Okay, here’s my issue…I’m 29 and have been back in T&F for a little over a year now. I decided to add long jump to my list of events (100m, 200m, 400m), but I haven’t long jumped since I was 14 or 15. I jumped at a meet this weekend and it was pretty sad…4.41m.
My problem is that I get up to a good jump speed, but about 3 steps from the board my brain goes “Hahaha! I don’t think so” and I slow down to about half speed, then jump. A coach at the meet said my form was good and I was hitting the board right, but I can’t stop slowing down.
Hey Rainy,
I think you nailed it. I was at a Level 1 USATF cert this weekend and was talking to a coach there. He said most novice jumpers tend to look at the board at the end and advised me to do short run-ins (3-7 steps) making sure to stare off in the distance instead of at the board.
I also think I’m going to start training without using the board. Unfortunately I can’t remove it where I train, but I can disregard it and just make sure I jump before I run into the pit.
i have this same problem on the division 3 level. as opposed to taking out the board, i feel that it is easier to mentally block out the pit. when i sprint down the runway, and i notice that the runway is going to end soon, i naturally slow down. instead, i now imagine that im running a sprint race and only mentally cue the penultimate step. this is just something that worked for me that might help you out
Start with shorter approaches (let’s say 6 step) and try to accelerate thorugh the board until you gain confidence. It can probably be a matter of steering.
faivala, that’s what I did yesterday. I did some 3-, 5-, and 7-step run-ins focusing on staring over the pit. I didn’t even use the board on those runs. Then I marked off a full 17-step run and did 3 jumps at that, focusing again on not steering. I had a video camera setup and know that my steps are just about perfect, give or take an inch. I wasn’t slowing down nearly as much and likely just need more of this type of practice to cement it.
If you are not yet jumping over 5m, 17 steps is way too many for you. Try taking 2 jumps each from 7, 9, 11, 13 steps, with appropriate rest. It will take a while to go through to find your marks (unless you know a measurement for these distances). The results might surprise you.
Okay, I went with an 11-step run up yesterday at the meet and improved from 4.41m to 4.91m. Still a pretty sad jump, but improving. I could probably use some work on my form. I wasn’t slowing down nearly as much, so there is a possibility that I could be okay at this.