlete, depending on age, strength and experience
Most approaches will be between 5 and 10 strides
The way that an athlete starts the approach is a big
influence on the accuracy of the approach
Obviously a stationary start is recommended for this
reason
The Approach (2)
 Speed at the bar is good but it must be controllable
speed when the athlete takes off
 The rules state that you can put down two pieces of
tape, most experienced athletes will use both of these,
one at a starting point and the other as either the point
in which to start their corner or a mark in which to aim
for that keeps them from running straight at the bar
 The curve should be initiated by the outside foot
 The athlete should be upright by the time the curve is
started
The Approach (3)
 The athlete should start to lean away from the bar as
they travel further into their corner
 The approach can be a bit “bouncy” and run with the
knees up (to do this, arms also need to be focussed on)
 Some athletes will need to be reminded that they have
to be aggressive on their curves
 Good parabolic flight over the bar is a result of the
approach and the take off
The Approach (4)
 To help athletes run a consistent approach, a coach
could place pylons to the inside or outside of the
approach, depending on the athlete’s problem
 Athletes should also have cues to look at when running
their approach, something straight ahead for the
straight portion of the approach and then preferably
the top of the opposite standard when starting to
corner
 They will need to practice focussing on these cue, even
walking through the approach will help in this regard
The Take Off
 The last stride of the approach is shorter than the others
 The foot for take off should be at 45° to the pit
 If the foot is parallel to the bar, the athlete will travel too
much down the bar, thus having a greater chance to hit it
 Since every bar sags, the athlete should be clearing the
bar in the middle, this means the take off needs to be
closer to the standard than to the middle of the bar
 If an athlete is leaning away from the bar, like they
should, they may feel like they are too far from the bar,
they need to get used to this feeling
The Take Off (2)
 The athlete should also be driving at least one arm
when taking off
 Many athletes can develop bad habits if they “lead” with
their arm, the arm must first be driven up, then over the
bar
 The take off should be made with a flat foot and in
most cases with good high jumpers, the last 2 strides
are made with a flat foot
 There needs to be full extension of the take off leg
before the athlete begins to lay out over the bar
The Take Off (3)
 To start the lay out, the knee drive should be up and
slightly across the body, this will allow the athlete to
turn in the air (the thigh should be parallel to bar, the
shoulders should be perpendicular)
 Avoid turning on the ground at all costs!!
 At take off, the athlete should still be looking at the
top of the standard and driving their knee towards that
spot
 The athlete should avoid turning their back to the bar
while still in contact with the ground
The Lay Out
 The approach and take off determine how well an
athlete will be able to lay out
 The body will follow the head of the athlete so if an
athlete leads with their head, they are more likely to
take down the bar
 If the head is tipped back, it is easier to lay out
 Many athletes may not trust this however
 Once the hips and clear the bar, the head should be
tucked in and the feet will clear the bar
The Lay Out (2)
 If done properly, there should never be a reason for the
athlete to “kick” aggressively over the bar
 The athlete should be landing on their back or
shoulders when entering the pit
 Another way to get an athlete to lay out better is to try
and get them to look over their shoulder when over the
bar (for right footed jumpers, look over left shoulder
and vice versa)
Drills and exercises
 Approaches, approaches and then more approaches
 This needs to be consistent for an athlete to get
consistent results
 Pop ups over a low bar
 This will lead to “scissoring”
 Every practice should start off with scissoring
 Back-overs
 Standing with back to the bar off of two feet, jumping
backwards to work or the lay out
 This can also be done from on a box so the athlete can
get the feeling of falling
Drills and exercises (2)
 Turn and look over your shoulder
 From standing, or from 3 stride approach
 Hurdle jumps
 Place multiple hurdles approximately 5 – 8 feet apart
 Jump continuously over the hurdles, no pause between
jumps and concentrate on flat foot contact
 Start with the hurdles low and close and eventually
move them up and further apart
 Box jumps
 Different heights, different patterns
Resources and Websites
 The Canadian Athletics Coaching Center
 Articles, interviews, videos etc …
 http://www.athleticscoaching.ca/
 You Tube
 Javier Sotomayor, Mark Boswell, Stefan Holm
Resources and Websites (2)
 Articles by coaches
 Irving “Boo” Shexnayder
 Dan Pfaff
 Saskatchewan Athletics
 Books, videos etc … for members
 http://www.saskathletics.ca/