Long Jump Techniques For Flight

In this event, there are three different long jump techniques that can be used while in the air.

They will be beneficial for the jumper by putting them in a good position for landing.

The important thing to note is that these techniques are only used to...

Place the long jumper in the proper landing position.

They alone will not make jumpers jump farther. To increase the distances, focus on improving the long jump approach. The same goes for all of the jumping events in track and field.

The Three Long Jump Techniques

• The Sail


• The Hang


• The Hitch-Kick

Which technique do you use? Tell Us Here!

The Sail Technique

The sail technique is the most basic and simple of the three long jump techniques. To perform this style think of reaching out and touching the toes.

What Do The Legs Do?

• After the takeoff, the free leg drives forward and out.


• The free leg is then held in front of the body as long as possible.


• After the takeoff leg leaves the ground it comes up to join with the other leg.

What Do The Arms Do?

• The arms are brought forward upon takeoff.


• They are held forward through most of the jump.


• They eventually drop down right before landing.


• Upon landing the arms move forward again to prevent the body from falling backwards.

The Hang

This style is also a fairly simple to implement. It takes a little more work than using the sail technique, but it can be quite effective.

What Do The Legs Do?

• After takeoff, the free leg drives forward and up.


• This leg then drops underneath the hips.


• This drop lengthens the body.


• The takeoff leg comes to meet the free leg.


• When the knees meet they are bent at a 90 degree angle.


• The body resembles a backwards "L".


• This position is held for as long as possible.


• Once the peak of the jump is passed the knees come up.

What Do The Arms Do?

• The arms extend and reach up over the head.


• At the peak of the jump, the arms begin to rotate forward.


• The arms help the feet come up.


• This puts the body into the landing position.

The hang technique is also what is used the majority of the time in the jump phase of the triple jump.

The Hitch-Kick

Of the three long jump techniques this is the most difficult. Usually used by advanced jumpers, it can be described as a running motion in the air.

There are two types of hitch-kick motions.

1. The single step leg cycle.


2. The two and a half step motion.

Single Step

Younger jumpers use the single step style because they don't have the "hang time" to perform the two and a half.

What Do The Legs Do?

• Upon takeoff the free leg drives up and out.


• Once the takeoff leg leaves the ground it is pulled under the buttocks and extended out front.


• The free leg cycles around and meets the takeoff leg.


• From here the body is positioned for landing.

What Do The Arms Do?

• The arms also cycle with the leg and are brought forward to keep the body from falling backwards upon landing.

Two And A Half Step Hitch Kick

This style is just a continuation of the one step.

What Do The Legs Do?

• With enough time in the air the free leg drives forward, then rotates all the way around again.


• Once it has rotated around it is brought forward in front of the body.


• The takeoff leg does a full cycle of its own.


• The leg is eventually pulled through underneath the hips, and the leg is extended out in front of the body.

What Do The Arms Do?

• The arms being extended rotate around individually.


• They come together upon landing, and keep the athlete from falling forward.

It is important to note again, that no specific technique will make any athlete jump further. They just help to maintain the correct body positions.

If there are problems in the air or with the landing, the cause can always be traced back to the approach and takeoff.

Understanding what the different in-air long jump techniques is important, but building a consistent run up is where the biggest gains are made. How do you think these athletes jumped what they did?

Which Technique Do You Use?

Which of the three techniques do you use? Why do use that technique?

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