So…i am going to guess that i am one of the best foulers whos jumped over 7.50m ever in history of the world…and i really need help…
during indoor season over the last 2 years i’ve avg’d 8/10 fouls…over the last 18 outdoor jumps i have fouled 15 of them…
90% of the fouls are by one inch or less…i’ve tried check marks, early looking at the board, looking at the board on take off, a short last step, a long last step, you name it ive tried it…
if i foul an inch, and move back a foot, ill foul an inch again…it has gotten to the point now where it is very depressing…because regulaly now (probably 3 times a meet) im jumping distances around 7.60-80m and time and time again its foul…
im open to all suggestions, however crazy they are…anything that has worked for anyone id love to hear…please help me!!!
What are you doing in training? When you take jumps in training, are you hitting the board accurately (i.e. no fouls)?
It is common for athletes to take jumps in practice (short-approach and full-approach) and constantly foul. They think they are okay, but they develop a familiarity (perception) that take-off should feel that way. So, when they go into a competition, they think they are hitting the board, but they are actually over. That’s why even when you adjust your mark, your body unconsciously adjusts your stride to make you hit the board (or not) a certain way.
The distance from the board and the pit can be different between arenas. The design of the board and the placement of the plastelina can also be different.
What you need to do is to re-pattern your “timing” so that you strike on the first 10cm of the board and not at the last 10cm on the board or 1m from the pit where you probadly are used to strike.
you are absolutly right im sure…i do foul all the time in practice from short or long…ive totally built this motor program for that feeling on take off one inch over…i dont even jump nearly as well when i am legal becuase the take off doesnt feel right…
for example…my legal marks are usually from 7.20-7.50m. My foul marks (from take off) are virtually always over 7.50 and upto 7.80m.
Its a terrible thing what ive developed…what am i going to do to change this?
yes this also could be a problem. For example, the last 2 outdoor meets…first one had to biggest board ive ever seen, and the last one had to smallest board. and i still fouled…
and also subconsciously i guess, try to get every single inch of the baord…all of my legal jumps are right at the edge of the baord…
I think it’s better to take off closer to the pit in training cus if you are used to take of at some distance and you go to some meet where they have it very close it will feel like you are FLYING! - but you’re not.
What do you think?
Also I have made some crazy jumps from the put up of the plastelina. If seems I always go 50cm longer when I hit it.
i understand…people hit big fouls in meets…but not at the rate i do, every single competition 2-3 times per meet…that isnt right…i should be consistant at 7.60m and then a few times hit 7.80m. Thats normal…
In my opinion, people who consistently foul are making (erroneous) subconscious adjustments to the perceived distance to the board as they approach it. Somehow, your mind has internalized incorrect perceptions of your spatial relationship to the board given your velocity. In other words, your brain is sending you false signals. A friend of mine who is a very successful coach says that people who foul consistently always look at the board (that’s how they create the incorrect signals), even though they swear (and believe) that they don’t. Somehow you need to be able to trust yourself and your training enough to not look. Easier said than done, I fear. But it is probably essential: trust your training, not your brain or your eyes.
dont look…ive been told TO look and becuase i thought i didnt look, thats why i thought i was having so many problems…many top guys i know, make eye contact with the board at the midway point of the run so they can visualy steer to the board…i never did this, and we thought that may be the problem…
but you may also be right, becuase i am always thinking of the board now, so im sure im looking at it all the time…and my perception is totally off…most of the time, i couldnt tell you where i am on the baord at all…and most of the time also, i think im going to be short, so i guess i lengthen my last step and foul…so weird…
im almost thinking that becuase im so good at looking and being over by an inch…that i should for a while at least, keep doing it but diberatly be shorter with my last step of where i “think” i should be…then i shouldnt foul as much and although the feeling is different, eventually ill get used to it…
Take two toilet-paper cardboard tubes, duct-tape them to your face and look straight ahead so that you can’t peripherally see below your body (i.e. the board).
Seriously, it is a re-training and adapting process to get you to hit the board consistently in training and then re-create it in the competition – feeling good when you do it and getting a positive result on the other end.
The only other thing that might work short-term is to purposely try to hit the front-half of the board, or just slightly on the board, for all your jumps. Or maybe even just before the board, as close as you can.
tape toilet paper tubes to your face eh? how about putting a takeoff board at the end of the runway so if you foul, you break your ankle?
but seriously, a lot of people over complicate this issue. where are you at 5 steps out from the board during all these problems? i would try to get that info. many people would say it’s a rhythm issue. what does mike say? i would try some simple fixes but i would also say mike powell=mike foul=wr=who cares
There is another possible aspect to this. It may or may not apply to you. The more warmed up you get, the more mobility you have, the more speed you have, and, hence the longer your stride. I have seem many jumpers whose stride gets longer with every attempt, simply because they are getting more warmed up. So they foul by an inch, move back six, foul by an inch, move back again and so on. Many jumpers feel they are fully warmed up when, in fact, they are not. If you jump 7.5, this may not be your issue, but you might consider it.
So, i shouldnt look at the board at all? is that what you are saying?
Mike seems to think the problem is becuase i dont actually purposely steer to the board by looking. But im sure i do steer because i dont just keep running, my last 4 strides change for me to hit the board, i dont stutter for anything like that, but they do change…
and the warming up thing, we have discussed also…first outdoor meet, i jumped 7.48m first jump then fouled the next 5. from the first jump to the last, my approach moved back 5 FIVE of my feet. Isnt that CRAZY!!!
it was hot…and i kept active, can it really be because of the warmth issue…ive neve heard of anyone move back like that much…I feel faster with every run up though, i cant just hit a speed and stay constant with it which is another problem…
and its now become a major problem, becuase i can often go to a meet and foul first 2 jumps, then what, i have to make finals to get another 3. Well, if i travel to europe for a meet, or the OL trials which are in july for me, its the worst thing knowing your in shape, but cant trust your physical ability becuase of this…and going all that way for 3 fouls…in july 7.50m will probably make finals, so i know i have to jump the first 3 properly to make it…therefore the risk of me fouling is fvery high…i have 4 weeks to try to get this to a managable level and a meet on thursday of next week…i only have one approaches session before then, tomorrow…and need to try something…
"So, i shouldnt look at the board at all? is that what you are saying?
Mike seems to think the problem is becuase i dont actually purposely steer to the board by looking. But im sure i do steer because i dont just keep running, my last 4 strides change for me to hit the board, i dont stutter for anything like that, but they do change…"
I suppose there are some jumpers out there who can look at the board and make proper adjustments. But I submit those people are extremely rare. And judging from results, you are not among them. Let’s keep this simple: if looking at the board is not working for you, what is the next thing to try? Not looking, of course.
